The ZKsync CLI is a powerful tool designed to simplify the setup, development, testing, and deployment of contracts on ZK Chains. It also provides a way to scaffold dApps using templates leveraging various frontend and web3 libraries.
ZKsync CLI is published on npm as zksync-cli. Commands are invoked using npx zksync-cli in the terminal.
Prerequisites

​
Usage

You can run commands without installation: npx zksync-cli (For example: npx zksync-cli dev start).

​
Available Commands

To learn more about the available commands in ZKsync CLI, see the CLI reference.
Here are the main command categories and their common use cases:

​
Bridge

Transfer assets between L1 and L2. 
npx zksync-cli bridge deposit        # Move funds from Ethereum (L1) to ZKsync (L2)
npx zksync-cli bridge withdraw       # Initiate withdrawal from L2 to L1
npx zksync-cli bridge withdraw-finalize  # Complete the withdrawal process to L1

​
Config Chains

Manage custom chain configurations. 
npx zksync-cli config chains add     # Add a new custom chain
npx zksync-cli config chains edit    # Modify existing chain settings

​
Contract

Interact with smart contracts. 
npx zksync-cli contract read         # Execute read-only contract methods
npx zksync-cli contract write        # Send transactions to contracts
npx zksync-cli contract encode       # Generate calldata from contract methods

​
Create

Bootstrap new projects using templates. 
npx zksync-cli create               # Create new projects with various templates:
                                    # - Frontend (Vue, React, Next.js, Nuxt, Vite)
                                    # - Contracts (Hardhat with Solidity/Vyper)
                                    # - Scripting (Node.js automation)

​
Dev

Manage local development environment. 
npx zksync-cli dev start            # Start local dev environment
npx zksync-cli dev clean            # Clean data for configured modules
npx zksync-cli dev config           # Select modules to run locally

​
Transaction

Query transaction details. 
npx zksync-cli transaction info     # Get detailed information about a transaction

​
Wallet

Manage wallet operations. 
npx zksync-cli wallet balance       # Check token balance for an address
npx zksync-cli wallet transfer      # Send funds on L2 to another account