---
title:  What You Can Do with gfsh
---

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`gfsh` supports the administration, debugging, and deployment of <%=vars.product_name_long%> processes and applications.

With `gfsh`, you can:

-   Start and stop <%=vars.product_name_long%> processes, such as locators and cache servers
-   Start and stop gateway sender and gateway receiver processes
-   Deploy applications
-   Create and destroy regions
-   Execute functions
-   Manage disk stores
-   Import and export data
-   Monitor <%=vars.product_name_long%> processes
-   Launch <%=vars.product_name_long%> monitoring tools

The `gfsh` command line interface lets developers spend less time configuring cache instance XML, properties, logs, and statistics. gfsh commands generate reports; capture cluster-wide statistics; and support the export of statistics, logs, and configurations. Like Spring Roo, gfsh features command completion (so you do not have to know the syntax), context-sensitive help, scripting, and the ability to invoke any commands from within an application by using a simple API. The gfsh interface uses JMX/RMI to communicate with <%=vars.product_name_long%> processes.

You can connect gfsh to a remote distributed system using the HTTP protocol. See [Using gfsh to Manage a Remote Cluster Over HTTP or HTTPS](../../configuring/cluster_config/gfsh_remote.html).

By default, the cluster configuration service saves the configuration of your <%=vars.product_name_long%> cluster as you create <%=vars.product_name_long%> objects using gfsh. You can export this configuration and import it into another <%=vars.product_name_long%> cluster. See [Overview of the Cluster Configuration Service](../../configuring/cluster_config/gfsh_persist.html#concept_r22_hyw_bl).


