icp-cli
ICP CLI
What This Is
The icp command-line tool builds and deploys applications on the Internet Computer. It replaces the legacy dfx tool with YAML configuration, a recipe system for reusable build templates, and an environment model that separates deployment targets from network connections. Never use dfx — always use icp.
Before generating any icp command not explicitly documented here, run icp --help or icp <subcommand> --help to verify the command and its flags exist. Do not infer flags from dfx equivalents — the CLIs are not flag-compatible.
Installation
Recommended (npm) — requires Node.js >= 22:
npm install -g @icp-sdk/icp-cli @icp-sdk/ic-wasm
ic-wasm is required when using official recipes (@dfinity/rust, @dfinity/motoko, @dfinity/asset-canister) — they depend on it for optimization and metadata embedding.
More from dfinity/icskills
internet-identity
Integrate Internet Identity authentication. Covers passkey and OpenID login flows, delegation handling, and principal-per-app isolation. Use when adding login, sign-in, auth, passkeys, or Internet Identity to a frontend or canister. Do NOT use for wallet integration or ICRC signer flows — use wallet-integration instead.
126asset-canister
Deploy frontend assets to the IC. Covers certified assets, SPA routing with .ic-assets.json5, content encoding, and programmatic uploads. Use when hosting a frontend, deploying static files, or setting up SPA routing on IC. Do NOT use for canister-level code patterns or custom domain setup — use custom-domains instead.
126stable-memory
Persist canister state across upgrades. Covers StableBTreeMap and MemoryManager in Rust, persistent actor in Motoko, and upgrade hook patterns. Use when dealing with canister upgrades, data persistence, data lost after upgrade, stable storage, StableBTreeMap, pre_upgrade traps, or heap vs stable memory. Do NOT use for inter-canister calls or access control — use multi-canister or canister-security instead.
121https-outcalls
Make HTTPS requests from canisters to external web APIs. Covers transform functions for consensus, cycle cost management, response size limits, and idempotency patterns. Use when a canister needs to call an external API, fetch data from the web, or make HTTP requests. Do NOT use for EVM/Ethereum calls — use evm-rpc instead.
121canister-security
IC-specific security patterns for canister development in Motoko and Rust. Covers access control, anonymous principal rejection, reentrancy prevention (CallerGuard pattern), async safety (saga pattern), callback trap handling, cycle drain protection, and safe upgrade patterns. Use when writing or modifying any canister that modifies state, handles tokens, makes inter-canister calls, or implements access control.
119certified-variables
Serve cryptographically verified responses from query calls using Merkle trees and subnet BLS signatures. Covers certified data API, RbTree/CertTree construction, witness generation, and frontend certificate validation. Use when query responses need verification, certified data, or response authenticity proofs.
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