The cURL command is one of the most common commands that you’ll type in a terminal window. It’s used to transfer data from server to another, and it can also be used for testing purposes. The command stands for Current Universal Request Language, and it’s a protocol that allows users to make requests to remote servers and execute programs on those servers. It’s not mandatory that you know how cURL works or what makes it great, but it doesn’t hurt either. And if you do want to learn more, read on further.
 |
| cURL Command |
What Is cURL?
The cURL command is a protocol used to transfer data to and from a remote server. It’s a tool that lets you create HTTP (or Web requests) , which are the basis of all information retrieved on the internet. With the cURL command, you just need a URL to make an HTTP request to. For example, if you want to make a request to Amazon’s product information page, you can type in the following command into your terminal window.
The cURL command connects to Amazon’s server and returns the product information requested. Now, what can you do with that information? Well, that depends on you and your project.
What Can cURL Do?
Aside from transferring data to and from a server, the cURL command can also be used for testing purposes. For example, if you have a website that uses a certain API (application programming interface) to retrieve certain information, you can simply make a request to that API using cURL and see if it’s accessible.
Pros of Using cURL
- - Easy To Learn
- - Fast Requests
- - Open-Source
- - Can Test APIs
- - Can Test Any Server
- - Can Test Any Program
- - Can Test Any URL
- - Can Combine Programs
- - Can Execute Programs
- - Can Get Raw Data
- - Can Log Requests
- - Can Log Responses
- - Can Get Information About a Page
- - Can Test APIs Using cURL
Cons of Using cURL
- - Need to Know Basics of PHP
- - Need to Know Basics of Python
- - Need to Know Basics of API calls
- - Need to Know Basics of cURL
- - Need to Know Basics of Linux
- - Need to Know Basics of Web Hosting
- - Need to Know Basics of Websites
- - Need to Know Basics of HTML and Content Structure
- - Need to Know Basics of HTTP and HTTPS
- - Need to Know Basics of Security
- - Need to Know Basics of TCP/IP and DNS
- - Need to Know Basics of Command Line Interface
- - Need to Know Basics of Command Prompt
- - Need to Learn How to Build a Website
- - Need to Know How to Build a Blog
- - Need to Know How to Build a Product
- - Need to Know How to Build a Software
- - Need to Know How to Build an API
- - Need to Know How to Build a Mobile App
Final Words: Is cURL Worth Knowing?
If you’re new to programming and you want to learn about APIs, cURL is a good tool. However, it might be confusing at first. If you want to know more about cURL, we recommend reading this article. This article should help you learn more about cURL and its benefits. There are a few other things you can do with cURL, like testing APIs using a fake API, and testing any website by making a request to the URL.
These things might be helpful, but they’re not necessarily necessary. You can use cURL for a long time without knowing how it works. But we still think it’s worth knowing.