cURL is a command-line tool that enables data transfer to and from servers using URL syntax. It is commonly used for testing APIs and microservices during the development process. cURL uses the libcURL client-side URL transfer library, which supports many different transfer protocols including HTTPS, SMTP, and FTP. It enables you to include cookies, set proxies, and add authentication credentials when making requests.
To use cURL with an API, you can specify the location and the data you wish to send using the cURL command syntax. cURL provides a simple and efficient way to send HTTP requests and view the responses, allowing developers to debug issues, test different scenarios, and optimize the performance of their APIs and microservices.
Some common use cases for the cURL command include testing APIs, downloading data from sources, testing websites, and following redirects from the terminal. There are hundreds of commands that can be used with cURL, and it supports a wide range of protocols such as HTTP, SCP, IMAP, FTP server, SFTP, POP3, SMTP, LDAP, SMB, and many others.
