curl tagged requests and articles

Categorized request examples and articles tagged with [curl] keyword
How do I download a file using Curl?
To download a file with Curl, use the --output or -o command-line option. The -o command-line parameter allows you to save the downloaded file to a local drive under the specified name. If you want the uploaded file to be saved under the same name as the URL, use the --remote-name or -O command line option. Curl will print the downloaded file content to the screen if you don't use any of these options. In this Curl Download File example, we download a file from the ReqBin echo URL. Click Run to execute the Curl Download File example online and see result. For security reasons, saving files on the ReqBin server is disabled.

How do I set the content type for a Curl request?
To send the Content-Type header using Curl, you need to use the -H command-line option. For example, you can use the -H "Content-Type: application/json" command-line parameter for JSON data. Data is passed to Curl using the -d command-line option. It must match the provided content type. In this Curl Content-Type example, we are sending JSON to the ReqBin echo URL. Click Run to execute the Curl Content-Type example online and see the results.

How do I run Curl on Windows?
On Windows 10 or newer, Curl comes with an operating system. The executable file curl.exe is located in the C:\Windows\System32 folder and, accordingly, is accessible through the PATH environment variable and can be called from anywhere. All you need to use Curl is to run Command Prompt as administrator and execute Curl commands. For older versions of Windows 7 and 8, you will need to download and unpack Curl from the official website. In the bin folder, you will find the curl.exe file and libcurl library. You can add the bin folder to your PATH environment variable so you can execute Curl commands from anywhere.

How to set a timeout for a Curl request?
You can set a timeout for connecting to the server with the --connect-timeout command-line option and a timeout for the total request time with the -m or --max-time command-line option. The waiting time is specified in seconds. This is the time during which the request must be processed or canceled. In this Curl timeout example, we set the timeout for sending requests to the ReqBin echo URL. Click the Run button to execute the Curl Timeout Example online and see the results.

How to follow redirects using Curl?
By default, Curl does not follow redirects and displays the content of the 300x page (if any). To follow redirects with Curl, you need to use the -L or --location command-line option. The server indicates that the resource has moved to a new location using the 3XX response code and provides the new address with the Location HTTP header. In this Curl Follow Redirects example, we send a request to www.reqbin.com, which redirects to reqbin.com. Click Run to execute the Curl Follow Redirects example online and see the results.

List of popular Curl flags with short descriptions
Curl supports over 380 command-line flags that can be used to customize every aspect of Curl. Curl is designed to work without user interaction, supports many popular Internet protocols, and runs on most modern operating systems. Curl's possibilities are endless, and it is easy to get lost in many flags. This article provides a list of the most commonly used Curl flags with short descriptions that you can use in your projects.

How to set the User-Agent string in Curl?
You can use the -A or --user-agent command-line option to pass your User-Agent string to Curl. By default, Curl sends its User-Agent string to the server in the following format: "curl/version.number". For example, when you use the Curl tool version 7.54.1, it sends the "User-Agent: curl/7.54.1" HTTP header to the server. In this User-Agent Curl example, we send a custom User-Agent string to the ReqBin echo URL using the -A command line option. Click Run to execute the Curl User-Agent example online and see the results.

How do I post a request using Curl?
To make a POST request with Curl, you can run the Curl command-line tool with the -d or --data command-line option and pass the data as the second argument. Curl will automatically select the HTTP POST method and application/x-www-form-urlencoded content type if the method and content type are not explicitly specified. To post data in the multipart/form-data format, you can use the -F or --form command line option. To send data using another HTTP HTTP method, you use the -X command line option. If you would like to send data to the server via a different HTTP method, you can use the -X command-line option. Click Run to execute Curl POST Request Example online and see results.

Top 12 Curl Commands
Curl is a popular command-line utility for transferring data to or from a server using over 25+ protocols. The Curl command-line tool provides several advanced options such as user authentication, proxy support, resuming transmission, limiting bandwidth and transfer rates, and more. Curl commands work without user interaction and are therefore ideal for use in automation scenarios. This article will go over the 12 most essential Curl commands for day-to-day use for making requests over HTTP/HTTPS protocols.

The most popular Curl examples
This article provides 12 practical examples of using the Curl command-line tool, with a brief description of each Curl example. Curl examples include sending a JSON file to a server, submitting a web form, user authentication, proxy support, saving the server response to disk, and more. Most of the examples given can be done right in the browser using the ReqBin Online Curl Client.

How to use Curl?
Curl is one of the best tools for debugging network requests and testing APIs without user interaction. Curl can be used as a standalone console application or compiled into other programs as a dynamic library (libcurl). Curl has built-in support for SSL, user authentication, certificate validation, and HTTP cookies. You can use Curl to download or upload files, submit web forms, send requests to API endpoints, and simulate user actions without using a web browser.

Wget vs Curl: What's the Difference?
Both Wget and Curl are good at making HTTP and FTP requests without using a web browser or other interactive application. The main difference between Wget and Curl is that Curl, along with the command-line tool, also offers a powerful cross-platform library (libcurl) with an extended API, supports over 25+ protocols, and works on all modern platforms. At the same time, Wget is just a command-line tool that downloads data as files and only offers support for HTTP requests, but Wget has a strong side - the ability to download recursively.

How to pass custom headers to Curl?
To make a request with a custom HTTP header using Curl, you must pass that header with the -H command line option in "header: value" format. In this Curl Custom Headers example, we send a custom HTTP header to the ReqBin echo URL. The target URL is passed as the first command-line parameter, and the custom header is passed as the second command-line parameter to the Curl command. You can pass multiple custom HTTP headers to Curl by repeating the -H "header: value" command line option. Click Run to execute the Curl Custom Headers example online and see the results.

How to Install Curl?
A quick guide to installing the Curl command-line tool on Linux, Windows, and macOS platforms.

What is Curl?