---
title: "Installing the OpenStack CLI"
description: "Install the OpenStack command-line client with pip or Homebrew and verify it before connecting to an OpenStack cloud."
type: Guide
tags:
  - OpenStack
  - Command Line
  - Cloud
generated:
  by: "claude/opus-5"
  at: "2026-09-11T00:00:00Z"
sources:
  - id: cyverse-container-camp
    resource: "https://github.com/CyVerse-learning-materials/container-camp/blob/1746ee8873bcbed2bd3e62500262a9e9571cff16/docs/cloud/openstack.md"
    title: "CyVerse Container Camp: docs/cloud/openstack.md"
    author: "team:cyverse"
    last_modified: "2023-07-28T08:47:04-07:00"
---

# Installing the OpenStack CLI

## Connecting to an Existing OpenStack Cloud

## Option 1: Installing OpenStack CLI using Python

Step 1: Prerequisites
Ensure you have Python installed on your system. You can download Python from the official website: https://www.python.org/downloads/

Step 2: Install OpenStack CLI
Open your terminal or command prompt and execute the following command to install the OpenStack CLI using `pip`:

```bash
pip install python-openstackclient
```

Step 3: Verify the Installation
To verify that the OpenStack CLI has been successfully installed, run the following command:

```bash
openstack --version
```

You should see the version number of the installed OpenStack CLI if the installation was successful.

## Option 2: Installing OpenStack CLI using Homebrew (MacOS)

Step 1: Prerequisites
Ensure you have Homebrew installed on your MacOS. If you don't have Homebrew, you can install it using the following command in your terminal:

```bash
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
```

Step 2: Install OpenStack CLI
Open your terminal and use Homebrew to install the OpenStack CLI:

```bash
brew install openstackclient
```

Step 3: Verify the Installation
To verify that the OpenStack CLI has been successfully installed, run the following command:

```bash
openstack --version
```

You should see the version number of the installed OpenStack CLI if the installation was successful.

## Conclusion

In this installation section, we provided two options for installing the OpenStack CLI. The first option uses Python's `pip` package manager, which is a cross-platform method for installation. The second option is specific to MacOS users and uses Homebrew as the package manager.

Choose the option that best suits your system, and once the OpenStack CLI is installed, you can proceed with the main tutorial to connect to an existing OpenStack Cloud.

If you already have the OpenStack CLI installed, you can skip this section and move on to the authentication and connection steps in the main tutorial. Happy cloud computing!

<p class="carc-provenance" markdown>Adapted from [CyVerse Container Camp](https://github.com/CyVerse-learning-materials/container-camp/blob/1746ee8873bcbed2bd3e62500262a9e9571cff16/docs/cloud/openstack.md){target=_blank} (last source update 2023-07-28), CC BY 4.0. Spotted a problem? [Open an issue](https://github.com/UNM-CARC/container-camp/issues){target=_blank}.</p>