curl

Client URL - Transfer Data from or to a Server

What Does It Do?

curl is a command-line tool for transferring data using various network protocols including HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, and more. It's one of the most versatile tools for making web requests, testing APIs, downloading files, and debugging network connections.

Developers use curl extensively for API testing, web scraping, file transfers, and automation scripts. It supports authentication, cookies, headers, POST data, and virtually every HTTP feature you can think of. Think of it as a browser without the graphical interface.

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When Should I Use It?

API Testing

Test REST APIs and web services from the command line.

Download Files

Download files from web servers and FTP sites.

View Response Headers

Inspect HTTP headers and server responses.

Send POST Requests

Submit form data and JSON payloads to APIs.

Common Commands

curl https://example.com

Fetch a webpage and display its HTML content.

curl -I https://example.com

Show only HTTP response headers (HEAD request).

curl -o file.html https://example.com

Download and save content to a file.

curl -X POST https://api.example.com/data

Send a POST request to an API endpoint.

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer token" https://api.example.com

Send request with custom HTTP header (e.g., authentication).

curl -d '{"key":"value"}' -H "Content-Type: application/json" https://api.example.com

POST JSON data to an API.

curl -v https://example.com

Verbose mode - show detailed request/response information.

curl -L https://example.com

Follow redirects automatically.

Try It Yourself

Practice using the curl command in the terminal below. Try typing curl https://example.com or curl -I https://api.github.com