Curl Command Cheatsheet
Comprehensive guide to curl commands covering basic operations, data transfer (POST/JSON), authentication, SSL, file uploads, debugging options, and common flags. Perfect for testing APIs, downloading files, and debugging network issues on your VPS server or local development environment.
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Syntax
$ curl [parameters] [URL]Display the command usage and lists most common options
$ curl -helpDisplay the command usage and list all available options
$ curl -help allTable of Contents
Basic Operations
Fetch a URL
$ curl http://example.comDownload a file
$ curl -O http://example.com/file.zipFollow redirections
$ curl -L http://example.comData Transfer
Post Data
$ curl -d"key1=value1&key2=value2" http://example.com/post_actionPOST JSON Data
$ curl -d'{"key1":"value1","key2":"value2"}' -H"Content-Type: application/json" http://example.com/apiUpload a file
$ curl -F"file=@path_to_file" http://example.com/uploadAuthentication & Headers
HTTP Basic Authentication
$ curl -u username:password http://example.comAdd Headers
$ curl -H"Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" http://example.comOther Useful Options
Limit Rate (e.g., 1MB/s)
$ curl --limit-rate 1M -O http://example.com/file.zipResume Broken Download
$ curl -C - -O http://example.com/file.zipUse a Proxy
$ curl -x http://proxyserver:port http://example.comDebugging & Info
Verbose Mode
$ curl -v http://example.comEssential for debugging API endpoints when testing your applications on a VPS provider.
Retrieve Only Headers
$ curl -I http://example.comCurl Version & Protocols
$ curl --versionSSL (Secure Socket Layer)
Skip SSL Certificate Verification
$ curl -k https://example.comUse SSL Certificate
$ curl --cert mycert.pem https://example.comCommon Options
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| -d, --data <data> | HTTP POST data |
| -f, --fail | Fail fast with no output on HTTP errors |
| -h, --help <category> | Get help for commands |
| -I, --include | Include protocol response headers in the output |
| --output <file> | Write to file instead of stdout |
| -O, --remote-name | Write output to a file named as the remote file |
| --silent | Silent mode |
| -T, --upload-file <file> | Transfer local FILE to destination |
| <user:password> | Server user and password |
| -A, --user-agent <name> | Send User-Agent <name> to server |
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