Keybase

Comprehensive keybase commands and usage patterns for efficient workflow management.

Overview

Keybase is a powerful tool for various operations and system management. This cheat sheet covers essential commands, configuration options, and best practices.

Installation

Linux/Ubuntu

# Package manager installation
sudo apt update
sudo apt install keybase

# Alternative installation
wget -O keybase https://github.com/example/keybase/releases/latest/download/keybase-linux
chmod +x keybase
sudo mv keybase /usr/local/bin/

macOS

# Homebrew installation
brew install keybase

# Manual installation
curl -L -o keybase https://github.com/example/keybase/releases/latest/download/keybase-macos
chmod +x keybase
sudo mv keybase /usr/local/bin/

Windows

# Chocolatey installation
choco install keybase

# Scoop installation
scoop install keybase

# Manual installation
# Download from official website and add to PATH

Basic Commands

Command	Description
`keybase --help`	Display help information
`keybase --version`	Show version information
`keybase init`	Initialize keybase in current directory
`keybase status`	Check current status
`keybase list`	List available options
`keybase info`	Display system information
`keybase config`	Show configuration
`keybase update`	Update to latest version

Essential Operations

Getting Started

# Initialize keybase
keybase init

# Basic usage
keybase run

# With verbose output
keybase --verbose run

# With configuration file
keybase --config config.yaml run

Configuration

# View configuration
keybase config show

# Set configuration option
keybase config set key value

# Get configuration value
keybase config get key

# Reset configuration
keybase config reset

Advanced Operations

# Debug mode
keybase --debug run

# Dry run (preview changes)
keybase --dry-run run

# Force operation
keybase --force run

# Parallel execution
keybase --parallel run

File Operations

Command	Description
`keybase create <file>`	Create new file
`keybase read <file>`	Read file contents
`keybase update <file>`	Update existing file
`keybase delete <file>`	Delete file
`keybase copy <src> <dst>`	Copy file
`keybase move <src> <dst>`	Move file

Network Operations

# Connect to remote host
keybase connect host:port

# Listen on port
keybase listen --port 8080

# Send data
keybase send --data "message" --target host

# Receive data
keybase receive --port 8080

Security Features

Authentication

# Login with credentials
keybase login --user username

# Logout
keybase logout

# Change password
keybase passwd

# Generate API key
keybase generate-key

Encryption

# Encrypt file
keybase encrypt file.txt

# Decrypt file
keybase decrypt file.txt.enc

# Generate certificate
keybase cert generate

# Verify signature
keybase verify file.sig

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Issue: Command not found

# Check if installed
which keybase

# Reinstall if necessary
sudo apt reinstall keybase

Issue: Permission denied

# Run with sudo
sudo keybase command

# Fix permissions
chmod +x /usr/local/bin/keybase

Issue: Configuration errors

# Reset configuration
keybase config reset

# Validate configuration
keybase config validate

Debug Commands

Command	Description
`keybase --debug`	Enable debug output
`keybase --verbose`	Verbose logging
`keybase test`	Run self-tests
`keybase doctor`	Check system health

Best Practices

Security

Always verify checksums when downloading
Use strong authentication methods
Regularly update to latest version
Follow principle of least privilege

Performance

Use appropriate buffer sizes
Monitor resource usage
Optimize configuration for your use case
Regular maintenance and cleanup

Maintenance

# Update keybase
keybase update

# Clean temporary files
keybase clean

# Backup configuration
keybase backup --config

# Restore from backup
keybase restore --config backup.yaml

Integration

Scripting

#!/bin/bash
# Example script using keybase

if ! command -v keybase &> /dev/null; then
    echo "keybase is not installed"
    exit 1
fi

if keybase run; then
    echo "Success"
else
    echo "Failed"
    exit 1
fi

API Integration

import subprocess
import json

def run_keybase(command):
    try:
        result = subprocess.run(['keybase'] + command.split(),
                              capture_output=True, text=True)
        return result.stdout
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Error: \\\\{e\\\\}")
        return None

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Default
`KEYBASE_CONFIG`	Configuration file path	`~/.keybase/config`
`KEYBASE_HOME`	Home directory	`~/.keybase`
`KEYBASE_LOG_LEVEL`	Logging level	`INFO`
`KEYBASE_TIMEOUT`	Operation timeout	`30s`

Configuration File

# ~/.keybase/config.yaml
version: "1.0"
settings:
  debug: false
  timeout: 30
  log_level: "INFO"

network:
  host: "localhost"
  port: 8080
  ssl: true

security:
  auth_required: true
  encryption: "AES256"

Examples

Basic Workflow

# 1. Initialize
keybase init

# 2. Configure
keybase config set host example.com

# 3. Run operation
keybase run

# 4. Check results
keybase status

# 5. Cleanup
keybase clean

Advanced Workflow

# Comprehensive operation
keybase run \
  --config production.yaml \
  --parallel \
  --verbose \
  --timeout 300

# Monitoring
keybase monitor \
  --interval 60 \
  --alert-threshold 80

Resources

Official Documentation

Community

Tutorials

Last updated: 2025-07-05