How to Use Hostinger API CLI

A quick, step-by-step guide to install the Hostinger-API Command-Line Interface, connect it to your account, and run the most common VPS commands.

Step 1 – Download & Install the CLI

Please change the version inside this code provided below. You can check for the latest CLI releases and versions here.

cd ~
wget https://github.com/hostinger/api-cli/releases/download/<version>/hapi-<version>-linux-amd64.tar.gz
tar -xf hapi-<version>-linux-amd64.tar.gz
sudo mv hapi /usr/local/bin

Step 2 – Authenticate with Your API Token

You can pass credentials either through a config file or environment variables.

Option A – Config file

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hostinger/api-cli/main/hapi.yaml -O ~/.hapi.yaml

1. Edit the file and paste your token under api_token.

2. Run any command – the CLI will automatically read ~/.hapi.yaml.

Option B – Environment variable (quick method)

export HAPI_API_TOKEN=<paste_your_token_here>

Every key from the YAML file can be supplied the same way by prefixing it with HAPI_ and capitalising the key name.

Step 3 – Verify the Installation

hapi --help

Step 4 – Working with VPS Instances

The vps sub-command groups everything related to virtual machines:

hapi vps vm list                 # List all VPS
hapi vps vm get    <vm_id>       # Detailed info for one VPS
hapi vps vm start  <vm_id>       # Power-on
hapi vps vm stop   <vm_id>       # Graceful shutdown

Use --format json to pipe data into scripts or dashboards.

Official documentation

API reference – https://developers.hostinger.com
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You’re all set!

You can now automate routine VPS tasks, integrate Hostinger operations into CI/CD pipelines, or simply manage servers faster from your terminal. Happy scripting! 🎉