cURL Pocket Reference
cURL is the universal command-line tool for transferring data with URLs. Installed by default on virtually every operating system, it's the go-to utility for testing APIs, downloading files, debugging network issues, and automating HTTP requests in scripts and CI/CD pipelines.
This pocket reference provides a quick-lookup guide to cURL's most essential features. From basic GET and POST requests through to authentication, SSL/TLS configuration, HTTP/2 and HTTP/3, WebSockets, and file transfer protocols, you'll find practical examples and clear explanations for everyday tasks.
Whether you're a backend developer testing endpoints, a DevOps engineer scripting deployments, or anyone who needs to make HTTP requests from the command line, this guide puts cURL's capabilities at your fingertips.
Table of Contents
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Command-Line Options
- 3 Basic Requests
- 4 Headers
- 5 Request Body & Data
- 6 Authentication
- 7 Cookies & Sessions
- 8 SSL/TLS
- 9 HTTP/2 and HTTP/3
- 10 WebSockets
- 11 Proxies & Tunnelling
- 12 Timeouts & Retries
- 13 Output Control
- 14 Debugging & Verbose Output
- 15 Following Redirects
- 16 FTP, SFTP & SCP
- 17 Common Recipes
- 18 Quick Reference Tables