About curl
curl is a command line tool and library for moving data to and from servers using URLs. It is one of the most widely installed transfer tools and is used in scripts, devices and software.
What it does
You run curl with a URL to fetch a page, call an API or upload a file. The same engine is available as libcurl for software to use directly. It supports a long list of protocols, including HTTP, FTP and SFTP, with options for authentication, proxies and compression.
Key features
- Send HTTP requests with custom headers and methods
- Upload and download files over many protocols
- Support for HTTP/2, HTTP/3 and TLS
- Authentication methods including Basic and Bearer tokens
- Proxy, compression and custom DNS options
- Available as a library called libcurl for apps
Who it's for
Developers testing APIs, system administrators automating downloads and engineers who build tools that need network transfers. It is useful in scripts and continuous integration jobs.
Pricing and good to know
curl is open source and free to use. It runs on most operating systems and comes preinstalled on many of them. The command has a large number of options, so the manual is worth reading for anything beyond basic requests. Commercial support is offered by third parties for organisations that need it.
Highlights
- Send HTTP requests with custom headers and methods
- Upload and download files over many protocols
- Support for HTTP/2, HTTP/3 and TLS
- Authentication methods including Basic and Bearer tokens
- Proxy, compression and custom DNS options
- Available as a library called libcurl for apps
