Kaizen 179: Choosing between ZDK CLI and Web UI : When to Use Each

Kaizen 179: Choosing between ZDK CLI and Web UI : When to Use Each


Hello everyone, 
Welcome back! ZDK CLI uses commands to manipulate with Zoho CRM metadata from a terminal.  While Zoho CRM Web UI remains the primary tool for manipulating Zoho CRM metadata like creating modules, configuring fields/layouts etc., using ZDK CLI has its own advantages.  In this post, we will explore scenarios where each option excels, empowering developers and administrators to make informed decisions as per their requirements. Let's dive in!

Smith, a consultant at TechSolutions Inc. (a Zoho CRM Partner), is enhancing the Deals module for Springfield University, to align it with their admissions workflow. Springfield University is using customized Zoho CRM  for  learning management system (LMS). The Deals module now tracks student enrollment stages ( "Application Received," "Scholarship Review," and "Admission Offer Sent") instead of the sales pipeline. To support this, Smith needs to add a custom field like “Financial Aid Status” to the Deals module. 

Should he use Zoho CRM UI or ZDK CLI?

 For simple changes like adding this field, Smith would use the Zoho CRM UI—it’s faster. But this raises the question-

When does a customization demand use of ZDK CLI?

The answer becomes clear with Smith’s next project: customizing Zoho CRM for Brookside University. He has to create customizations for Student Management, Course Management, Admissions, Finances, etc., which takes days or even weeks. If Smith were to use the Zoho CRM UI , he has to navigate through multiple tabs in the setup and creates them one by one. When his customization is done in the sandbox, he completes testing it and deploys it to the sandbox environment.  Smith designs a Student Dashboard Widget that displays a student’s academic progress, attendance, extracurricular activities, and advisor notes in one place. For creating the widget, he uses the ZET CLI tool in terminal and after development he packages it separately and upload it to Zoho CRM. 

If Smith opts for ZDK CLI to build the customizations, he can create modules, fields, layouts, roles, and profiles directly from the terminal. He can use ZET commands in ZDK CLI project directory for developing the widget and can add the widget to the Zoho CRM through ZDK CLI.

By leveraging ZDK CLI alongside Version Control Systems like Git or Mercurial, Smith along with his team mates ensures every customization is traceable. Git logs resolve disputes like “Who modified the Admissions pipeline?”. Using ZDK CLI with VCS facilitates team collaboration. One team member can build up on another team member's work.

Riding on the success wave of Brookside University’s LMS integration, Smith’s firm, TechSolutions Inc., now needs to replicate the same Zoho CRM customization for their next project. Without ZDK CLI, Smith would have to do it all over again: manually rebuilding every module, field, and widget through the UI.

With ZDK CLI, the effort required is minimal.
  • Using zdk org:export command, Smith can export the metadata of Brookside University. 
  • He can use the exported files and "tweak" them to suit the needs of his new project.
  • Using zdk org:push  command, he can deploy the refined configuration to the new environment.
ZDK CLI transforms CRM customization from a manual process into a repeatable strategy—ensuring TechSolutions Inc.’s  growth.

When to Use ZDK CLI 

  • Bulk Metadata Management: You can use ZDK CLI to pull the metadata from one organization which has metadata customizations for LMS, make minor changes, and deploy it for a different CRM organization which needs customizations for the same.
  • Version Control of metadata changes: With ZDK CLI you can use Version Control Systems like  Git/Mercurial to track and manage metadata changes made by different team members, clearly showing who made updates and when, enabling transparency. This also makes it easy to revert changes if issues arise.
  • Collaboration - Reuse Components: Using ZDK CLI you can easily export your local metadata changes with zdk org:export, which creates a zip file of the the crm directory in your local ZDK CLI project. You can share this zip file with your fellow developers to collaborate seamlessly by building on each other’s work. You can also achieve the same using VCS. Checkout our previous Kaizen post on using ZDK CLI with git: Leveraging ZDK CLI with VCS to reuse components across different Zoho CRM org. 
  • Widget Development: You can create and update widgets via CLI commands.You can use ZET commands in ZDK CLI project directory and widgets can be added to your organization from the terminal itself without the need of packaging the widget.
  • Automate commands: You can automate ZDK CLI commands using scripts, reducing manual intervention. Take a look at this Kaizen post where we discuss a shell script designed to automate the process of pushing locally modified metadata along with conflict management.
  • Conflict Resolution:  Conflict resolution in ZDK CLI guarantees that changes done does not get accidentally overwritten.  Resolve merge conflicts with zdk org:pull:resolve, which opens a browser-based diff editor to reconcile code differences.

Best Practices

  • Use ZDK CLI for development in sandbox environments and the Web UI for minor fixes and to deploy it to Production environment.
  • Pull configurations via CLI (zdk org:pull) before major edits to maintain a backup.
  • For developing widgets zet commands along with ZDK CLI commands in the terminal.
  • Refrain from making simultaneous changes via Web UI and ZDK CLI to prevent conflicts.
  • If you are unfamiliar with a command, use zdk help command for to check the description of the command.
  • Though ZDK CLI lacks the visual simplicity of the Web UI, pairing it with IDEs like VSCode improves its usability.

