> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/get-convex/convex-backend/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# convex data
> List tables and print data from your database
The `convex data` command allows you to inspect your Convex deployment's database directly from the command line.
## Usage
```bash theme={null}
npx convex data [table] [options]
```
## Arguments
If specified, list documents in this table. If omitted, lists all tables in the database.
## Options
List only the `n` most recently created documents.
Must be a positive integer.
Order the documents by their `_creationTime`.
**Choices:** `asc`, `desc`
* `asc` - Oldest documents first
* `desc` - Newest documents first
Path to the component in the component tree defined in `convex.config.ts`.
Components are a beta feature.
Format to print the data in.
**Choices:** `jsonArray`, `json`, `jsonLines`, `jsonl`, `pretty`
* `jsonArray` (or `json`) - Print the data as a JSON array of objects
* `jsonLines` (or `jsonl`) - Print the data as a JSON object per line
* `pretty` - Print the data in a human-readable format (default for terminal output)
## Examples
### List all tables
List all tables in your deployment:
```bash theme={null}
npx convex data
```
Output:
```
messages
users
posts
comments
```
### List documents in a table
View the most recent documents in the `users` table:
```bash theme={null}
npx convex data users
```
### Limit results
Show only the 10 most recent documents:
```bash theme={null}
npx convex data messages --limit 10
```
### Show oldest documents
List documents in ascending order by creation time:
```bash theme={null}
npx convex data posts --order asc --limit 5
```
### Export as JSON
Output data in JSON format for processing:
```bash theme={null}
npx convex data users --format json > users.json
```
### Export as JSON Lines
Output data as JSON Lines for streaming or line-by-line processing:
```bash theme={null}
npx convex data messages --format jsonLines
```
### Query production data
List tables in your production deployment:
```bash theme={null}
npx convex data --prod
```
### Query component data
List documents from a table in a component:
```bash theme={null}
npx convex data events --component auth/sessions
```
## Output formats
### Pretty format (default)
Human-readable table format:
```
┌────────────────┬──────────┬─────────────────────┐
│ _id │ name │ email │
├────────────────┼──────────┼─────────────────────┤
│ j7896d5k3l2m1n │ Alice │ alice@example.com │
│ k8907e6l4m3n2o │ Bob │ bob@example.com │
└────────────────┴──────────┴─────────────────────┘
```
### JSON Array format
```json theme={null}
[
{
"_id": "j7896d5k3l2m1n",
"_creationTime": 1678901234567,
"name": "Alice",
"email": "alice@example.com"
},
{
"_id": "k8907e6l4m3n2o",
"_creationTime": 1678901234890,
"name": "Bob",
"email": "bob@example.com"
}
]
```
### JSON Lines format
```jsonl theme={null}
{"_id":"j7896d5k3l2m1n","_creationTime":1678901234567,"name":"Alice","email":"alice@example.com"}
{"_id":"k8907e6l4m3n2o","_creationTime":1678901234890,"name":"Bob","email":"bob@example.com"}
```
## Deployment selection
The `convex data` command supports deployment selection:
* `--prod` - Target production deployment
* `--preview-name ` - Target a preview deployment
* `--url ` - Target a specific deployment URL
* `--admin-key ` - Admin key for authentication
By default, the command targets your dev deployment.
## System fields
All documents include these system fields:
* `_id` - Unique document identifier
* `_creationTime` - Timestamp when the document was created (milliseconds since epoch)
## Use cases
### Debugging
Quickly inspect data during development:
```bash theme={null}
npx convex data users --limit 5
```
### Data export
Export data for analysis or backup:
```bash theme={null}
npx convex data messages --format json --limit 1000 > messages.json
```
### Schema verification
Check what tables exist in your deployment:
```bash theme={null}
npx convex data
```
### Production monitoring
Quickly check recent data in production:
```bash theme={null}
npx convex data errors --prod --limit 10 --order desc
```
## Limitations
* Maximum limit is bounded by deployment limits
* Large datasets should use the export command instead
* Does not support filtering beyond creation time ordering
* For complex queries, use `convex run` to execute custom query functions