Cobra
A Go library for building modern command-line applications with structured commands and flags
- Also known as
- cobra
Available worldwide
What is Cobra?
A widely-used open source library for creating command-line interfaces in Go that supports modern command patterns and POSIX/GNU-style flags.
Cobra pricing
We don't have Cobra's full plan breakdown yet (its pricing page resisted automated reading). Here's what we could confirm. Always check live pricing for exact numbers.
What Cobra does
The capabilities that matter for cli frameworks, normalised so it lines up with every alternative. “-” means we haven't confirmed it, not that it's missing.
- Language
- Go
- Design style
- Imperative/builder
- Nested subcommands
- ✓
- Auto generated help
- ✓
- Plugin system
- -
- Interactive prompts
- -
- Type validation
- -
- Styled rich output
- -
- Project scaffolding
- ✓
- Test harness
- -
- Open source
- ✓
- License
- Apache 2.0
Platform & deployment
Independently observed- CLI
- Self-hosted
Integrations (1)
Independently observed- Viper•
Security & compliance
Known vulnerabilities: 0 (0 in the last 12 months) sourcea count reflects scale & disclosure, not quality
Cobra FAQ
Common questions about Cobra, answered from independent, dated evidence.
What is Cobra?
An open-source CLI framework that enables developers to build production-grade command-line applications with sophisticated command architecture, intelligent flag parsing, and enterprise features built-in. Battle-tested by over 173,000 projects including Kubernetes, Docker, and GitHub CLI. It is indexed under CLI Frameworks.
Source: https://cobra.dev
Is Cobra free to use?
Cobra is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the Apache-2.0 licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.
Source: https://cobra.dev
What platforms does Cobra support?
Cobra supports a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.
Source: https://cobra.dev
Can Cobra be self-hosted?
Yes. Cobra can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.
Source: https://cobra.dev
Is Cobra open source?
Yes. Cobra is published under the Apache-2.0 licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.
Source: https://github.com/spf13/cobra
Where is Cobra available?
Cobra is available worldwide. The vendor is headquartered in the United States.
Source: https://cobra.dev
Cobra alternatives
Other cli frameworks we track, ranked by the same independent score.
- ClickA Python framework for building command-line interfaces with automatic help generation and minimal boilerplatelow · 31%
- urfave/cliA Go library for creating command-line applications with declarative syntax and built-in subcommand supportlow · 30%
- ocliflow · 31%
- TyperA Python library for building command-line interfaces using type hintslow · 25%
- Commander.jsSimplify Node.js command-line application developmentlow · 30%
- picocliA Java framework for creating feature-rich command-line applications.low · 36%
The vioscaleAI score: one lens on the evidence
Not user reviews and not a paid placement: a confidence-weighted blend of the independent signals below (adoption, activity, security posture, and more), which you can sort and re-weight yourself. Vendors can correct their listing but can never move their rank, and stars are weighted low as a vanity metric. It is one way to read the evidence for Cobra, not the verdict.
| Signal | Score | Weight | Contribution | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dependent projects | 84 | 0.08 | 6.7 | ✓ |
| Capabilities | 67 | 0.08 | 5.6 | ✓ |
| Security score | 60 | 0.05 | 3.2 | ✓ |
| Stars | 88 | 0.03 | 2.9 | ✓ |
| Release cadence | 38 | 0.07 | 2.5 | ✓ |
| Integrations | 9 | 0.05 | 0.5 | ✓ |
| Development activity | 0 | 0.12 | 0.0 | ✓ |
| Security posture | 0 | 0.09 | 0.0 | - |
| Package downloads | 0 | 0.17 | 0.0 | - |
| Developer Q&A activity | 0 | 0.08 | 0.0 | - |
Computed . Re-weight it by intent, or see the full method.
All data & sourcesshow ↓
Every value we hold, with its source, retrieval date, and confidence. This is the evidence behind the score: don't trust it, verify it.
Activity
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Commits last 30d | 0 | mediumsource · 2026-10-13 · 65% |
Adoption
Content
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Faq | 6 items | mediumsource · 2026-09-10 · 68% |
Features
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Capabilities | License: Apache-2.0 · Language: Go · Open source: Yes · Design style: imperative/builder · Nested subcommands: Yes · Auto generated help: Yes | mediumsource · 2026-10-13 · 60% |
Integrations
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Count | 1 | mediumsource · 2026-10-13 · 60% |
Language
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Go | highsource · 2026-10-13 · 90% |
License
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Spdx | Apache-2.0 | highsource · 2026-10-13 · 95% |
Market
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | HqCountry: US · PrimaryMarkets: … · AvailabilityScope: global · AvailableCountries: … · NotAvailableCountries: … | highsource · 2026-08-18 · 75% |
Pricing
Release
Security
Is Cobra the right choice for you?
Tell us the job, the constraints and what you weigh most, and we will rank Cobra against the rest of the cli frameworks we index, using the same dated evidence weighted your way.
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