cURL is a command-line tool used to transfer data from URLs. It also supports a large variety of network protocols, assists developers in testing and automating information exchange, and debugging network connections. cURL is a powerful tool that can be used by a developer and system administrator, whether they are transferring files, issuing a call to an HTTP interface in a command line, or ensuring their response satisfies the requirements.
What is cURL?
cURL stands for “Client URL.” It is an open-source tool and a library that can be used to transfer data between a client and a server. It is built on top of libcurl integration and supports most protocols, such as HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, etc. It is used in automated scripting by developers to automate transfers of information to URLs, manipulate authentication and make quick searches of servers. Since it can run directly through the terminal, cURL is useful in API testing and auto tests.
What Does the cURL Command Do?
A cURL request transfers or obtains information to a particular URL. It is able to make web page requests, command-line HTTP requests, multipart file uploads, or API endpoint testing. Some developers run a cURL request to check the response of a server to the information submitted using different HTTP commands like GET, POST, PUT, or DELETE, and to perform SSL handshake verification for secure connections.
cURL Parameters
The cURL command has various information transmission options. Parameters specify the types, such as customized HTTP headers, authentication, and uploading of files. These render it suitable in testing, URL data transfers, and debugging.
cURL Usage
cURL is free to download when send commands at the CLI. This tool makes testing, information transfer, and automation of server communication easy. cURL can also work through proxy servers by routing requests via specified proxy addresses, enabling secure connections and authentication when accessing restricted networks.
Examples
Example of its usage:
| curl -X GET “https://api.example.com/data” |
Caching.HTML This is a simple function that gives the server information and assists in testing proxy support, or custom HTTP headers.