# Inquirer.js — Interactive CLI Prompts for Node.js

> Inquirer.js provides a collection of common interactive command-line user interfaces including lists, checkboxes, confirmations, and text input for Node.js CLI tools.

## Install

Save in your project root:

# Inquirer.js — Interactive CLI Prompts for Node.js

## Quick Use
```bash
npm install @inquirer/prompts
```
```javascript
import { input, select, confirm } from '@inquirer/prompts';
const name = await input({ message: 'What is your name?' });
const color = await select({
  message: 'Pick a color',
  choices: [{ value: 'red' }, { value: 'blue' }, { value: 'green' }]
});
```

## Introduction
Inquirer.js is the standard library for building interactive command-line interfaces in Node.js. It provides a set of prompt types (input, list, checkbox, confirm, password, editor) that handle user input, validation, and formatting out of the box.

## What Inquirer.js Does
- Presents interactive prompts (text input, single select, multi-select, confirm, password)
- Validates user input with custom validation functions
- Transforms and filters answers before returning them
- Supports searchable and paginated lists for large option sets
- Provides a composable API where each prompt is an independent package

## Architecture Overview
Inquirer.js v2+ uses a modular architecture where each prompt type is a separate npm package under `@inquirer/prompts`. Each prompt manages its own render loop using an internal hook system inspired by React. Prompts read raw keypress events from stdin, update internal state, and re-render the terminal UI. The top-level API is promise-based, resolving with the user's answer when the prompt completes.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Install the unified package `@inquirer/prompts` or individual prompt packages
- Import prompt functions directly: `input`, `select`, `checkbox`, `confirm`, `password`, `editor`
- Pass a config object with `message`, `choices` (for selects), `default`, and `validate`
- Use `theme` option to customize colors and prefix symbols
- For legacy code, `inquirer` (v9) still supports the chained `.prompt()` API

## Key Features
- Modular design: install only the prompt types you need
- Built-in validation with custom error messages
- Searchable lists and autocomplete for large datasets
- Separator support for grouping choices in list prompts
- Theming API to match your CLI's visual style

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **prompts** — lightweight alternative with fewer prompt types; Inquirer.js has richer features and a larger ecosystem
- **Enquirer** — similar API with a focus on performance; Inquirer.js has broader adoption and more prompt types
- **readline** — Node.js built-in for basic line input; Inquirer.js adds structured prompt UI on top
- **Clack** — beautiful prompts with spinner support; Inquirer.js offers more prompt types and deeper customization
- **Bubble Tea (Go)** — full TUI framework; Inquirer.js is focused specifically on CLI prompts for Node.js

## FAQ
**Q: What is the difference between `inquirer` and `@inquirer/prompts`?**
A: `@inquirer/prompts` is the modern modular rewrite. The legacy `inquirer` package wraps these modules and adds the `.prompt([])` chained API.

**Q: Can I use Inquirer.js with TypeScript?**
A: Yes. All `@inquirer/*` packages ship with TypeScript types and provide generic type parameters for answer types.

**Q: How do I create a custom prompt type?**
A: Use `@inquirer/core` to build a prompt with the `createPrompt` hook API. You get `useState`, `useKeypress`, and a render function.

**Q: Does Inquirer.js work in non-interactive environments (CI)?**
A: No. Prompts require a TTY. In CI, supply answers via environment variables or default values and skip interactive prompts.

## Sources
- https://github.com/SBoudrias/Inquirer.js
- https://github.com/SBoudrias/Inquirer.js#readme

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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/2d3be758-40e4-11f1-9bc6-00163e2b0d79
Author: AI Open Source