HTTP Request

Make HTTP requests using curl. Cross-platform (macOS, Linux, Windows WSL).

GET Request

Basic:

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exec: curl -s "https://api.example.com/endpoint"

With headers:

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exec: curl -s -H "Accept: application/json" -H "Authorization: Bearer TOKEN" "https://api.example.com/endpoint"

Show response headers:

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exec: curl -sI "https://example.com"

Show both headers and body:

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exec: curl -si "https://example.com"

POST Request

JSON body:

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exec: curl -s -X POST "https://api.example.com/endpoint" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"key":"value","name":"test"}'

Form data:

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exec: curl -s -X POST "https://api.example.com/endpoint" -d "field1=value1&field2=value2"

PUT / PATCH / DELETE

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exec: curl -s -X PUT "https://api.example.com/resource/1" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"key":"updated"}'

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exec: curl -s -X PATCH "https://api.example.com/resource/1" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"field":"patched"}'

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exec: curl -s -X DELETE "https://api.example.com/resource/1"

Authentication

Bearer token:

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exec: curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer TOKEN" "https://api.example.com/me"

Basic auth:

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exec: curl -s -u "username:password" "https://api.example.com/endpoint"

API key in header:

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exec: curl -s -H "X-API-Key: KEY" "https://api.example.com/endpoint"

File Upload

Multipart:

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exec: curl -s -X POST "https://api.example.com/upload" -F "file=@/path/to/file.pdf" -F "description=My file"

File Download

Save to file:

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exec: curl -sL -o /path/to/output.zip "https://example.com/file.zip"

With progress bar:

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exec: curl -L -o /path/to/output.zip "https://example.com/file.zip"

Parse JSON Response (with jq)

Extract field:

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exec: curl -s "https://api.example.com/data" | jq '.results[0].name'

Pretty print:

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exec: curl -s "https://api.example.com/data" | jq .

Filter array:

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exec: curl -s "https://api.example.com/items" | jq '[.[] | select(.status == "active")]'

Timing & Debug

Show timing info:

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exec: curl -s -o /dev/null -w "HTTP %{http_code} | Time: %{time_total}s | Size: %{size_download} bytes\n" "https://example.com"

Verbose (debug):

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exec: curl -v "https://example.com" 2>&1 | head -30

Follow Redirects

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exec: curl -sL "https://short.url/abc"

Common API Examples

GitHub API:

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exec: curl -s -H "Authorization: token GITHUB_TOKEN" "https://api.github.com/user/repos?per_page=5" | jq '.[].full_name'

Check IP:

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exec: curl -s ifconfig.me

Notes

•-s = silent (no progress bar), -S = show errors even in silent mode.
•-L = follow redirects.
•-o FILE = save output to file.
•-w FORMAT = write-out format for metrics.
•jq is recommended for JSON parsing; install via package manager if not available.
•For APIs requiring complex auth flows (OAuth), consider scripting the token exchange.
•Works identically on macOS, Linux, and Windows (WSL/Git Bash).