Command Reference¶

This add-on provides 26+ custom commands organized into functional categories. All commands follow a consistent naming convention with aliases for convenience.

Complete Command List¶

Command	Type	Description	Example	Aliases
`ddev critical-install`	Web	Install Critical CSS generation tools	`ddev critical-install`	install-critical-tools, cri, critical:install
`ddev critical-run`	Web	Run Critical CSS generation	`ddev critical-run`	critical, crr, critical:run
`ddev cypress-install`	Host	Install Cypress E2E testing dependencies	`ddev cypress-install`	cyi, cypress-install, install:cypress
`ddev cypress-run <command>`	Host	Run Cypress commands with environment support	`ddev cypress-run open`	cy, cypress, cypress:run, cyr
`ddev cypress-users`	Host	Create default admin user for Cypress testing	`ddev cypress-users`	cyu, cypress:users
`ddev db-prep-migrate`	Web	Create secondary database for migrations	`ddev db-prep-migrate`	migrate-prep-db, db:prep-migrate, db-mpdb
`ddev db-rebuild`	Host	Run composer install followed by database refresh	`ddev db-rebuild`	rebuild, db:rebuild, dbreb
`ddev db-refresh [env] [-f]`	Web	Smart database refresh with 12-hour backup age detection	`ddev db-refresh live -f`	refresh, db:refresh, dbref
`ddev pantheon-testenv <name> [type]`	Host	Create isolated testing environment (fresh or existing)	`ddev pantheon-testenv my-test fresh`	testenv, pantheon:testenv
`ddev pantheon-terminus <command>`	Host	Run Terminus commands for Pantheon integration	`ddev pantheon-terminus site:list`	terminus, pantheon:terminus
`ddev pantheon-tickle`	Web	Keep Pantheon environment awake during long operations	`ddev pantheon-tickle`	tickle, pantheon:tickle
`ddev phpmyadmin`	Host	Launch PhpMyAdmin database interface	`ddev phpmyadmin`	-
`ddev project-auth`	Host	Authorize SSH keys and credentials for hosting providers	`ddev project-auth`	project:auth
`ddev project-configure`	Host	Interactive setup wizard (configure project settings)	`ddev project-configure`	configure, project:configure, prc
`ddev project-init`	Host	Initialize complete development environment (runs all setup commands)	`ddev project-init`	init, project:init
`ddev project-lefthook`	Host	Install and initialize Lefthook git hooks	`ddev project-lefthook`	project:lefthook
`ddev project-wp`	Host	Install WordPress core and database if needed	`ddev project-wp`	project:wp
`ddev theme-activate`	Web	Activate the custom theme	`ddev theme-activate`	activate-theme, tha, theme:activate
`ddev theme-build`	Web	Build production assets	`ddev theme-build`	production, theme:build, thb, theme-production
`ddev theme-create-block <block-name>`	Web	Create a new WordPress block with proper scaffolding	`ddev theme-create-block my-block`	create-block, thcb, theme:create-block
`ddev theme-install`	Web	Set up Node.js, NPM, and build tools using .nvmrc	`ddev theme-install`	install-theme-tools, thi, theme:install
`ddev theme-npm <command>`	Web	Run npm commands (automatically runs in theme directory if available)	`ddev theme-npm run build`	theme:npm
`ddev theme-npx <command>`	Web	Run NPX commands in theme directory	`ddev theme-npx webpack --watch`	npx, theme:npx
`ddev theme-watch`	Web	Start the development server with file watching	`ddev theme-watch`	development, thw, theme:watch, theme-development
`ddev wp-open [service]`	Host	Open the site or admin in your default browser	`ddev wp-open` or `ddev wp-open admin`	open, wp:open
`ddev wp-restore-admin-user`	Web	Restore the admin user credentials	`ddev wp-restore-admin-user`	restore-admin-user, wp:restore-admin-user

Command Categories¶

Project Initialization¶

ddev project-init - Master command that orchestrates complete setup
ddev project-configure - Interactive configuration wizard
ddev project-auth - Set up hosting provider authentication
ddev project-lefthook - Initialize git hooks
ddev project-wp - Install WordPress core and database

Database Operations¶

ddev db-refresh [env] [-f] - Smart database refresh with age detection
ddev db-rebuild - Composer install + database refresh
ddev db-prep-migrate - Prepare secondary database for migrations

Theme Development¶

ddev theme-install - Set up Node.js and build tools
ddev theme-watch - Development server with file watching
ddev theme-build - Production asset compilation
ddev theme-create-block <name> - Generate WordPress blocks
ddev theme-activate - Activate configured theme
ddev theme-npm <command> - Run npm commands in theme directory
ddev theme-npx <command> - Run npx commands in theme directory

Testing & Quality Assurance¶

ddev cypress-install - Set up Cypress E2E testing
ddev cypress-run <command> - Execute Cypress tests
ddev cypress-users - Create test users
ddev critical-install - Set up Critical CSS tools
ddev critical-run - Generate Critical CSS

WordPress Management¶

ddev wp-open [service] - Open site or admin in browser
ddev wp-restore-admin-user - Restore admin user credentials

Hosting Provider Integration¶

ddev pantheon-terminus <command> - Pantheon Terminus commands
ddev pantheon-testenv <name> - Create isolated test environments
ddev pantheon-tickle - Keep environments awake

Utilities¶

ddev phpmyadmin - Database management interface

Command Types¶

Commands are organized into two categories:

Host commands (commands/host/): Execute on the host system outside containers
Web commands (commands/web/): Execute inside the DDEV web container

Using Aliases¶

Most commands include convenient aliases:

# These are equivalent
ddev project-init
ddev init

# These are equivalent
ddev theme-watch
ddev thw
ddev development

# These are equivalent
ddev db-refresh
ddev refresh
ddev dbref