generated: '2026-07-21'
method: searched
source: https://vector.dev/docs/reference/cli/
name: vector
description: >-
  Vector is a single static binary managed through a command-line interface. The
  root command (no subcommand) starts Vector against a configuration file; the
  subcommands cover validation, config generation, topology inspection, live
  event tapping, and a VRL REPL.
install:
  - method: homebrew
    command: brew tap vectordotdev/brew && brew install vector
  - method: shell-installer
    command: curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSfL https://sh.vector.dev | bash
  - method: docker
    command: docker run timberio/vector:latest-debian
  - method: apt
    note: Vector APT repository (Debian/Ubuntu)
  - method: yum
    note: Vector YUM repository (RHEL/CentOS/Amazon Linux)
  - method: msi
    note: Windows installer
install_docs: https://vector.dev/download/
subcommands:
  - name: top
    description: Real-time terminal dashboard of component throughput and metrics.
  - name: tap
    description: Observe events flowing out of (or into) components in real time.
  - name: validate
    description: Validate a Vector configuration without starting the pipeline.
  - name: generate
    description: Generate a Vector configuration from a source/transform/sink expression.
  - name: graph
    description: Generate a DOT-format graph of the configured topology.
  - name: list
    description: List available components (sources, transforms, sinks).
  - name: test
    description: Run unit tests defined against a Vector configuration.
  - name: vrl
    description: Run the Vector Remap Language (VRL) REPL / execute VRL programs.
notes:
  - Subcommand set verified from the CLI reference page (vector.dev/docs/reference/cli/).
  - The `vector tap` flow is also exposed programmatically via the gRPC ObservabilityService StreamOutputEvents RPC (grpc/timber-observability.proto).