Mastering ESXi CLI: Full Tutorial on esxcli Commands for VMware vSphere

Learn how to unlock the full power of the ESXi command-line interface in this in-depth walkthrough. From enabling SSH and navigating esxcli namespaces to managing storage, networking, VMs and software packages — this video is packed with practical examples for real-world administration of VMware vSphere environments.
Topics covered include:
Enabling SSH and accessing the ESXi shell

Exploring the structure and syntax of esxcli

Key commands for system info, networking, storage, and VMs

Managing users and virtual disks

Troubleshooting and performance monitoring tools (esxtop, dcui, vsish)

Whether you're a VMware beginner or an experienced admin, this tutorial helps you better understand and control your ESXi hosts from the command line.
You can find all the commands described in our blog post:
https://www.nakivo.com/blog/most-useful-esxcli-esxi-shell-commands-vmware-environment/
Download a free 15-day trial of NAKIVO Backup & Replication:
https://www.nakivo.com/resources/download/trial-download/

00:00 Introduction

00:25 Why data protection matters

01:12 Common threats to business data

02:05 NAKIVO Backup & Replication overview

03:18 Immutability and encryption

04:12 Pre-recovery malware scanning

05:06 The 3-2-1-1 backup strategy

06:02 Backup storage options (cloud, local, tape)

07:14 Microsoft 365 data protection

08:32 VMware and Hyper-V protection

09:45 Proxmox VE backup and recovery

11:02 Physical server and workstation protection

12:18 NAS and file share backups

13:25 SaaS workload protection

14:36 Flexible recovery options

15:44 Instant VM recovery and replication

16:52 Application-object recovery

17:48 File-level and granular recovery

18:42 Disaster recovery orchestration

19:40 Business continuity features

20:35 Summary and key takeaways

21:05 Closing and next steps