What is the purpose of the vSphere Command-Line Interface?

The vSphere Command-Line Interface (vCLI) is primarily designed to facilitate the configuration and management of ESXi hosts. By using vCLI, administrators can perform a variety of tasks directly through command-line commands, which can be particularly useful for remote management or automation of tasks within the vSphere environment. This capability allows for efficient configuration of numerous settings on the ESXi host, including network configurations, firewall settings, and other system parameters, which can be essential for optimizing the host’s performance and ensuring it meets operational requirements.

While managing virtual machine snapshots, monitoring network performance, and installing vCenter Server are important aspects of vSphere management, these tasks are typically accomplished through different interfaces or tools specifically designed for those purposes. The vCLI provides a focused command-line approach for ESXi host configurations rather than these other functions.