Initializing a Cognite Toolkit project

cdf init sets up a new Cognite Toolkit project. A Cognite Toolkit administrator runs it once, in an empty directory, to create the Git repository that data engineers later commit to. Install the Cognite Toolkit CLI first. See Set up locally.

Start the wizard

Open a terminal in an empty directory and run:

cdf init

The wizard lists four tasks. Only Create toml file is required. You can rerun a task, and you can quit and come back later. When the required task has succeeded, quitting prints Setup complete!.

$ cdf init
? Select a task: (Use arrow keys)
   ✓ Create toml file (required)
 » ○ Authentication
   ○ Modules
   ○ Git repository
   > Quit

Create the cdf.toml file

Select Create toml file. The Cognite Toolkit asks for an optional subdirectory:

Enter an optional subdirectory for Toolkit content.
    HINT Use an organization directory if you use the
         repository for more than Toolkit.
    The current directory is the default.

Press Enter to use the current directory. If this repository will hold more than Cognite Toolkit configuration, enter a subdirectory name. The command writes cdf.toml there. That file sets the CLI version and optional features. See cdf.toml.If cdf.toml already exists, the wizard skips this task.

Set up authentication

Select Authentication. This runs the same wizard as cdf auth init.Choose a device-code or interactive sign-in flow for local development. Choose client credentials for a CI/CD service account. The wizard writes a .env file and checks that the credentials can reach Cognite Data Fusion (CDF).

The .env file contains secrets. Do not commit it. The Cognite Toolkit .gitignore excludes it.

See Authenticating with the Cognite Toolkit for the sign-in commands, and Authentication and authorization for how to register the identity provider application.

Select modules

Select Modules. This runs the same wizard as cdf modules init.You pick one or more deployment packs, then the environments to create. dev and prod are selected by default. staging is optional. If a module includes example data, the wizard asks whether to download it.The command creates a modules/ directory and a config.<environment>.yaml file for each environment you select. You can add more packs later with cdf modules add. See Working with modules and Deployment packs.

Add the Git repository files

Run git init in the project directory before this task. If the directory is not a Git repository, the Cognite Toolkit warns you and continues.Select Git repository. The wizard asks where you host the repository:

GitHub copies .github/workflows/ pipeline files.
Azure DevOps copies .devops/ pipeline files.
Other and None skip the pipeline template. Set up the pipeline yourself. See CI/CD.

Every option copies .gitignore and .env.tmpl. Existing files are left in place. If .gitignore already exists, the command appends only the entries that are missing.The same files are what cdf repo init writes. After the pipelines exist, connect them to your Git host. See GitHub or Azure DevOps.

Next steps

Sign in and check what your credentials can change. See Authenticating with the Cognite Toolkit. If you added a deployment pack, set its variables, then build and deploy. See Working with modules.

​Next steps

Next steps