How to use the command 'doctl account' (with examples)

The doctl account command is part of the DigitalOcean command-line tool suite, designed to facilitate the management of your DigitalOcean account and resources directly from the terminal. This command specifically focuses on retrieving information about your DigitalOcean account, including details about API rate limits and basic account data. It’s particularly useful for developers and system administrators who want to automate their infrastructure management tasks or need to access account details programmatically.

Use case 1: Display account info

Code:

doctl account get

Motivation:

When managing cloud resources, it is often necessary to verify account details to ensure the correct user and subscription information is being used, especially in environments with multiple accounts or team members. The doctl account get command retrieves detailed information about the current DigitalOcean account, which helps in confirming account-related details without needing to navigate through the DigitalOcean web interface.

Explanation:

• doctl: This is the primary command-line interface for interacting with DigitalOcean services. It allows users to manage and automate their DigitalOcean infrastructure.
• account: This argument specifies that the command will interact with the user’s account-related information.
• get: This sub-command fetches and displays information about the connected DigitalOcean account. It’s the primary action that retrieves the account details.

Example output:

Email: user@example.com
UUID: 123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426614174000
Status: active
Droplet Limit: 25
Email Verified: true

Use case 2: Show the hourly API limit, progress towards it, and when the rate limit resets

Code:

doctl account ratelimit

Motivation:

API rate limits are crucial for developers and administrators who need to make repeated or large volumes of requests to the DigitalOcean API. Understanding the current status of your API usage helps in planning and optimizing API calls to prevent service disruptions due to exceeding the limit. This is particularly important in automated scripts or integrations that rely on consistent API access.

Explanation:

• doctl: This is the DigitalOcean command-line tool for managing cloud resources.
• account: This specifies that the command will deal with account-related tasks.
• ratelimit: This sub-command provides insights into the current rate limit status, showing how many API requests have been made, the total allowed, and the time until the limit resets.

Example output:

Limit: 5000
Remaining: 4980
Reset: 2023-10-13T14:00:00Z

Use case 3: Display help

Code:

doctl account --help

Motivation:

For users new to doctl or those who haven’t memorized all command variations, accessing help is crucial for understanding how to use the tool effectively. This built-in help guide provides descriptions of available commands, options, and usage patterns, making it an invaluable resource for troubleshooting and learning.

Explanation:

• doctl: This is the command-line interface to interact with DigitalOcean services.
• account: This indicates the command set that pertains to the user’s account information.
• --help: This flag triggers the display of help documentation specific to the doctl account commands. It lists all available sub-commands and flags with descriptions that guide the user.

Example output:

The account commands are used to access account-related functions in the DigitalOcean API.

Available Commands:
  get         Retrieve account information
  ratelimit   Show rate limit information
  --help      Help about any command

Flags:
  -h, --help   help for account

Conclusion:

The doctl account command is a powerful tool for managing and retrieving vital account information from DigitalOcean directly through the command line. Whether you need to verify your account information, monitor API rate limits, or access command documentation, doctl account offers straightforward sub-commands to fulfill these needs efficiently. By incorporating these commands into your workflow, you can streamline the management of your DigitalOcean resources, enhancing productivity and reducing the reliance on manual web-based account administration.