Command Line Tools (cURL, HTTPie)
While GUI clients like Postman are user-friendly, the Command Line Interface (CLI) remains the most powerful and universal way to interact with APIs. It allows for scripting, automation, and usage on servers where no GUI is available.1. cURL (Client URL)#
cURL is the grandfather of API tools. Installed on almost every Linux/Mac system by default, it is the universal language of API documentation.Basic Syntax#
Examples#
Pros/Cons#
β
Universally available (pre-installed on 99% of servers).
β
Scriptable (bash scripts, CI/CD).
β Hard to read: Returns raw text without color or formatting.
Visual Tip:
cURL output is usually a giant blob of white text. To make it readable, pros pipe it to jq:
curl ... | jq
2. HTTPie#
HTTPie is a modern CLI HTTP client designed for the "human" era. It does the same thing as cURL but with simple, natural language syntax and colored output.Comparison#
Key Features#
Implied JSON: It assumes you want JSON. No need to set Content-Type header manually.
Visual Output: It automatically pretty-prints JSON (indents) and applies syntax highlighting (keys in blue, strings in green, numbers in purple).
Shorthand: header:value for headers, field=value for strings, field:=value for raw JSON.
Pros/Cons#
β
Beautiful, human-readable output by default.
β Must be installed (brew install httpie), not available on raw servers by default.
Recommendation#
Use cURL: When sharing reproduction steps (everyone has it), writing shell scripts, or debugging on a remote server.
Use HTTPie: For your own daily manual testing in the terminal. It saves typing and is easier to read.
Key Takeaways#
cURL is ubiquitous and essential for scripting and sharing instructions (Copy as cURL).
HTTPie (http) brings color and simplicity to human interaction.
Modified atΒ 2025-12-29 04:29:15
