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Command Line HTTP Browser

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Introduction

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is the foundation of data communication on the web. It is a protocol that allows for communication between web servers and clients and is used to transmit data over the internet. While web browsers make it easy to navigate and interact with websites, sometimes it’s necessary to interact with HTTP servers directly. This is where command line HTTP tools come in handy. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the most popular command line HTTP tools and how to use them.

Command Line HTTP Tools

cURL

cURL is a command line tool used to transfer data to and from a server. It supports a wide range of protocols including HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, FTPS, and many more. cURL is a versatile tool that can be used for a variety of tasks such as downloading files, testing APIs, and debugging network issues.

To make an HTTP GET request using cURL, simply run the following command:

curl <http://example.com>

This will return the HTML content of the http://example.com/ website. To make a POST request, you can use the -d flag followed by the data you want to send:

curl -d "param1=value1&param2=value2" <http://example.com>

This will send a POST request with the parameters param1 and param2 to the http://example.com/ server.

HTTPie

HTTPie is a modern command line HTTP client that makes it easy to interact with HTTP servers. It has a user-friendly syntax and is designed to be intuitive and easy to use. HTTPie supports HTTPS, authentication, JSON, and more.

To make an HTTP GET request using HTTPie, simply run the following command:

http <http://example.com>

This will return the HTML content of the http://example.com/ website. To make a POST request, you can use the --form flag followed by the data you want to send:

http --form POST <http://example.com> param1=value1 param2=value2

This will send a POST request with the parameters param1 and param2 to the http://example.com/ server.

Wget

Wget is a free and open-source command line tool used to download files from the web. It supports HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP protocols and can be used to download entire websites, as well as individual files.

To download a file using Wget, simply run the following command:

wget <http://example.com/file.txt>

This will download the file.txt file from the http://example.com/ server. You can also use Wget to download entire websites by using the -r flag:

wget -r <http://example.com>

GUI HTTP Tools

  • insomnia (https://insomnia.rest/)
  • postman (https://www.postman.com/)
  • postwoman (https://hoppscotch.io/)
  • HTTPie for Web (https://httpie.io/app)

Conclusion

Command line HTTP tools are powerful utilities that can help you interact with HTTP servers directly from the terminal. cURL, HTTPie, and Wget are just a few of the many tools available. By mastering these tools, you will be able to perform a wide range of tasks such as downloading files, testing APIs, and debugging network issues. Happy hacking!

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