# couchdb > Command line interface for Apache CouchDB database server. > More information: . - Start couchdb: `couchdb` - Start couchdb interactive shell: `couchdb -i` - Start couchdb as a background process: `couchdb -b` - Kill the background process (Note: It will respawn if needed): `couchdb -k` - Shutdown the background process: `couchdb -d`