---
description: >-
  Documentation about the login and logout commands that help automate getting
  an API token for your cloud backend account.
---

# CLI Authentication

[TACOS](../../intro/tacos.mdx) (TF Automation and Collaboration Software) are platforms that perform as part of their
offering OpenTofu runs to provision infrastructure, offering a collaboration-focused
environment that makes it easier for teams to use OpenTofu together.

OpenTofu CLI integrates with [TACOS](../../intro/tacos.mdx) in several ways — it can be a
front-end for CLI-driven runs, and can also use some [TACOS](../../intro/tacos.mdx) as a state backend, a private module
registry, or a private provider registry. All of these integrations require you to authenticate OpenTofu CLI
with your [TACOS](../../intro/tacos.mdx) account.

The best way to handle CLI authentication is with the `login` and `logout`
commands, which help automate the process of getting an API token for your
[TACOS](../../intro/tacos.mdx) user account.

For details, see:

- [The `tofu login` command](../commands/login.mdx)
- [The `tofu logout` command](../commands/logout.mdx)