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rnef CLI

The RNEF CLI is a command-line tool that helps you develop, build, and run React Native applications.

Basic usage:

Terminal
npx rnef [command] [options]

Global Options

The following options are available for all commands:

Options Description
-h or --help Shows all available options
-V or --version Outputs the RNEF version number
--verbose Sets verbose logging

Available Commands

RNEF CLI uses a modular design where available commands depend on your configuration. The following commands are available by default for all configurations (these are internal commands that you typically won't need to run):

Command Description
config Outputs autolinking config (from Community CLI)
fingerprint Calculates fingerprint for project or platform
help Displays help menu for a command

Additional commands for development, building, and running apps are provided by specialized plugins.

Bundler Plugins

Bundler plugins are configured through the bundler property in your configuration. Available bundlers include:

  • @rnef/plugin-metro – Metro bundler plugin with the following commands:

    Command Description
    start Starts Metro dev server
    bundle Bundles JavaScript with Metro

  • @rnef/plugin-repack – Re.Pack bundler plugin with the following commands:

    Command Description
    start Starts Re.Pack dev server
    bundle Bundles JavaScript with Re.Pack

Platform Plugins

Platform plugins are configured through the platform property in your configuration. Available platforms include:

  • @rnef/platform-android – Android platform plugin with the following commands:

    Command Description
    run:android Runs Android app on emulator or device
    build:android Builds Android app for generic emulator, device or distribution
    sign:android Signs Android app with keystore

  • @rnef/platform-ios – iOS platform plugin with the following commands:

    Command Description
    build:ios Builds iOS app for generic simulator, device or distribution
    run:ios Runs iOS app on simulator or device
    sign:ios Signs iOS app with certificate and provisioning profile

Command Options

rnef start Options

The start command launches a development server (either Re.Pack or Metro, depending on your bundler plugin) that connects to your apps through port 8081 by default. It provides features like Hot Module Reloading (HMR) and error reporting.

Option Description
--port <number> Port to run the server on (default: 8081)
--host <string> Host to run the server on (default: "")
--projectRoot <path> Path to a custom project root
--watchFolders <list> Specify any additional folders to be added to the watch list
--assetPlugins <list> Specify any additional asset plugins to be used by the packager by full filepath
--sourceExts <list> Specify any additional source extensions to be used by the packager
--max-workers <number> Specifies the maximum number of workers the worker-pool will spawn for transforming files
--transformer <string> Specify a custom transformer to be used
--reset-cache, --resetCache Removes cached files
--custom-log-reporter-path <string> Path to a JavaScript file that exports a log reporter as a replacement for TerminalReporter
--https Enables https connections to the server
--key <path> Path to custom SSL key
--cert <path> Path to custom SSL cert
--config <string> Path to the CLI configuration file
--no-interactive Disables interactive mode
--client-logs [Deprecated] Enable plain text JavaScript log streaming for all connected apps

rnef bundle Options

The bundle command creates an optimized JavaScript bundle for your application, optionally using Hermes bytecode.

Option Description
--entry-file <path> Path to the root JS file, either absolute or relative to JS root
--platform <string> Either "ios" or "android" (default: "ios")
--transformer <string> Specify a custom transformer to be used
--dev [boolean] If false, warnings are disabled and the bundle is minified (default: true)
--minify [boolean] Allows overriding whether bundle is minified. Defaults to false if dev is true, true if dev is false
--bundle-output <string> File name where to store the resulting bundle, ex. /tmp/groups.bundle
--bundle-encoding <string> Encoding the bundle should be written in (default: "utf8")
--max-workers <number> Specifies the maximum number of workers the worker-pool will spawn for transforming files
--sourcemap-output <string> File name where to store the sourcemap file for resulting bundle, ex. /tmp/groups.map
--sourcemap-sources-root <string> Path to make sourcemap's sources entries relative to, ex. /root/dir
--sourcemap-use-absolute-path Report SourceMapURL using its full path (default: false)
--assets-dest <string> Directory name where to store assets referenced in the bundle
--unstable-transform-profile <string> Experimental, transform JS for a specific JS engine (default: "default")
--asset-catalog-dest [string] Path where to create an iOS Asset Catalog for images
--reset-cache Removes cached files (default: false)
--read-global-cache Try to fetch transformed JS code from the global cache, if configured (default: false)
--config <string> Path to the CLI configuration file
--resolver-option <string...> Custom resolver options of the form key=value. URL-encoded. May be specified multiple times
--config-cmd [string] [Internal] A hack for Xcode build script pointing to wrong bundle command
--hermes Passes the output JS bundle to Hermes compiler and outputs a bytecode file

rnef build:ios Options

The build:ios command builds your iOS app for simulators, devices, or distribution, producing either an APP directory (for simulators) or an IPA file (for devices and distribution).

Option Description
--configuration <string> Xcode scheme configuration (case sensitive)
--scheme <string> Xcode scheme to use
--target <string> Xcode target to use
--extra-params <string> Custom xcodebuild parameters
--export-extra-params <string> Custom xcodebuild export archive parameters
--export-options-plist <string> Export options file for archiving (default: ExportOptions.plist)
--build-folder <string> Location for iOS build artifacts
--destination <string> Build target: "simulator" or "device"
--destinations <list> Explicit destinations (e.g., "generic/platform=iphoneos,generic/platform=iphonesimulator")
--archive Create Xcode archive (IPA)
--no-install-pods Skip CocoaPods installation
--no-new-arch Build in legacy async architecture

rnef run:ios Options

The run:ios command runs your iOS app on a simulator or device. It extends the functionality of build:ios with additional runtime options.

Option Description
--port <number> Bundler port (default: 8081)
--binary-path <string> Path to pre-built .app binary
--no-remote-cache Disable remote build caching
--device <string> Device/simulator to use (by name or UDID)
--catalyst Run on Mac Catalyst

rnef sign:ios Options

The sign:ios command signs your iOS app with certificates and provisioning profiles, producing a signed IPA file ready for distribution.

Option Description
--identity <string> Certificate Identity name for code signing
--output <string> Path to output IPA file
--build-jsbundle Build JS bundle before signing
--jsbundle <string> Path to JS bundle to apply before signing
--no-hermes Don't use Hermes for JS bundle

rnef build:android Options

The build:android command builds your Android app for emulators, devices, or distribution, producing either APK or AAB files.

Option Description
--variant <string> Build variant (debug/release)
--aab Build Android App Bundle instead of APK
--active-arch-only Build only for active architecture
--tasks <array> Custom Gradle tasks
--extra-params <array> Extra parameters for Gradle

rnef run:android Options

The run:android command runs your Android app on an emulator or device. It extends the functionality of build:android with additional runtime options.

Same as for build:android and:

Option Description
--app-id <string> Application ID
--app-id-suffix <string> Application ID suffix
--no-remote-cache Disable remote build caching
--binary-path <string> Path to pre-built APK

rnef sign:android Options

The sign:android command signs your Android app with a keystore, producing a signed APK file ready for distribution.

Option Description
--keystore <string> Path to keystore file
--keystore-password <string> Password for keystore file
--output <string> Path to output APK file
--build-jsbundle Build JS bundle before signing
--jsbundle <string> Path to JS bundle to apply before signing
--no-hermes Don't use Hermes for JS bundle
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