Faker Command Line Tool

Faker is a PHP library that generates fake data for you.
This is a command line tool for easy generation of fake data in a static way.

Usage

As a Phar (Recommended)

You can find the latest phar on the releases page.

$ wget https://github.com/bit3/faker-cli/releases/download/1.4/faker.phar
$ ./faker.phar

As a Composer Install

$ composer create-project bit3/faker-cli
$ cd faker-cli
$ ./bin/faker.php

Parameters and arguments

$ ./bin/faker.php
 --locale (-l)    # The locale to used. (default: "en_US")
 --seed (-s)      # The generators seed.
 --pattern (-p)   # The printf pattern. (default: "%s")
 --delimiter (-d) # The delimiter is used by the csv and printf format.
 --enclosure (-e) # The enclosure is used by the csv and printf format.
 --escape (-E)    # The escape character is used by the printf format. (default: "\")
 --format (-f)    # The output format (json, xml, csv, php, printf, vprintf) (default: "printf")
 --count (-c)     # The count of generated data. (default: 1)
 <type>           # The data type to generate (e.g. "randomDigit", "words", "name", "city")
 <args1>..<argsN> # Arguments for the type, e.g. "words 5" will generate 5 words.

Single value generator example

$ ./bin/faker.php word

culpa
consequatur
quisquam
recusandae
asperiores
accusamus
nihil
repellat
vero
omnis

Multi value generator example

$ ./bin/faker.php --count 5 words 2

culpa,consequatur
quisquam,recusandae
asperiores,accusamus
nihil,repellat
vero,omnis

Output formats

You can use different output formats by definint the --format option. JSON is the default format.

JSON output

$ ./bin/faker.php word

[
    "culpa",
    "consequatur",
    "quisquam",
    "recusandae",
    "asperiores",
    "accusamus",
    "nihil",
    "repellat",
    "vero",
    "omnis"
]

$ ./bin/faker.php --count 5 words 2

[
    [
        "culpa",
        "consequatur"
    ],
    [
        "quisquam",
        "recusandae"
    ],
    [
        "asperiores",
        "accusamus"
    ],
    [
        "nihil",
        "repellat"
    ],
    [
        "vero",
        "omnis"
    ]
]

XML output

$ ./bin/faker.php --format xml word

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<array>
  <item>culpa</item>
  <item>consequatur</item>
  <item>quisquam</item>
  <item>recusandae</item>
  <item>asperiores</item>
  <item>accusamus</item>
  <item>nihil</item>
  <item>repellat</item>
  <item>vero</item>
  <item>omnis</item>
</array>

CSV output

$ ./bin/faker.php --format csv word

culpa
consequatur
quisquam
recusandae
asperiores
accusamus
nihil
repellat
vero
omnis

PHP output

$ ./bin/faker.php --format php word

array (
  0 => 'culpa',
  1 => 'consequatur',
  2 => 'quisquam',
  3 => 'recusandae',
  4 => 'asperiores',
  5 => 'accusamus',
  6 => 'nihil',
  7 => 'repellat',
  8 => 'vero',
  9 => 'omnis',
)

printf and vprintf output

The printf and vprintf output are mostly equal. But printf is designed for single value generator types e.g. safeEmail and vprintf is designed for multi value generator types e.g. words 5.

$ ./bin/faker.php --format printf 
  --pattern "INSERT INTO emails (uuid, email) VALUES (UUID(), %s);" 
  --enclosure "'" 
  safeEmail
  
INSERT INTO emails (uuid, email) VALUES (UUID(), 'dbednar@example.com');
INSERT INTO emails (uuid, email) VALUES (UUID(), 'xhettinger@example.net');
INSERT INTO emails (uuid, email) VALUES (UUID(), 'gerald62@example.org');
INSERT INTO emails (uuid, email) VALUES (UUID(), 'miles91@example.com');
INSERT INTO emails (uuid, email) VALUES (UUID(), 'to'conner@example.com');
INSERT INTO emails (uuid, email) VALUES (UUID(), 'bridgette.runolfsdottir@example.com');
INSERT INTO emails (uuid, email) VALUES (UUID(), 'fgoldner@example.org');
INSERT INTO emails (uuid, email) VALUES (UUID(), 'grimes.leo@example.org');
INSERT INTO emails (uuid, email) VALUES (UUID(), 'lilian.reynolds@example.net');
INSERT INTO emails (uuid, email) VALUES (UUID(), 'ratke.darlene@example.net');

