Linux Command Line
The “curl” command is a powerful tool that allows users to transfer data to or from a server using various protocols, including HTTP, FTP, and LDAP. It is widely used on Linux and other Unix-based systems, and is often used in combination with other command line utilities to automate tasks such as data transfer, file downloads, and web scraping.
One of the most common uses of the curl command is to make HTTP requests. For example, to retrieve the contents of a webpage, you can use the following command:
curl http://www.example.comThis will return the HTML code of the website, which can then be parsed or saved to a file. You can also use the -o or –output flag to save the output to a specific file:
curl http://www.example.com -o index.htmlAnother useful feature of curl is the ability to send data in the body of a request. For example, to send a POST request with data, you can use the -d or –data flag:
curl -d "name=value" http://www.example.comAnother common use case for curl is to download files from a server. For example, to download a file from an FTP server, you can use the following command:
curl ftp://ftp.example.com/file.zipYou can also use the -O or –remote-name flag to save the file with the same name as on the server:
curl -O ftp://ftp.example.com/file.zipCurl also supports various other options, such as the ability to set headers, perform basic authentication, and follow redirects. To see a full list of options, you can run the command curl --help
In conclusion, the curl command is a versatile and widely used tool on Linux and other Unix-based systems. It allows users to transfer data using various protocols, make HTTP requests, and automate tasks such as data transfer and web scraping. With its wide range of options, it can be used for many different purposes, making it a valuable tool for any Linux user to master.
See our list of 75 Linux commands you should know about.
