Architecture and Design
This section provides comprehensive technical documentation for the VMware vRA CLI architecture, design decisions, and system components.
Documentation Structure
System Architecture
- Context Diagram - High-level system context and external dependencies
- Architecture Overview - Complete system architecture and design patterns
- Components Model - Detailed component breakdown and interactions
Data and Models
- Data Models - Data structures, schemas, and object models
Requirements
- Functional Requirements - System capabilities and features
- Non-Functional Requirements - Performance, scalability, and quality attributes
Security and Compliance
- Security and Compliance - Security architecture, threat model, and compliance considerations
Overview
The VMware vRA CLI is a comprehensive command-line interface tool designed to interact with VMware vRealize Automation environments. It provides a rich set of commands for managing service catalogs, deployments, workflows, and system configuration through a secure, authenticated API layer.
Key Architectural Principles
- Modular Design: Separation of concerns with distinct modules for authentication, API clients, CLI commands, and configuration management
- Security First: Secure credential storage, token management, and SSL/TLS communication
- Extensibility: Plugin-based architecture allowing for easy addition of new commands and features
- User Experience: Rich terminal output, multiple output formats, and comprehensive error handling
- Cross-Platform: Compatible across Windows, macOS, and Linux environments
Technology Stack
- Language: Python 3.8+
- CLI Framework: Click
- HTTP Client: Requests with retry mechanisms
- Authentication: Custom VMware vRA authentication flow
- Configuration: JSON-based persistent configuration
- Security: System keyring integration
- Documentation: MkDocs with Material theme
- Testing: pytest with comprehensive test coverage
- Packaging: Python wheels with automated CI/CD
Getting Started
For implementation details and component specifications, explore the individual documentation sections listed above.