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44 changes: 43 additions & 1 deletion CONTRIBUTING.md
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -34,7 +34,49 @@ On Windows, run:
.\build\build.bat
```

After the build process completes, you will find the `jf` or `jf.exe` executable in the current directory.
After the build process completes, you will find the `jf` (on Unix-based systems) or `jf.exe` (on Windows) executable in the current directory.
If you are unsure of the binary name, check the output of the build script or look for an executable named `jf` or `jfrog-cli` in the project root. Once the JFrog CLI is built locally, use JFCM (JFrog CLI Manager) to test and manage it alongside released versions.

## Testing and Managing Locally Built jfrog-cli with JFCM

jfcm (JFrog CLI Manager) is a comprehensive tool for managing JFrog CLI on your development machine. Beyond version management, it provides features like jfrog-cli output comparison, command history, and performance benchmarking. It's particularly useful for contributors who need to test changes, compare behavior across versions, and analyze CLI performance.

### Installing jfcm

Download the latest jfcm binary for your platform from the [GitHub releases page](https://github.com/jfrog/jfrog-cli-manager/releases).

For detailed installation instructions and usage examples, visit the [jfcm repository](https://github.com/jfrog/jfrog-cli-manager).

### Benefits for Local Development

jfcm is especially valuable for contributors because it allows you to:

- **Test your local builds**: Link and use your locally built JFrog CLI binary
- **Version isolation**: Keep development work separate from your production CLI usage
- **Easy switching**: Quickly switch between your development version and stable releases
- **Compare outputs**: Compare command outputs between different CLI versions
- **Performance analysis**: Benchmark CLI commands to identify performance improvements or regressions
- **Command history**: Track and review your CLI command history across sessions

### Using Your Local Build

After building JFrog CLI from source (as described above), you can register your local build with jfcm:

```sh
# Link your locally built binary
# Link your locally built binary (replace './jf' with the actual binary name if different)
jfcm link --from jf --name dev

# Use your development version
jfcm use dev

# Switch back to a stable version when needed
jfcm use latest
```

This workflow allows you to test your changes immediately and compare behavior between your development version and released versions.

For complete documentation and more examples, please visit the [jfcm repository](https://github.com/jfrog/jfrog-cli-manager).

### Dependencies in other JFrog modules

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