./bin/faker.php --format vprintf 
  --pattern "INSERT INTO keywords (uuid, keyword1, keyword2, keyword3) VALUES (UUID(), %s, %s, %s);" 
  --enclosure "'" 
  words 3
  
INSERT INTO keywords (uuid, keyword1, keyword2, keyword3) VALUES (UUID(), 'est', 'illo', 'consequuntur');
INSERT INTO keywords (uuid, keyword1, keyword2, keyword3) VALUES (UUID(), 'dolorem', 'temporibus', 'commodi');
INSERT INTO keywords (uuid, keyword1, keyword2, keyword3) VALUES (UUID(), 'sint', 'reiciendis', 'sint');
INSERT INTO keywords (uuid, keyword1, keyword2, keyword3) VALUES (UUID(), 'sunt', 'eum', 'id');
INSERT INTO keywords (uuid, keyword1, keyword2, keyword3) VALUES (UUID(), 'tempora', 'rerum', 'occaecati');
INSERT INTO keywords (uuid, keyword1, keyword2, keyword3) VALUES (UUID(), 'corrupti', 'impedit', 'doloribus');
INSERT INTO keywords (uuid, keyword1, keyword2, keyword3) VALUES (UUID(), 'amet', 'consectetur', 'repudiandae');
INSERT INTO keywords (uuid, keyword1, keyword2, keyword3) VALUES (UUID(), 'est', 'id', 'amet');
INSERT INTO keywords (uuid, keyword1, keyword2, keyword3) VALUES (UUID(), 'odio', 'facere', 'nesciunt');
INSERT INTO keywords (uuid, keyword1, keyword2, keyword3) VALUES (UUID(), 'voluptas', 'quia', 'rerum');

You can also use printf with multi value generator types, which will joined by the --delimiter char, which is , by default.

$ ./bin/faker.php --format printf 
  --pattern "INSERT INTO words (uuid, words) VALUES (UUID(), %s);" 
  --delimiter ' / ' 
  --enclosure "'" 
  words 10

INSERT INTO words (uuid, words) VALUES (UUID(), 'est / illo / consequuntur / dolorem / temporibus / commodi / sint / reiciendis / sint / sunt');
INSERT INTO words (uuid, words) VALUES (UUID(), 'eum / id / tempora / rerum / occaecati / corrupti / impedit / doloribus / amet / consectetur');
INSERT INTO words (uuid, words) VALUES (UUID(), 'repudiandae / est / id / amet / odio / facere / nesciunt / voluptas / quia / rerum');
INSERT INTO words (uuid, words) VALUES (UUID(), 'ad / sed / esse / sed / exercitationem / sed / et / rem / esse / excepturi');
INSERT INTO words (uuid, words) VALUES (UUID(), 'animi / minus / qui / perferendis / quo / repudiandae / aliquam / dolorem / voluptas / fugiat');
INSERT INTO words (uuid, words) VALUES (UUID(), 'at / odit / dolorem / a / aperiam / dignissimos / ipsa / sunt / consequatur / alias');
INSERT INTO words (uuid, words) VALUES (UUID(), 'accusantium / voluptatum / autem / nobis / cumque / neque / modi / iure / voluptatem / error');
INSERT INTO words (uuid, words) VALUES (UUID(), 'molestiae / consequatur / alias / eligendi / corrupti / illum / commodi / molestiae / aut / repellat');
INSERT INTO words (uuid, words) VALUES (UUID(), 'id / quisquam / et / sit / consequuntur / aut / et / ullam / asperiores / molestiae');
INSERT INTO words (uuid, words) VALUES (UUID(), 'cupiditate / culpa / voluptatem / et / mollitia / dolor / sit / nisi / praesentium / qui');

It is recommend to use the --enclosure option. each occurrence of the --enclosure char will be escaped with the --escape char, which is \ by default.

Build your own Phar

Install and run php-box:

$ curl -LSs https://box-project.github.io/box2/installer.php | php
$ ./box.phar build

License

Faker Command Line Tool is released under the MIT Licence. See the bundled LICENSE file for details.