---
title: "Get fly with your Fly command line"
description: "Fly’s command-line tool, available as both flyctl and fly on most platforms, includes shortcuts and options that reduce directory changes and browser navigation. App selection can use -a appname instead of relying on the current directory’s fly.toml; fly deploy can also build from a specified child directory, such as ./mygreatchildapp. When a fly.toml is present, the command asks for confirmation that the supplied app name should be used. Multiple deployment variants can be kept in separately named configuration files and selected with -c or --config, including when deploying from a monorepo tree. Browser-oriented commands include fly open for an app’s .fly.dev URL, fly dash metrics for dashboard metrics, and fly docs for the documentation’s top page."
---

# Get fly with your Fly command line

[Fly.io](https://yomu.fyi/company/fly-io) · Jan 5, 2021

**Type:** Tutorial

## Summary

Fly’s command-line tool, available as both flyctl and fly on most platforms, includes shortcuts and options that reduce directory changes and browser navigation. App selection can use -a appname instead of relying on the current directory’s fly.toml; fly deploy can also build from a specified child directory, such as ./mygreatchildapp. When a fly.toml is present, the command asks for confirmation that the supplied app name should be used. Multiple deployment variants can be kept in separately named configuration files and selected with -c or --config, including when deploying from a monorepo tree. Browser-oriented commands include fly open for an app’s .fly.dev URL, fly dash metrics for dashboard metrics, and fly docs for the documentation’s top page.

## Context

The post collects lesser-known flyctl and fly features as practical tips for using Fly commands more efficiently, including working with apps outside the current directory and opening Fly web pages directly from the command line.

## Approach / What changed

It explains command aliases, app selection, deployment paths, alternate configuration files, and browser-opening commands with concrete command examples such as fly status -a mygreatapp99, fly deploy ./mygreatchildapp, and fly deploy -c preview.toml.

## Takeaways

- On most platforms, flyctl and fly are interchangeable, and -a appname can select an app without changing directories; an existing fly.toml prompts for confirmation.
- fly deploy ./mygreatchildapp finds the fly.toml in that child directory, while -c or --config selects a named configuration such as preview.toml.
- fly open resolves and opens the app’s .fly.dev URL; fly dash metrics opens dashboard metrics, and fly docs opens the documentation’s top page.

**Tags:** [Deployment](https://yomu.fyi/topic/deployment), [Fly.io](https://yomu.fyi/topic/fly-io)

- Source: [Fly.io](https://fly.io/blog/get-fly-with-your-fly-command-line)
- Source URL: https://fly.io/blog/get-fly-with-your-fly-command-line
- Ingested by Yomu: 2026-09-02T11:56:55.655Z

[Read original post](https://fly.io/blog/get-fly-with-your-fly-command-line)