# `bundle` ## Introduction API descriptions can grow and become difficult to manage, especially if several teams are collaborating on them. It's a good practice to maintain the reusable parts as separate files, and include them in the main (root) API description by referencing them with `$ref`. However, most OpenAPI tools don't support that multi-file approach, and require a single-file API description. Redocly CLI can help you combine separate API description files (such as if you used the [`split`](./split.md) command) into one. The `bundle` command pulls the relevant parts of an API description into a single file output in JSON or YAML format. The `bundle` command differs from the [`join`](./join.md) command. The `bundle` command takes a root OpenAPI file as input and follows the `$ref` mentions to include all the referenced components into a single output file. The `join` command can combine multiple OpenAPI files into a single unified API description file. The `bundle` command first executes preprocessors, then rules, then decorators. ## Usage ```bash redocly bundle ... redocly bundle [--remove-unused-components] redocly bundle [--config=] redocly bundle ... -o --ext redocly bundle --version ``` ## Options | Option | Type | Description | | -------------------------- | -------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | apis | [string] | List of API description root filenames or names assigned in the `apis` section of your Redocly configuration file. Default values are all names defined in the `apis` section within your configuration file. | | --config | string | Specify path to the [configuration file](#use-alternative-configuration-file). | | --dereferenced, -d | boolean | Generate fully dereferenced bundle. | | --ext | string | Specify bundled file extension. Possible values are `json`, `yaml`, or `yml`. Default value is `yaml`. | | --extends | [string] | Can be used in combination with `--lint` to [extend a specific configuration](./lint.md#extend-configuration). Default values are taken from the Redocly configuration file. | | --force, -f | boolean | Generate bundle output even when errors occur. | | --help | boolean | Show help. | | --keep-url-references, -k | boolean | Keep absolute url references. | | --lint-config | string | Specify the severity level for the configuration file.
**Possible values:** `warn`, `error`, `off`. Default value is `warn`. | | --metafile | string | Path for the bundle metadata file. | | --output, -o | string | Name or folder for the bundle file. If you don't specify the file extension, `.yaml` is used by default. If the specified folder doesn't exist, it's created automatically. **If the file specified as the bundler's output already exists, it's overwritten.** | | --remove-unused-components | boolean | Remove unused components from the `bundle` output. | | --skip-decorator | [string] | Ignore certain decorators. See the [Skip preprocessor, rule, or decorator section](#skip-preprocessor-rule-or-decorator). | | --skip-preprocessor | [string] | Ignore certain preprocessors. See the [Skip preprocessor, rule, or decorator section](#skip-preprocessor-rule-or-decorator). | | --version | boolean | Show version number. | ## Examples ### Bundle a single API description This command creates a bundled file at the path `dist/openapi.json` starting from the root API description file `openapi/openapi.yaml` and following the `$ref` to other files if appropriate. The bundled file is in JSON format. ```bash redocly bundle openapi/openapi.yaml --output dist/openapi.json ``` ### Bundle multiple API descriptions This command creates one bundled file for each of the specified apis in the `dist/` folder. Bundled files are in JSON format. ```bash Command redocly bundle --output dist --ext json openapi/openapi.yaml openapi/museum.yaml ``` The `dist/` folder contents after the `bundle` command is executed: 
dist/openapi.json
dist/museum.json
### Create a fully dereferenced bundle A fully dereferenced bundle does not use `$ref` at all, all the references are resolved and placed into the API description file. This can be useful if you need to prepare an OpenAPI file to be used by another tool that does not understand the `$ref` syntax. ```bash redocly bundle --dereferenced --output dist --ext json openapi/openapi.yaml openapi/museum.yaml ``` {% admonition type="warning" name="Note" %} JSON output only works when there are no circular references. {% /admonition %} ### Use alternative configuration file By default, the CLI tool looks for the Redocly configuration file in the current working directory. Use the optional `--config` argument to provide an alternative path to a configuration file. ```bash redocly bundle --config=./another/directory/config.yaml ``` ### Skip preprocessor, rule, or decorator You may want to skip specific preprocessors, rules, or decorators upon running the command. {% tabs %} {% tab label="Skip preprocessors" %} ```bash redocly bundle --skip-preprocessor=discriminator-mapping-to-one-of --skip-preprocessor=another-example ``` {% /tab %} {% tab label="Skip decorators" %} ```bash redocly bundle --skip-decorator=generate-code-samples --skip-decorator=remove-internal-operations ``` {% /tab %} {% /tabs %} {% admonition type="success" name="Tip" %} To learn more about preprocessors, rules, and decorators, refer to the [custom plugins](../custom-plugins/index.md) page. {% /admonition %}