curl

Download file

$ curl -O [https://example.com/file.zip]

$ curl -o [filename] [https://example.com/file]

$ curl -X POST -d ["key=value"] [https://api.example.com]

$ curl -L [https://example.com]

$ curl -H ["Content-Type: application/json"] -d ['{"key":"value"}'] [https://api.example.com]

$ curl -I [https://example.com]

curl [options] [URL...]

curl is a command-line tool for transferring data with URLs. It supports HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, and many other protocols, making it essential for web development, API testing, and file transfers.
The tool is ubiquitous in scripts, CI/CD pipelines, and system administration.

-O, --remote-name

Save with remote filename

Save to specified file

Follow redirects

HTTP method (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE)

Send POST data

Add custom header

Authentication

Fetch headers only

Verbose output

Silent mode

Fail silently on HTTP errors

Allow insecure SSL connections

~/.curlrc

Default options loaded on every curl invocation (one option per line).

Stores authentication credentials for remote hosts (used with --netrc).

Silent failures by default (use -f to change). Large downloads show progress by default (use -s for scripts). Cookie files need management. SSL certificate issues require -k (insecure). Complex syntax for advanced features.

curl originated in 1996 as httpget (by Rafael Sagula, with Daniel Stenberg contributing), was renamed to urlget in 1997 when FTP support was added, and became curl with version 4.0 in March 1998. It is one of the most widely used command-line tools for data transfer.

wget(1), http(1), fetch(1)