> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.console.zenlayer.com/zenlayer-cli/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.console.zenlayer.com/zenlayer-cli/usage/output.md).

# Output Formats

This guide introduces the different output formats supported by Zenlayer Cloud CLI and how to use them.

## Output Formats Overview

Zenlayer Cloud CLI supports the following output formats:

* **json** - Output formatted as a JSON string. This is the default output format, suitable for programmatic processing and automation scripts.
* **table** - Output formatted as a table using characters +|- to form cell borders. It typically presents information in a "human-friendly" format that is more readable than other formats but less useful for programming.

## How to Choose an Output Format

You can specify the output format in three ways:

### 1. Set in Configuration File

You can use the output option in a named profile in the configuration file:

```json
{
  "default": {
    "output": "json"  // or "table"
  }
}
```

### 2. Use Environment Variables

You can set the output format using environment variables:

```bash
# Linux/macOS
export ZENLAYER_OUTPUT=table

# Windows
set ZENLAYER_OUTPUT=table
```

Using environment variables overrides values set in the configuration file.

### 3. Use Command Line Parameters

You can specify the output format using the `--output` or `-o` parameter in a command:

```bash
# Use JSON format
zeno zec describe-instances --output json

# Use table format
zeno zec describe-instances --output table

# Use shorthand
zeno zec describe-instances -o table
```

Using this option on the command line overrides any currently set environment variable or configuration file values.

## JSON Output Format

JSON is the default output format for Zenlayer Cloud CLI. Most programming languages can easily decode JSON strings using built-in functions or publicly available libraries. You can combine JSON output with the `--query` option to powerfully filter and format Zenlayer Cloud CLI's JSON-formatted output.

For more advanced filtering that may not be achievable with `--query`, you can consider using `jq`, a command-line JSON processor. You can download it and find the official tutorial at <http://stedolan.github.io/jq/>.

### Example Output

```json
{
  "requestId": "T05992D0C-7E8B-4047-B0C0-780F2CD549D3",
  "dataSet": [
    {
      "instanceId": "ins-xxxxxxxx",
      "name": "my-instance",
      "zoneId": "asia-east-1a",
      "status": "RUNNING",
      "instanceType": "zec.s1.small"
    },
    {
      "instanceId": "ins-yyyyyyyy",
      "name": "test-instance",
      "zoneId": "asia-south-1a",
      "status": "RUNNING",
      "instanceType": "zec.s2.medium"
    }
  ]
}
```

### Use Cases

* **Automation Scripts**: JSON format is easy to parse and process by scripts
* **API Integration**: JSON format can be used directly for API calls
* **Data Transfer**: JSON format is suitable for transferring data between systems

## Table Format

Table format outputs data in tabular form, suitable for human reading and quick viewing.

### Example Output

```
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+----------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|  requestId           |  T253B0E0E-42D5-45ED-A441-922429A90E68                                    |
+----------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
||                                            zoneSet                                             ||
|+------------------+-----------------------+-----------+--------------------+--------------------+|
||     regionId     | supportSecurityGroup  | timeZone  |       zoneId       |      zoneName      ||
|+------------------+-----------------------+-----------+--------------------+--------------------+|
||  asia-east-1     |  true                 |           |  SH1A              |  asia-east-1a      ||
||  europe-central-1|  true                 |           |  europe-central-1a |  europe-central-1a ||
|+------------------+-----------------------+-----------+--------------------+--------------------+|
```

### Use Cases

* **Manual Operations**: Table format is easy for humans to read
* **Quick Overview**: Table format provides a quick overview of data
* **Command Line Interaction**: Table format is suitable for viewing in the terminal

## Filtering Output with Queries

Zenlayer Cloud CLI supports using the JMESPath query language to filter and transform output. You can specify query expressions using the `--query` or `-q` parameter.

### Basic Queries

#### Extracting Specific Fields

```bash
# Extract all instance IDs
zeno zec describe-instances --query "dataSet[*].instanceId"
```

Output:

```json
[
  "123456xxxx",
  "789012xxxx"
]
```

#### Filtering Data

```bash
# Filter instances with running status
zeno zec describe-instances --query "dataSet[?status=='RUNNING']"
```

#### Nested Queries

```bash
# Extract nested fields
zeno zec describe-instances --query "dataSet[*].{ID: instanceId, Name: name}"
```

Output:

```json
[
  {
    "ID": "123456xxx",
    "Name": "my-instance"
  },
  {
    "ID": "789012xxxx",
    "Name": "test-instance"
  }
]
```

### JMESPath Syntax

JMESPath supports the following syntax:

* **Dot Notation**: `foo.bar` - Access nested fields
* **Array Index**: `foo[0]` - Access the first element of an array
* **Wildcard**: `foo[*]` - Access all elements of an array
* **Filter Expression**: `foo[?bar=='baz']` - Filter array elements
* **Projection**: `foo[*].bar` - Extract the bar field from each element in the array
* **Pipe**: `foo | bar` - Use the result of the left side as input for the right side

### Example: Complex Query

```bash
# Extract instance names in asia-east-1a zone with running status
zeno zec describe-instances --query "dataSet[?zoneId=='asia-east-1a' && status=='RUNNING'].name"
```

## Pagination

For list commands that support `--page-num` and `--page-size`, the CLI fetches only a single page by default. Use `--page-all` to automatically iterate through every page and merge all results into one response.

```bash
zeno zec describe-instances --page-all
```

See [Pagination](/zenlayer-cli/usage/pagination.md) for full details on manual and automatic pagination.

## Output Format Best Practices

* **Choose format based on use case**:
  * Use JSON format for programmatic processing
  * Use Table format for human reading
* **Use query filtering**: Use the `--query` option to filter output and get only the information you need
* **Combine output format and queries**: Combine output formats and queries as needed
* **Save output**: Save output to files for subsequent processing

### Example: Saving Output to a File

```bash
# Save JSON format output to a file
zeno zec describe-instances --output json > instances.json

# Save table format output to a file
zeno zec describe-instances --output table > instances.txt
```

## FAQ

### Output Format Not Taking Effect

If the output format is not taking effect, check:

* Whether the output format is correctly specified
* Command-line parameters take precedence over environment variables and configuration files
* Whether the CLI is the latest version

### Query Expression Errors

If there are query expression errors, check:

* Whether the JMESPath syntax is correct
* Whether the query path matches the API response structure
* Whether quoting is correct

### Output Truncated

If the output is truncated, it may be because:

* The output content is too large
* Terminal width limitations
* You can use `--output json` to get the complete output

## Related Documentation

* [Command Structure](/zenlayer-cli/usage/command-structure.md) - Learn about the basic structure of CLI commands
* [Parameter Types](/zenlayer-cli/usage/parameter-types.md) - Learn about different parameter type usage


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