curl Cheatsheet
Quick reference for curl command-line HTTP client
Curl is a versatile command-line tool for transferring data using various protocols including HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, and more. This cheatsheet covers common use cases from simple downloads to complex API interactions with authentication and custom headers.
Basic Requests
Make simple HTTP requests.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
curl url | GET request |
curl -o file url | Save to file |
curl -O url | Save with original name |
curl -s url | Silent mode |
curl -v url | Verbose output |
curl -I url | Headers only (HEAD) |
curl -L url | Follow redirects |
HTTP Methods
Use different HTTP request methods.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
curl -X GET url | GET request |
curl -X POST url | POST request |
curl -X PUT url | PUT request |
curl -X DELETE url | DELETE request |
curl -X PATCH url | PATCH request |
curl -X OPTIONS url | OPTIONS request |
POST Data
Send data with POST requests.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
curl -d "data" url | POST form data |
curl -d @file url | POST from file |
curl --data-urlencode "k=v" url | URL encode data |
curl -F "file=@path" url | Upload file |
curl -F "field=value" url | Multipart form |
JSON Data
Work with JSON APIs.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
curl --json '{"key":"value"}' url | POST JSON |
curl --json @data.json url | POST JSON from file |
echo '{}' | curl --json @- url | POST JSON from stdin |
curl -d '{"key":"value"}' -H "Content-Type: application/json" url | POST JSON (older curl) |
curl -H "Accept: application/json" url | Request JSON |
curl url | jq | Parse JSON response |
Headers
Set custom HTTP headers.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
curl -H "Header: Value" url | Add header |
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer token" url | Auth header |
curl -H "Content-Type: text/xml" url | Content type |
curl -A "User-Agent" url | User agent |
curl -e "referer" url | Referer header |
Authentication
Handle various authentication methods.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
curl -u user:pass url | Basic auth |
curl -u user url | Prompt for password |
curl --digest -u user:pass url | Digest auth |
curl --ntlm -u user:pass url | NTLM auth |
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer token" url | Bearer token |
curl --oauth2-bearer token url | OAuth2 bearer |
Cookies
Send and receive cookies.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
curl -b "name=value" url | Send cookie |
curl -b cookies.txt url | Send from file |
curl -c cookies.txt url | Save cookies |
curl -b cookies.txt -c cookies.txt url | Read and save |
SSL/TLS
Handle HTTPS and certificates.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
curl -k url | Ignore SSL errors |
curl --insecure url | Ignore SSL errors |
curl --cacert ca.crt url | Use CA cert |
curl --cert client.crt url | Client cert |
curl --key client.key url | Client key |
curl --cert client.pem:pass url | Cert with password |
Proxy
Route requests through proxies.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
curl -x proxy:port url | HTTP proxy |
curl -x socks5://proxy:port url | SOCKS5 proxy |
curl --proxy-user user:pass url | Proxy auth |
curl --noproxy "*.local" url | Bypass proxy |
Download
Download files and resume transfers.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
curl -o file url | Save to file |
curl -O url | Use remote filename |
curl -O url1 -O url2 | Multiple files |
curl -C - -O url | Resume download |
curl --limit-rate 1M url | Limit speed |
curl -# url | Progress bar |
Upload
Upload files to servers.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
curl -T file url | Upload file (PUT) |
curl -F "file=@path" url | Form upload |
curl -F "file=@path;type=image/png" url | With content type |
curl --upload-file file url | Upload file |
FTP
Work with FTP servers.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
curl ftp://server/file | Download file |
curl -T file ftp://server/ | Upload file |
curl -u user:pass ftp://server/ | FTP with auth |
curl --ftp-ssl ftp://server/ | FTP over SSL |
curl ftp://server/ --list-only | List directory |
Timeouts
Control connection timing.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
curl --connect-timeout 10 url | Connect timeout |
curl -m 30 url | Max time |
curl --max-time 30 url | Max time |
curl --retry 3 url | Retry on failure |
curl --retry-delay 5 url | Delay between retries |
Output Control
Format and filter output.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
curl -s url | Silent (no progress) |
curl -S url | Show errors in silent |
curl -w "%{http_code}" url | Print HTTP code |
curl -w "%{time_total}" url | Print total time |
curl -o /dev/null -s -w "%{http_code}" url | Status code only |
Debug
Troubleshoot requests.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
curl -v url | Verbose |
curl -vv url | More verbose |
curl --trace file url | Full trace to file |
curl --trace-ascii file url | ASCII trace |
curl -D headers.txt url | Dump headers |
Common Patterns
Frequently used combinations.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
curl -sL url | Silent, follow redirects |
curl -fsSL url | Fail silently on errors |
curl --json '{"key":"value"}' url | JSON POST |
curl -u user:pass -XPUT -d @file url | Auth PUT from file |
