CLI refactor

[kanishkatn]

Currently, we have the following commands in gossamer

export
   Exports the configuration values to TOML configuration file. It takes in the values from flags, another toml and the default values, and creates a new toml file.
init
   Initialises a node with toml, db and genesis file.
account
   key management
build-spec
   Generates genesis JSON data, and can convert to raw genesis data 
import-runtime
   Appends the given .wasm runtime binary to a genesis file
import-state
   Import state from a JSON file and set it as the chain head state
prune
   Prunes the state trie

I've removed export in the new CLI and handling it as part of init.

Here are the commands in Substrate

Commands:
  build-spec
          Build a chain specification
  check-block
          Validate blocks
  export-blocks
          Export blocks
  export-state
          Export the state of a given block into a chain spec
  import-blocks
          Import blocks
  purge-chain
          Remove the whole chain
  revert
          Revert the chain to a previous state
  benchmark
          Sub-commands concerned with benchmarking. The pallet benchmarking moved to the `pallet` sub-command
  host-perf-check
          Runs performance checks such as PVF compilation in order to measure machine capabilities of running a validator
  try-runtime
          Try some command against runtime state. Note: `try-runtime` feature must be enabled
  key
          Key management CLI utilities
  chain-info
          Db meta columns information

Creating this for discussions around the existing commands and the changes we'd like to see in the new CLI.

[EclesioMeloJunior]

I don't see how useful the init command is. We can start/run a node without necessarily calling the init command, so I we should remove it from the command set IMO

[kanishkatn]

Yes, you're right! It does initialise the node during run if it hasn't been initialised before.

I've added another use case for init, wherein it generates the config file using the default-values and the cli flags. The config file comes with a doc which we could use to further modify the values before running the node.

For a node operator, I feel it is easier to work with the config file than learning about all the different flags. So, I've kept it in.

[EclesioMeloJunior]

100% agree over the usage of a config file, I use it all the time. So I think your purpose is to make this init command more or less equal to the npm init which provides a package.json with some values there, right? If so, in my opinion gossamer init is quite vague and looks like we are trying to "initialize" a node, so I would like to suggest a command like gossamer config init {flags}

[kanishkatn]

hmm, the init already does the following

• Takes in command line params and the chain, and creates the toml config
• Copies over the toml to the base-path
• Does the DB setup in the base-path

So, in a way it is initialising the node to be run at a later stage and not just creating the skeleton config.

tendermint also has the init command, wherein it creates the config, private-key file, and few other files that are needed to run the node. We're gonna have to move the node-key to a file eventually as well.

[EclesioMeloJunior]

Yeah, but even after adding the new use case, as you described, I keep not seeing the point of how useful init is (imo), since as a node operator (used to run substrate node) I don't need an init to setup my node before running it. However, I totally agree about the usefulness of a config.toml and I see that could be useful and a good experience a command that only generates a TOML file without any other setup:

gossamer config init // generates `config.toml` using default values
gossamer --config config.toml // starts the node using the config.toml

[kanishkatn]

Yeah, no. I understand your point.

I'm just saying that it isn't gonna create just the config.toml but also the genesis.json and node-key.json with room for more later if needed.

Since it isn't just the config.toml that is being initialised, it doesn't make sense to rename the command.