cURL
cURL parser
A cURL command is a request in disguise. The parser reads the options and shows you the HTTP request underneath: what is sent, where, and with which credentials.
curl 'https://api.example.com/search?q=widgets&page=2' \ -u admin:s3cret \ -H 'Accept: application/json' \ -b 'session=abc123'GET https://api.example.com/searchQuery parameters q widgets page 2Headers Accept application/jsonAuthentication Basic · adminCookies session abc123What the parser extracts
- Method: from
-X, or inferred (a body implies POST;-Iimplies HEAD) - URL and its query parameters
- Headers from
-H - Authentication:
-ubasic auth, bearer tokens, other Authorization schemes - Cookies from
-b - Body from
-d,--data-raw,--data-binary,--data-urlencode,--jsonand-Fforms
Options it understands
Common flags like -L, -k, --compressed, -A, -e and -x are recognized. Output and logging flags such as -o, -s and -v do not change the request and are skipped without noise. Anything unrecognized is reported as a warning rather than silently dropped.
Bodies, typed
The body is classified as JSON, XML, form or multipart from the Content-Type or its content, and JSON and XML bodies are pretty-printed. If a JSON body is invalid, that is reported as an error against the request body, which is the kind of mistake that is hard to spot inside shell quoting. If a body is read from a file (@file), DocuFormat shows the file reference and never reads the file.
Security by design
Parsing is plain text processing. The command is not run, no network request is made, and referenced files are not read. See the cURL formatter for the readable rewrite, or explain a cURL command in plain language.
Questions, answered
Does it support multiple URLs in one command?
No. Only the first URL is used, and extras are reported as ignored.
Does it read files referenced with @?
No. It shows the file reference but never reads files.
Can I paste a command that starts with a $ prompt?
Yes. A leading shell prompt is recognized and removed.