curl-example tagged requests and articles

Categorized request examples and articles tagged with [curl-example] keyword
How do I send a GET request using Curl?
To make a GET request using Curl, run the curl command followed by the target URL. Curl automatically selects the HTTP GET request method unless you use the -X, --request, or -d command-line option. The target URL is passed as the first command-line option. To add additional HTTP headers, use the -H command line option. Curl automatically adds an Accept: */* request header if no additional headers are passed, which tells the server that the Curl client can accept data in any format. In this Curl GET example, we send a Curl request to the ReqBin echo URL. Click Run to execute the Curl GET Request example online and see the results.

How to post JSON using Curl?
To post JSON data using Curl, you need to set the Content-Type of your request to application/json and pass the JSON data with the -d command line parameter. The JSON content type is set using the -H "Content-Type: application/json" command line parameter. JSON data is passed as a string. Double quotes in JSON must be escaped with the backslash "\" on Windows computers. In this Curl POST JSON example, we send JSON to the ReqBin echo URL. Click Run to execute the Curl POST JSON example online and see result.

How do I send OPTIONS request using Curl?
To make an OPTIONS request with Curl, you need to pass the -X OPTIONS command-line parameter to the Curl request. Browsers send OPTIONS requests when making a CORS request to another origin. The OPTIONS request does not return any data. All information is returned in the response headers. In this Curl OPTIONS Request Example, we send an OPTIONS request to the ReqBin echo URL. Click Run to execute the Curl OPTIONS request online and see the results.

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 can I send a CORS request using Curl?
To make a CORS request using Curl, you need to pass an Origin HTTP header that specifies the origin of the request (domain, scheme, or port) other than the destination server address and, optionally, the required HTTP methods and response headers. To pass additional headers to Curl, use the -H command-line option, for example -H "Origin: [URL]" for the Origin header. In this Curl CORS Example, we send a request to the ReqBin echo URL and pass the Origin header with a subdomain to the server. Click Run to execute the Curl CORS request 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.

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 get XML using Curl?
To retrieve an XML from the server using Curl, you need to pass the target URL to Curl along with the -H "Accept: application/xml" command line option. The -H command line switch sends an Accept: application/xml header to the server and tells the server that the Curl client expects an XML response. Without this header, the server may automatically select a different data type for the response and return the data in a different format than XML. In this Curl GET XML Example, we send a request to the ReqBin echo URL with the required HTTP header. Click Run to execute the Curl GET XML request online and see the result.

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.