How to use the command dvc (with examples)

The dvc command is a tool that provides version control for data, similar to how git provides version control for code. It allows users to track the changes made to data files, collaborate with others, and reproduce and share data experiments.

Use case 1: Check the DVC version

Code:

dvc --version

Motivation: Checking the DVC version is useful to ensure that you have the latest version of DVC installed or to confirm the version while troubleshooting issues.

Explanation: The --version flag is used to display the version of the DVC command-line tool installed on your system.

Example output:

DVC version 2.6.3

Use case 2: Display general help

Code:

dvc --help

Motivation: Displaying general help can be helpful if you are new to DVC or if you want to explore the available subcommands and their functionalities.

Explanation: The --help flag is used to display general help information and a list of available subcommands for the DVC command-line tool.

Example output:

usage: dvc [-h] [-q] [-v] [-V] [--version] [--format [FORMAT]] [--color {auto,always,never}]
           [--no-path-info]

optional arguments:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -q, --quiet           Be quiet instead of being verbose.
...

Use case 3: Display help about a specific subcommand

Code:

dvc subcommand --help

Motivation: Displaying help about a specific subcommand can be useful if you want to understand the usage and options available for a specific DVC subcommand.

Explanation: The subcommand --help combination is used to display help information and usage examples for a specific DVC subcommand. Replace subcommand with the desired subcommand name.

Example output:

usage: dvc status [-h] [-q | -v] [--format {default,json}]
                  [--show-json {meta}] [--xml] [--csv] [--tsv] [--remote]
                  [--all-branches] [--all-commits] [--all-tags] [-c PATH]
                  [-j JOBS] [--no-follow] [--no-lock]
                  [--no-output-locks | --all-output-locks]
                  [--with-deps | --no-deps]
                  [--with-deps-outputs | --all-deps-outputs]
                  [--only-missing-deps-outputs] [--all]
                  [--deps-only | --outs-only] [--outs-only-no-cache]
                  [targets [targets ...]]

positional arguments:
  targets               DVC-files to show status for. Accepts directories, DVC-files, DVC pipelines
...

Use case 4: Execute a DVC subcommand

Code:

dvc subcommand

Motivation: Executing a DVC subcommand is the primary way to interact with DVC and perform various operations such as tracking files, running experiments, or managing remote storage for data.

Explanation: Simply run dvc subcommand to execute a specific DVC subcommand. Replace subcommand with the desired subcommand name.

Example output:

DVC: Making sure 'data/data.csv' is up to date.

Conclusion:

The dvc command is a versatile tool that provides version control capabilities for data files. Whether you need to check the DVC version, get general help, explore specific subcommands, or execute operations on your data, the dvc command has you covered. With the provided examples and explanations, you can start using DVC effectively for your data version control needs.