Command Reference¶
The DDEV Kanopi Drupal Add-on provides 27 custom commands organized into Host Commands (executed on your local machine) and Web Commands (executed inside the DDEV container).
Host Commands (13)¶
Host commands run on your local machine outside of DDEV containers and can interact with your local filesystem and external services.
Project Management¶
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
ddev project-init |
Complete project initialization with dependencies, Lefthook, NVM, and database refresh | ddev project-init |
ddev project-configure |
Interactive configuration wizard for project setup | ddev project-configure |
ddev project-auth |
Authorize SSH keys for hosting providers | ddev project-auth |
ddev project-lefthook |
Install and initialize Lefthook git hooks | ddev project-lefthook |
ddev project-nvm |
Install NVM and Node.js for theme development | ddev project-nvm |
Database Management¶
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
ddev db-rebuild |
Run composer install followed by database refresh | ddev db-rebuild |
Testing & Development¶
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
ddev cypress-install |
Install Cypress E2E testing dependencies | ddev cypress-install |
ddev cypress-run <command> |
Run Cypress commands with environment support | ddev cypress-run open |
ddev cypress-users |
Create default admin user for Cypress testing | ddev cypress-users |
Hosting Provider Integration¶
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
ddev pantheon-terminus <command> |
Run Terminus commands for Pantheon integration | ddev pantheon-terminus site:list |
ddev pantheon-testenv <name> [profile] |
Create isolated testing environment with optional install profile | ddev pantheon-testenv my-test minimal |
Utilities¶
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
ddev drupal-uli |
Generate one-time login link for Drupal | ddev drupal-uli |
ddev phpmyadmin |
Launch PhpMyAdmin database interface | ddev phpmyadmin |
Web Commands (14)¶
Web commands run inside the DDEV web container and have access to the full Drupal environment, database, and installed tools.
Database Operations¶
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
ddev db-refresh [env] [-f] |
Smart database refresh from hosting provider with backup age detection | ddev db-refresh live -f |
ddev db-prep-migrate |
Create secondary database for migrations | ddev db-prep-migrate |
ddev pantheon-tickle |
Keep Pantheon environment awake during long operations | ddev pantheon-tickle |
Theme Development¶
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
ddev theme-install |
Set up Node.js, NPM, and build tools using .nvmrc | ddev theme-install |
ddev theme-build |
Build production assets for the theme | ddev theme-build |
ddev theme-watch |
Start theme development with file watching | ddev theme-watch |
ddev theme-npm <command> |
Run NPM commands in theme directory specified by THEME env var | ddev theme-npm run build |
ddev theme-npx <command> |
Run NPX commands in theme directory | ddev theme-npx webpack --watch |
Recipe Development¶
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
ddev recipe-apply <path> |
Apply Drupal recipe with automatic cache clearing | ddev recipe-apply ../recipes/my-recipe |
ddev recipe-unpack [recipe] |
Unpack a recipe package or all recipes | ddev recipe-unpack drupal/example_recipe |
ddev recipe-uuid-rm <path> |
Remove UUIDs from config files for recipe development | ddev recipe-uuid-rm config/sync |
Performance Tools¶
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
ddev critical-install |
Install Critical CSS generation tools | ddev critical-install |
ddev critical-run |
Run Critical CSS generation | ddev critical-run |
Site Management¶
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
ddev drupal-open [service] |
Open the site or admin in your default browser | ddev drupal-open |
Command Details¶
Project Initialization Commands¶
ddev project-init¶
The master initialization command that orchestrates your entire development setup:
What it does:
1. Runs ddev project-auth to set up SSH keys
2. Runs ddev project-lefthook to install git hooks
3. Runs ddev project-nvm to set up Node.js
4. Runs ddev db-refresh to get the latest database
5. Runs ddev cypress-users to create test users
Use case: Perfect for daily development startup or onboarding new team members.
ddev project-configure¶
Interactive configuration wizard for setting up all project variables:
What it configures: - Hosting provider (Pantheon/Acquia) - Theme paths and names - Site identifiers and environments - Migration settings (optional)
Database Operations¶
ddev db-refresh [env] [-f]¶
Smart database refresh with automatic backup age detection:
# Refresh from default environment
ddev db-refresh
# Refresh from specific environment
ddev db-refresh live
# Force new backup creation
ddev db-refresh -f
# Refresh from multidev environment
ddev db-refresh pr-123
Smart Features:
- 12-hour threshold: Automatically detects if backups are older than 12 hours
- Force flag: Use -f to create new backup regardless of age
- Environment support: Works with any hosting environment
- Post-refresh actions: Automatically creates test users and clears caches
ddev db-prep-migrate¶
Creates a secondary database for migration testing:
Use case: Essential for testing migrations without affecting your main database.
