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curl command options

curl has over 200 command options. The most basic command in curl is: 

curl http://example.com

where the command (curl) is followed by the URL.

This is a summary of the commands most relevant to API documentation:

i, --include

  • Include the HTTP response headers in the output.
  • The verbose option is also available.

curl -i https://example.com

-I, --head

Only include the HTTP response headers in the output.

curl -I https://example.com

-H, --header <header/@file>

Include extra or custom headers.

curl -H "X-First-Name: Joe" https://example.com

curl -H "User-Agent: yes-please/2000" https://example.com

curl -H "Host:" https://example.com

-v, --verbose

Useful for debugging and getting additional information about what has been sent/received.

curl --verbose https://example.com

-d, --data <data>

Sends the specified data in a POST request to the HTTP server, in the same way that a browser does when a user has filled in an HTML form and presses the submit button.

curl -d "name=curl" https://example.com

curl -d "name=curl" -d "tool=cmdline" https://example.com

curl -d @filename https://example.com

-G, --get

Retrieve a resource from a server.

curl --get https://example.com

-k, --insecure

  • By default, every secure connection curl makes is verified to be secure before the transfer takes place. This option makes curl skip the verification step and proceed without checking.

curl --insecure https://example.com

-L, --location

Submits a new request if the URL is a redirect.

curl -L https://example.com

-X, --request <method>

Specifies a custom request method to use when communicating with the HTTP server. The specified request method will be used instead of the method otherwise used (which defaults to GET).

curl -X "DELETE" https://example.com

Sources