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Version: Current

Quick Start

This guide walks you through the basic CRADLE workflow using CradleXC and the cxc command-line interface.

You will:

  1. install CradleXC
  2. verify that cxc is available
  3. obtain a CRADLE scenario
  4. validate the scenario
  5. compile it to YAML

No backend plugin is required for validation or compilation.

Prerequisites​

Before starting, make sure you have:

  • a supported operating system
  • a terminal or command prompt
  • curl

Install CradleXC​

  1. CradleXC is distributed as a prebuilt binary through the CRADLE APT repository:

    https://repo.cradle-lang.org/apt/

  2. Add the CRADLE package repository, update your package index and install CradleXC.

    For example:

    echo "deb [trusted=yes] https://repo.cradle-lang.org/apt/ /" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/cradle.list

    sudo apt update
    sudo apt install cxc

Verify the installation​

Confirm that the CLI is available:

cxc --version

Then check the dependencies required by your local environment:

cxc doctor

If cxc doctor reports missing dependencies, view the installation guidance with:

cxc install-deps
important

Resolve any required dependency issues reported by cxc doctor before continuing.

Obtain a CRADLE scenario​

Use an existing .cradle scenario or follow the First Scenario guide to create one.

For example:

scenarios/HelloWorld.cradle

The remaining examples in this guide assume that file path.

Validate the scenario​

Validate the scenario before compiling it:

cxc validate -i scenarios/HelloWorld.cradle

Validation checks whether the CRADLE syntax is valid and reports any syntax errors that need to be fixed.

note

Fix any reported validation errors before continuing.

Compile the scenario​

Compile the validated scenario to YAML:

cxc compile -i scenarios/HelloWorld.cradle -o HelloWorld.yml

CradleXC processes the scenario and writes the compiled output to HelloWorld.yml.

You have now completed the basic CRADLE workflow:

CRADLE scenario
↓
cxc validate
↓
cxc compile
↓
YAML output

Optional next steps​

Inspect the intermediate representation​

To inspect how CradleXC interpreted the scenario, run:

cxc dump-ir -i scenarios/HelloWorld.cradle

This command displays the intermediate representation produced from the CRADLE scenario. It is useful for troubleshooting or reviewing CradleXC's parsing and semantic processing.

Generate target-specific output​

Backend plugins provide target-specific file generation.

To see the backend plugins available to your installed CradleXC release, run:

cxc plugin list

Backend installation and configuration are covered separately in the backend guide.

Once a compatible backend plugin is installed, generate target-specific output with:

cxc build -i scenarios/HelloWorld.cradle --target <plugin_name> -o /path/to/output

For example:

cxc build -i scenarios/HelloWorld.cradle --target vagrant -o ./output

The backend plugin generates the files required by its target. These files are not automatically executed by CradleXC. You can use the generated files with the corresponding tools in your own testbed environment.

Next steps​