Notes
For the current beta release, ZDK CLI will exclusively be available for Sandbox environment and will not be operational in Production environments. 

We hope you found this post useful. We will meet you next week with another interesting topic!
If you have any questions, let us know in the comment section.

Happy Customizing!





    • Recent Topics

    • Hosted Payment Pages - how to update the address in zoho billing

      I"m playing around with the muti-page hosted payment pages which have places for customers to enter their addresses when paying. Why does this not update their address in Zoho Billing after payment? What can I do to make this happen?

    • Tracking training certification expirations

      Hi Zoho Community! I'm looking for some input on the best and most efficient ways to track training expirations in Zoho CRM. I have a very specific workflow that I am looking for - my company offers trainings, and the certification expires every 2 to

    • Kaizen #164 : Client Credentials

      Hello everyone, Welcome back to Kaizen. In this post, we will discuss Client Credentials Flow and when it can be used. What is Client Credentials Flow? According to RFC6749, the official specification for the OAuth 2.0 authorization framework, "The client

    • CRM Email Template Align Left Instead of Center

      Is there a way to make a basic template align to the left instead of center? I know I'm likely forced to the 600px wide with the basic templates but I would REALLY like to set the email to the left instead of center. The basic templates make all the emails

    • Client Script - "Click' Button on Purchase Order - Specify "To Contact" or "To Supplier"

      The send email button is unique on the purchase order in that is has an additional submenu to send email "To Contact" or "To Supplier" It appears that the "click" event in Client script doesn't work correctly, probably because the button click didn't

    • Add Client Credentials Flow to Python SDK

      The Zoho CRM API supports a client credentials flow to automatically generate ephemeral access tokens, and this can be done programatically. The Python SDK however requires you to provide a grant token, refresh token, or access token when initializing

    • Conditional display of fields in Zoho Books Custom modules based on another field

      We're currently working with a Custom Module in Zoho Books and have a question about improving data entry efficiency and user experience. Our module includes a "Client Type" dropdown field, which determines the type of information to be collected. Each

    • Background Image for page in Zoho Creator

      Is it possible to use an image as the background in a page in Zoho Creator? I see it is possible to use an image as the background within a panel, but about about the page itself?

    • Zoho IP address blocked by Microsoft

      Today I tried to send emails to Outlook email addresses and all of them failed. The log displays like this: Reporting-MTA: dns; mx.zohomail.jp Arrival-Date: Fri, 27 Jun 2025 12:52:30 +0800 Original-Recipient: rfc822; ######@outlook.com Final-Recipient:

    • Request to Enable Full DNS Management Access for My Domain

      Hello Zoho Support Team, I have purchased the domain "digimarts365.online" through Zoho, and I need to add A and CNAME records to connect it with my Shopify store. However, DNS Toolkit is not allowing me to edit or add any records. Kindly enable full

    • Backup flow, see change log / history

      Hello, I would like to know, how flows can be saved, copied and tracked. If I work on a Flow with multiple other colleagues we need to see the Changes made by others. Is there a history, changelog or something else? Also we need to backup/import flows

    • Problème de validation du domaine spelam.ma

      Bonjour équipe Zoho, J’ai l’honneur de vous contacter car je rencontre un problème technique au niveau de la validation de mon compte ou de mon domaine spelam.ma. En effet, j’ai déjà acheté le domaine, mais la validation ne semble pas être correctement

    • Critical:- Eneble TDS filing for 26Q from the zoho book

      We currently extract TDS data from Zoho Books and manually input it into a separate TDS software to generate the FUV file and file returns. Previously, while using Tally, we benefited from an integrated feature that seamlessly recorded transactions and

    • Add a way of clearing fields values in Flow actions

      It would be great if there was an option to set a field as Null when creating flows. I had an instance today where I just wanted to clear a long integer field in the CRM based on an action in Projects but I had to write a custom function. It would be

    • Writer loads as a blank page.

      Hi, I'm new to zoho but I liked the idea of an online wordprocessor that I can use from multiple computers. I signed up a few hours ago while at work where our computers use Linus Ubuntu and a Firefox browser and the Writer came up fine. Now I'm home and using my Windows machine with Norton Firewall and Firefox and the writer opens as a blank page. I've checked my security options in both Firefox & Norton and I have received all the cookies from Zoho. What gives?

    • Ensure Consistent Service Delivery with Comprehensive Job Sheets

      We are elated to announce that one of the most requested features is now live: Job Sheets. They are customizable, reusable forms that serve as a checklist for the services that technicians need to carry out and as a tool for data collection. While on

    • JOB Sheet can not send PDF as service rapports and more info needed other topic

      Goedendag, - Jullie hebben nu job sheet erin gedaan en dar is echt super goed, enkel kunnen we de werkbon ( JOB sheet) nu niet verzenden als PDF als een service rapport naar onze hoofdaannemer hoe we dat nu doen als bewijs van de levering van het werk

    • Publish a single Sheet stopped working

      I used to have a published sheet on my Zoho Spreadsheet and that stopped working. If I want to publish it again, I only get the message that says "Published externally", but that does nothing, and if I change tabs and come back, the sheet gives me the

    • Does Zoho Contracts support white-labeling?

