The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Use curl followed by a URL to make a request from your terminal: curl https://example.com. The response body is printed to standard output. Add options when you need redirects, headers, a request body, a file, or diagnostics. curl is a command-line tool for transferring data to or from a server using URLs; its documented syntax is curl [options / URLs]. See the official curl manual for the version installed on your system.
What you need before running curl
Open a terminal on Linux, macOS, Windows, or another system that provides curl. Check the local build before copying a command that uses a newer option:
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curl --version
curl --helpThe online manual reviewed for this guide describes curl 8.23.0, but your installed version may be older or built with a different set of options. For example, --json was added in curl 7.82.0. If your version rejects an option, use the version-compatible form described below.
Understand the command shape
A curl command consists of the executable, zero or more options, and one or more URLs. Arguments that are not recognized as options or option arguments are treated as URLs.
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curl [options] URLOptions can usually be written in short form, such as -L, or long form, such as --location. Short options can be combined when their arguments do not make the command ambiguous.
Start with a basic GET request
Print a page to the terminal
curl https://example.comWith no method or body option, curl makes a straightforward request and writes the response body to standard output. This is useful for checking what a URL returns or for piping text into another command.
Follow redirects
curl -L https://example.com-L (also called --location) tells curl to repeat the request when the server returns a redirect with a Location header and a 3xx response. Redirect handling has an important security boundary: by default, authorization and cookie credentials are not forwarded when the redirect goes to a different origin.
Add request headers
curl -H 'Accept: application/json' https://example.com/api-H or --header adds a header to the request. Use it more than once when an endpoint requires several headers:
curl -H 'Accept: application/json'
-H 'X-Request-ID: demo-123'
https://example.com/apiKeep each header as one shell argument. Quoting prevents spaces or punctuation in the header value from being interpreted by the shell.
Send form-style data with POST
curl -d 'name=curl' https://example.comFor HTTP and HTTPS, -d (or --data) sends data in a POST request with the application/x-www-form-urlencoded content type. Supplying more than one data option joins the pieces with an ampersand:
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curl -d 'name=curl'
-d 'topic=terminal'
https://example.com/formWhen data comes from a file, --data strips carriage returns, newlines, and null bytes. If those bytes are meaningful, use --data-binary instead:
curl --data-binary '@payload.bin' https://example.com/uploadSend JSON
Use the JSON shortcut
curl --json '{"name":"curl"}' https://example.com/api--json is a shortcut that supplies the request data together with Content-Type: application/json and Accept: application/json. It does not check whether the text you provide is valid JSON. The option requires curl 7.82.0 or newer.
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Use the compatible form on older versions
If --json is unavailable, express the same request with --data and explicit headers:
curl -H 'Content-Type: application/json'
-H 'Accept: application/json'
-d '{"name":"curl"}'
https://example.com/apiControl where output goes
Save the response body
curl -o response.txt https://example.com-o or --output writes the response body to the named file instead of standard output. Use a different output filename for each URL when downloading several resources.
Inspect the transfer
curl -v https://example.com-v or --verbose prints verbose information about the operation, which helps you see the request and response exchange while leaving the response body available for inspection.
Put data in a GET query string
The normal behavior of -d is POST. To append data to the URL as a query string while making a GET request, combine it with --get:
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curl --get -d 'q=term' https://example.com/searchThis is different from manually writing a query string because curl performs the option-driven construction for you. Quote the complete URL or data whenever shell punctuation is present.
Choose HEAD and other methods correctly
Make a HEAD request
curl -I https://example.com-I or --head makes a proper HEAD request. It is preferable to changing the method token manually.
Understand what -X does
curl -X PUT https://example.com/item/1-X (or --request) replaces the literal HTTP method word. It does not configure all of the behavior required for a particular method. The curl manual recommends dedicated options for GET, HEAD, POST, and PUT; for example, -X HEAD alone does not make the proper HEAD request that -I does.
Make success and failure explicit
A transfer can complete even when the server returns an HTTP error response. By default, curl can download that error body as if it were ordinary output. Add --fail when a script should treat an HTTP error as a failed operation:
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curl --fail -o response.txt https://example.com/resourceUse --fail together with -o in automation when you do not want an error document silently saved as a successful result.
Quote URLs and disable URL globbing when necessary
Protect shell punctuation
Characters such as &, braces, and brackets have meanings to common shells. Quote a URL or data value so the shell passes it as one argument:
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curl 'https://example.com/search?q=one&sort=new'Turn off curl’s brace and bracket expansion
curl also performs its own URL globbing for braces and brackets. If those characters are literal rather than patterns, disable that behavior:
curl --globoff 'https://example.com/items/[draft]'Use single quotes when they are available in your shell; in a shell where a literal single quote is needed, choose an appropriate escaped or double-quoted representation.
Combine options for a realistic request
This example follows redirects, sends JSON, saves the body, and emits verbose diagnostics:
curl --location --fail --verbose
--header 'Accept: application/json'
--json '{"name":"curl","purpose":"example"}'
--output result.json
https://example.com/apiBuild commands incrementally. First verify the URL, then add the method or body, headers, redirect behavior, output file, and finally diagnostics. This makes it easier to identify which option changed the result.
Common problems and precise fixes
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
unknown option '--json' |
The installed curl predates 7.82.0. | Run curl --version; use --data with explicit JSON headers or install a build that supports --json. |
| The command sends POST data when you expected GET. | -d normally selects POST. |
Add --get to append the data as a query string. |
| Only part of a query reaches the server. | The shell interpreted & as a command separator. |
Quote the URL or use --get -d 'name=value'. |
| Braces or brackets expand into several requests. | curl URL globbing treated them as a pattern. | Use --globoff and quote the URL. |
| The response is an error page but the command appears successful. | A completed transfer is not necessarily an HTTP success. | Add --fail, and inspect details with -v. |
| A redirect loses authentication or cookies. | Credentials are not forwarded by default to a different origin. | Check the redirect destination before deciding how credentials should be supplied; do not assume they cross origins. |
| Newlines or binary bytes disappear from uploaded data. | --data normalizes some input bytes. |
Use --data-binary when the payload must be preserved exactly. |
| A HEAD check behaves like a body request. | -X HEAD only changes the method token. |
Use -I or --head. |
Reliability, diagnostics, and practical limits
- Check compatibility first. Option availability depends on the curl version and build, so confirm with
--versionand--help. - Keep output intentional. Use standard output for quick inspection,
-ofor a file, and-vwhen diagnosing a transfer. In scripts, separate the response file from diagnostic output so they are not mixed. - Account for redirects.
-Lcan cause curl to repeat a request. Review the destination and credential rules before using it with authenticated calls. - Use one option for one responsibility. Dedicated options communicate intent more accurately than a bare
-X, especially for HEAD and data-bearing requests. - There is no special hardware requirement for these examples. curl runs as a command-line transfer tool; the practical constraints are the installed build, the URL, and the server’s response.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can one curl command address more than one URL?
Yes. The curl syntax accepts one or more URLs, so place each URL as a separate argument. When saving results, give each response its own -o destination so files do not overwrite one another.
Does --json verify that my text is valid JSON?
No. It adds the JSON-oriented headers and sends the supplied bytes, but it does not validate JSON syntax. Validate the document before invoking curl if malformed input would be costly.
When should I prefer --data-binary over --data?
Use --data-binary when carriage returns, newlines, null bytes, or other byte-level details must remain unchanged. The regular --data option strips those characters when reading from a file.
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