Spark is the command-line interface (CLI) for CodeIgniter 4. It allows you to generate controllers, models, migrations, and other files, manage databases, run development servers, inspect routes, clear caches, and perform maintenance tasks.

All commands should be executed from the root directory of your CodeIgniter 4 project, where the spark file is located.

php spark <command> [arguments] [options]

For example:

php spark make:controller Users
php spark migrate
php spark routes

The commands available depend on your CodeIgniter version and installed packages. Custom commands may also appear.

1. General and development commands

Examples

Start the development server on a custom port:

php spark serve --port 8080

Set the application environment to development:

php spark env development

Show all registered routes:

php spark routes

Show the help for a command:

php spark help make:model

Note: The serve command is intended for development, not production hosting.

2. Code generators (make:*)

These commands automatically generate PHP classes and boilerplate files.

Generator commands and options are documented in the official CodeIgniter CLI Generators guide. Some commands require newer CodeIgniter 4 versions.

Useful generator options

Create a REST API controller:

php spark make:controller Api/Users --restful controller

Create a model associated with a particular database table:

php spark make:model UserModel --table users

Create a model returning entities:

php spark make:model UserModel --table users --return entity

Create a model in another namespace:

php spark make:model Product --namespace Acme\Shop

Create a custom Spark command named app:cleanup:

php spark make:command Cleanup --command app:cleanup

Overwrite an existing generated file:

php spark make:controller Users --force

Generate a basic CRUD-related scaffold:

php spark make:scaffold Product

This generates a controller, model, migration, and seeder skeleton. It does not automatically implement a fully functioning CRUD interface.

3. Database and migration commands

Examples

Create a new database:

php spark db:create myapp

Generate a migration:

php spark make:migration CreateProductsTable

Execute pending migrations:

php spark migrate

Execute migrations for a particular database group:

php spark migrate -g tests

Execute migrations across all namespaces:

php spark migrate --all

Check migration status:

php spark migrate:status

Roll back migrations:

php spark migrate:rollback

Refresh migrations:

php spark migrate:refresh

Populate a database with seed data:

php spark db:seed ProductSeeder

Important: Migration rollback and refresh commands can reverse schema changes and potentially destroy data. Make backups before running them against important databases.

4. Cache commands

# Clear application cache
php spark cache:clear

# Inspect file cache
php spark cache:info

cache:info supports the File cache handler. cache:clear does not automatically clear every type of framework, PHP opcode, or external server cache.

5. Security, encryption, and configuration commands

Examples

Generate a new encryption key:

php spark key:generate

Check application configuration:

php spark config:check

Inspect filters applied to a GET request:

php spark filter:check get /users

Generating a new encryption key can make previously encrypted data unreadable if the old key is replaced. Preserve your existing key when you have encrypted production data.

6. Maintenance and housekeeping commands

php spark logs:clear
php spark debugbar:clear

These commands help clean up development data and logs. They do not optimize PHP code or update application dependencies.

7. Translation and localization commands

For example:

php spark lang:find

This is useful for locating language keys when building multilingual applications.

php spark lang:sync

This helps synchronize translation files. Check its available options for your installed framework version.

8. Additional package-specific commands

Some commands appear only when additional packages are installed.

For example, the optional CodeIgniter Shield package provides authentication-related commands.

These are not part of the core CodeIgniter framework.

9. How to get the exact complete command list for your installation

Because the available commands vary by framework version and packages, the authoritative list is the one generated by your project.

# Show all registered commands
php spark list

# Show a compact alphabetical list
php spark list --simple

# Show help for a particular command
php spark help migrate

# Show command-specific options
php spark migrate --help

You can also export the command list to a text file:

php spark list > spark-commands.txt

Or save the simpler command list:

php spark list --simple > spark-commands.txt

This is especially useful when comparing commands before and after upgrading CodeIgniter.

10. Practical workflow: Creating a REST API

For a CodeIgniter 4 REST API, a typical sequence is:

# 1. Generate a RESTful controller
php spark make:controller Api/Products --restful controller

# 2. Generate a model
php spark make:model ProductModel --table products

# 3. Generate a migration
php spark make:migration CreateProductsTable

# 4. Generate a seeder
php spark make:seeder ProductSeeder

# 5. Run migrations after implementing the schema
php spark migrate

# 6. Populate sample data after implementing the seeder
php spark db:seed ProductSeeder

# 7. Inspect registered API routes
php spark routes

# 8. Start the development server
php spark serve

You still need to implement the controller methods, migration schema, seeder contents, and API routes.

11. Commands worth knowing for daily development

For further reference, see the official Spark Commands documentation and CLI Generators documentation.

Version note: This guide is based on the CodeIgniter 4.7 documentation and covers the standard built-in command families, with package-specific examples identified separately. Your installed version’s php spark list output remains the definitive inventory, particularly for commands introduced or changed between releases.