Use curl to retrieve URLs, inspect headers and automate HTTP tasks directly from the terminal. 03.03.2026 | reading time: 2 min curl is the small, fast and scriptable tool to transfer data with URLs; it speaks HTTP, HTTPS, FTP and many other protocols and is indispensable for quick checks and automation at the shell. Live demonstration Try these commands yourself to see curl in action: ``` $ curl -I https://example.com HTTP/1.1 200 OK Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 Content-Length: 1256 $ curl -sS -o index.html https://example.com $ ls -l index.html -rw-r--r-- 1 user user 1256 Feb 20 12:00 index.html $ curl -sS -X POST -H 'Content-Type: application/json' --data '{"user":"alice","action":"ping"}' https://httpbin.org/post { "json": {"user": "alice", "action": "ping"} } ``` The first call inspects headers, the second saves a page to a file and the third shows a JSON POST to a test endpoint so he can check payloads and responses. Power features to use now Use `-I` to fetch headers, `-L` to follow redirects, `-o` and `-O` to save responses, `-s` and `-S` for silent error handling, `-X` to set methods and `--data` for bodies; add `--retry` and `--max-time` for resilient scripts, `-C -` to resume transfers and `--insecure` only when you understand the risks; curl also handles client certificates, proxies and compression for production-ready tooling. Tools that pair well with curl curl shines when combined with small utilities: pipe JSON responses to `jq` for parsing, use `openssl s_client` to debug TLS handshakes, or try `httpie` for friendlier interactive requests; for simple downloads `wget` is a common alternative and each tool fits different workflows. Where to go from here Start using curl in quick checks, then embed calls into scripts and cronjobs to automate monitoring and deployments; to deepen Linux skills, consider formal study and exam preparation like CompTIA Linux+ or LPIC-1 and explore intensive courses at bitsandbytes.academy to prepare for certification and practical mastery. Join Bits & Bytes Academy First class LINUX exam preparation. network utilities scripting