      As the title says, do you provide us white-labeling solution?

    • Constantly getting error 429 "Too Many Requests" despite not sending many requests.

      I am currently working on developing an integration between our company's app and our zoho books setup using the api. When testing new functionality, I am very often having the calls fail with Error 429 'You have made too many requests continuously. Please

    • Not receiving emails

      I'm able to send emails, but I can't receive any. Please help

    • Capturing knowledge across many channels

      We actively use Cliq for client discussions, product management etc. Often there are great answers to questions or key announcements. We have no way to tag or capture them along the way. Pinning only gets us so far. For example, imagine a product channel

    • Prepayment of a sales order

      How does everyone handle this common (at least it is common for us!) situation? We require all our orders to be fully prepaid before shipment since we manufacture made to order, custom products. Since ZOHO does not allow a sales order to be prepaid, we are forced to create an invoice at the time an order is placed to allow the customer to pay it. Our sales category is therefore skewed, since the sale was actually booked at the time an order was placed, rather then at the time it is shipped, which

    • Zoho Campaigns Account Keeps Shutting Down

      Hey hey, I am completely at a loss here. For months we have been back and forth with Zoho Campaigns Support on Spam Trap hits. Each time they can never provide us with a full list of emails, only 1 here or there. So internally we have setup a integration

    • Need a way to run a client script longet than 10 seconds

      By The Grace of G-D. Hi, Currently, Client Scripts are Timing out at 10 seconds. We have complex logics that needs more time. Can you add a feature request to increase the timeout?

    • Can multiple agents be assigned to one ticket on purpose?

      Is it possible to assign one ticket to two or more agents at a time? I would like the option to have multiple people working on one ticket so that the same ticket is viewable for those agents on their list of pending tickets. Is something like this currently

    • What’s New in 2025 (So Far)

      Hey Recruiters, We’ve wrapped up the first half of 2025 with a few focused enhancements in Zoho Recruit—all aimed at simplifying your day-to-day recruitment tasks. Here’s a quick video that walks you through what’s new so far this year: Here’s a brief

    • Multi-Department Approval for a Single Bill in Zoho Books

      Hello everyone, Hope you're all doing well. I’d like to ask if anyone has found a good workaround for the following scenario in Zoho Books: Let’s say a corporate credit card bill or vendor invoice covers multiple purchases across different projects or

    • Zoho Landing Page "Something went wrong" Error

      Hello, Every time I try to create a new landing page, I receive a "Something went wrong" error with no explanation. I cannot create any new pages, which means we cannot use this application. I did create one landing page successfully over a month ago,

    • Composite items are not seen in zoho commerce

      Composite items are not seen in zoho commerce. Are you scheduled to fix this error?

    • not able to access Zoho from home WIFI

      for some reasone i am not able to access Zoho on my laptop or my iphone while i am connected to my home Wifi, i am able to access these sites both on laptop as well as Iphone and associated apps on any other Wifi as well as when I am on my 4G connection

    • Zoho Books for Service Enterproses

      I would like to know how to use Zoho Books for services such as car rental, travel agency, and hotel services. I notice that Zoho Books is good for goods, but for services, it's very difficult to track the profit or loss on each invoice. I need to capture

    • Email Relay in Zoho Books

      I have set up the email relay in Zoho books and the SMTP test was successful. However, I can't figure out how to sent the POs and invoices via the relay so the copy of the message shows in google workspace sent mail. Any guidance is appreciated

    • E-invoicing/Facturacion Electronica in Peru, SUNAT authority

      Hi Zoho, you are promoting your product very actively in south america as well as in Peru, but since few years there is an obligation for e-invoicing, transmitting information directly to peruvian tax authority SUNAT. Do you have any solution for this?

    • Project Accounting

      Hello Zoho, Can we also bring project accounting in Zohobooks as a ne feature in upcoming developments? This will be helpful for specific business and industries. Thanks

    • Accounts Payable

      hi there  i am using the free version to trial the software. I am working on the acrual basis. When i received a vendor invoice, it gets keyed into the systems as an unpaid invoice as the payment to from the vendor is 14 days. the unpaid invoice does

    • Approval Processes "Record Modification"

      I didn't find any information about the "Record Modification" item in Zoho articles and Tutorials. I see that this item didn't exist a year ago. Help understand how it works, I tested it and didn't see any difference between "all fields" and "no fie

    • How do i add another purchase information heading?

      i would like to add another section right here to enter an amount which then link directly to the cost of goods sold account

    • Help with Zoho CRM API Integration in C# WinForms (Token Generation Issue)

      Hi everyone, I need your help with integrating the Zoho CRM API into a C# desktop application. My goal is to build a WinForms app in Visual Studio that does the following: Fetch the full list of client projects (module: Deals) and display them in a searchable

    • Can we share the URL of My zoho Sheets on other websites?

      Hello everyone? I have sheets on Zoho and I want to share them on other websites like daraz, homeshopping, gepco duplicate bills, etc. I don't have much knowledge about online sharing question forums? I am a student and have a short survey about online

    • Next Page