The KeyForge CLI is the final showcase project for CLI: A Practical Guide to Creating Modern Command Line Interfaces. It is not referenced directly in the book, but was created to show students and enthusiasts how a CLI with a real use case can come to life.
Written in Go, KeyForge demonstrates how to build a professional, extensible command-line tool that balances simplicity and power. It generates secure passwords, legacy WEP keys, and includes analysis features for testing password strength. The project is designed to look and feel like a real production tool, giving developers a hands-on example of how to structure, test, and ship a modern CLI application.
Version v0.1.0 delivers full functionality, automated build workflows, and light unit testing. As noted in its GitHub README, the create commands are already feature-rich to the point where a logical refactor is warranted. The project will remain at v0.1.0 unless someone joins in the open-source fun — and that could be you.
Keyforge on Github (MIT License)
# 1. Generate a strong 20-character password
keyforge create strong --length 20
# 2. Create three easy-to-remember passwords
keyforge create easy --count 3
# 3. Generate a 128-bit WEP key
keyforge create 128wep
# 4. Produce a full set of sample keys (easy, strong, WEP)
keyforge create set
# 5. Analyze a password for entropy and strength
echo "Tr0ub4dor&3" | keyforge analyze --stdin