The command returns the response body sent from the API, which would look like this in your terminal: Without passing any flags or options, the cURL command defaults to making a GET request to the specified URL. Here’s a simple cURL command that makes a GET request: Using the GET method with cURL, you can quickly request data from a source or API. This mock API contains different example paths for making requests. This article uses the JSONPlaceholder Fake API to explain the different ways to use cURL. The cURL command receives the URL to transfer data to - or receive data from - along with other options for different purposes. You know what the cURL command is, but how does it work?ĬURL comes pre-installed on Windows and macOS - otherwise, you can download the package from the cURL website. Use cases of cURL include testing APIs, downloading data from sources, testing websites, and following redirects from the terminal. It also enables you to include cookies, set proxies, and add authentication credentials when making requests. This library supports many different transfer protocols including HTTPS, SMTP, and FTP. The cURL command uses the libcURL client-side URL transfer library. The cURL command does the same thing, except in your terminal. Using this command line interface (CLI), a user specifies a server URL (the location where they want to send a request) and the data they want to send to that server URL.ĪPI tools like Postman and Insomnia provide an interactive user interface (UI) that allows you to make different forms of requests to URLs, for receiving and processing requests. In this article, we’ll introduce the cURL command, explore how and why it’s used, and showcase some common cURL command examples and use cases.Ĭlient URL (cURL, pronounced “curl”) is a command line tool that enables data exchange between a device and a server through a terminal. But sometimes, whether you’re doing a one-off test or some debugging, you want to fire off a quick HTTML request from your terminal.įor these situations, cURL is one of the best free web dev tools around, and something every developer should have handy. API platforms can be helpful for automating your requests calls and building more sophisticated requests.

How to install curl on mac