Theme Development Workflow¶
Complete Theme Setup¶
# 1. Install theme development tools
ddev theme-install
# 2. Start development with file watching
ddev theme-watch
# 3. Build production assets when ready
ddev theme-build
Custom NPM Commands¶
# Run any NPM command in your theme directory
ddev theme-npm install
ddev theme-npm run build
ddev theme-npm run lint
# Run NPX commands
ddev theme-npx webpack --analyze
ddev theme-npx stylelint "**/*.css"
Recipe Development¶
Recipe Workflow¶
# 1. Apply a recipe
ddev recipe-apply ../recipes/my-recipe
# 2. Unpack packaged recipes for development
ddev recipe-unpack drupal/example_recipe
# 3. Clean UUIDs from config for recipe development
ddev recipe-uuid-rm config/sync
# 4. Export configuration after changes
ddev drush config:export
Testing Commands¶
Cypress E2E Testing¶
# 1. Install Cypress (one time setup)
ddev cypress-install
# 2. Create test users
ddev cypress-users
# 3. Open Cypress UI
ddev cypress-run open
# 4. Run tests headlessly
ddev cypress-run run
Performance Optimization¶
Critical CSS Generation¶
Use case: Improves page load performance by inlining critical CSS.
Platform-Specific Commands¶
Pantheon Commands¶
ddev pantheon-terminus <command>¶
Direct access to Terminus CLI:
# List all sites
ddev pantheon-terminus site:list
# Get site information
ddev pantheon-terminus site:info my-site
# Create multidev environment
ddev pantheon-terminus multidev:create my-site.live my-feature
# Deploy to test environment
ddev pantheon-terminus env:deploy my-site.test
ddev pantheon-testenv <name> [profile]¶
Create isolated testing environments:
# Create test environment with standard profile
ddev pantheon-testenv my-test
# Create with minimal profile
ddev pantheon-testenv my-test minimal
# Create with custom install profile
ddev pantheon-testenv my-test my_custom_profile
ddev pantheon-tickle¶
Keep environments awake during long operations:
# Run before long migrations or imports
ddev pantheon-tickle &
# Your long-running command here
ddev drush migrate:import --all
Command Aliases and Shortcuts¶
Many commands support aliases for faster typing:
| Full Command | Aliases | Description |
|---|---|---|
ddev project-configure |
prc, configure |
Configuration wizard |
ddev db-refresh |
refresh |
Database refresh |
ddev db-rebuild |
rebuild, dbreb |
Database rebuild |
ddev theme-build |
thb, production |
Theme build |
ddev theme-watch |
thw, development |
Theme watch |
ddev theme-install |
thi |
Theme install |
ddev recipe-apply |
ra, recipe |
Apply recipe |
ddev recipe-unpack |
ru |
Unpack recipe |
ddev cypress-install |
cyi |
Cypress install |
ddev cypress-run |
cyr, cy |
Cypress run |
ddev cypress-users |
cyu |
Create users |
Environment Variables¶
Commands use these key environment variables (configured via ddev project-configure):
| Variable | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
HOSTING_PROVIDER |
Platform identifier | pantheon, acquia |
THEME |
Path to custom theme | themes/custom/mytheme |
THEMENAME |
Theme name for tools | mytheme |
HOSTING_SITE |
Site identifier | my-site (Pantheon), app-uuid (Acquia) |
HOSTING_ENV |
Default environment | dev, test, live |
Getting Help¶
Get help for any command:
Next Steps¶
For detailed information on database operations, theme development, recipe workflow, and testing, refer to the individual command documentation and help text using ddev [command] --help.