Terminal — Volyx Documentation

What is Volyx Terminal?

Terminal gives you an interactive shell connected to your server environment. Instead of only viewing the output of the running application, you can enter normal shell commands and work directly with project files and development tools available inside the server.

Volyx Terminal workspace — Volyx Terminal with multiple persistent Bash sessions.

Terminal is different from Console

Console is mainly connected to the running application process. Terminal gives you a shell where you can work with files, dependencies, builds, Git, diagnostics, and other command-line tools.

Persistent command-line sessions

Terminal supports multiple sessions. Each tab represents its own shell session, such as bash 2 or bash 3.

New session

Use the + button to open another terminal session.

Session tabs

Switch between open shells without losing the work shown in another tab.

Close session

Close a terminal tab when that shell is no longer needed.

Persistent workspace

The terminal is designed to keep independent command-line sessions available while you work inside the server workspace.

Separate sessions are useful when, for example, one tab is watching logs while another is installing dependencies or inspecting files.

Running commands

You can run normal shell commands that are available and permitted inside your server environment.

The exact commands available depend on the runtime, installed tools, container environment, and permissions of your server.

Navigation pwd ls cd folder

Check your current directory, list files, and move through the project.

File inspection cat file.txt head file.txt tail file.txt

Read files or inspect the beginning and end of logs and text output.

File operations mkdir folder cp source target mv old new

Create directories and copy or move files from the command line.

Search find . -name "*.ts" grep -R "text" .

Find files or search for text across the project.

Installing dependencies

One of the most common uses for Terminal is installing project dependencies.

Node.js / TypeScript npm install npm install package-name

Install dependencies defined by your Node.js or TypeScript project.

Python pip install -r requirements.txt

Install packages listed by a supported Python project.

Java / build tools ./gradlew build mvn package

Run the build workflow used by the project when its build tool is available.

Use the package manager expected by the project

Do not randomly run package-install commands. Check the project files first, such as package.json, requirements.txt, pom.xml, or Gradle files.

Build and development commands

Projects that require compilation or generation steps can be prepared directly from Terminal.

Common examples include:

npm run build
npm run dev
npx tsc
python script.py
./gradlew build

These are examples only. Use the scripts and commands defined by your own project.

Terminal output is important

Build tools normally explain why they failed. Read the first useful error rather than immediately repeating the same command.

Git and repository workflows

When Git is available in the server environment, Terminal can be used for repository-related workflows.

git status
git branch
git pull
git log --oneline

These commands let you inspect repository state and work with updates from the command line.

Be careful with destructive Git commands

Commands that reset, overwrite, or clean working files can destroy local changes. Understand the command before running it on an important server.

Inspecting logs and project output

Terminal is useful when you need to inspect log files or generated output without opening each file manually.

ls -lah
du -sh *
tail -n 100 application.log
tail -f application.log

ls -lah

Displays files with sizes and additional filesystem information.

du -sh *

Helps identify which files or folders are using disk space.

tail

Reads the latest lines of a log file.

tail -f

Follows a log file as new lines are written.

Console vs Terminal

CONSOLE Running application

Application output
Startup logs
Runtime errors
Application console commands
Start / Stop / Restart / Kill

TERMINAL Server workspace

Shell commands
Dependency installation
Build commands
File operations
Git commands
Project diagnostics

A simple rule is: use Console to observe the running application, and use Terminal to work on the project and its environment.

Permissions and environment limits

Terminal runs inside the server environment provided by Volyx. It is not the same as receiving unrestricted root access to the physical host.

Some commands may be unavailable because:

The required program is not installed.
The server runtime does not include that tool.
The current user does not have permission.
The container or hosting environment restricts the operation.

If a command returns command not found or permission denied, read the error before trying to bypass it.

Use Terminal safely

Terminal gives you more control than the normal file interface, which also means a wrong command can change or remove a large amount of data quickly.

Be careful with destructive commands

Commands such as recursive deletion, mass file replacement, or destructive Git operations can permanently change project data. Create a backup before major changes.

Check your current directory before deleting or moving files.
Read a command before pasting it from another source.
Do not expose tokens, API keys, passwords, or webhook URLs.
Create backups before large dependency or file changes.
Run one major change at a time and test afterward.

Using Terminal for troubleshooting

1

Check the current directory

Use pwd and ls to confirm you are working in the expected project location.

2

Check project files

Verify that entry files, package manifests, and required configuration exist.

3

Check dependencies

Confirm the required packages are installed.

4

Run the failing command manually

When appropriate, reproduce a build or package command and read its actual error output.

5

Return to Console

After fixing the project, restart the server and verify the application output in Console.

Next step

Continue with AI Chat to learn how Volyx can help analyze project and server problems using AI-assisted troubleshooting.