Getting Started with cURL

You might be wondering: what is a server, and why do we need to talk to it? Why do we need to talk to it?

A server is just a computer that is always online and ready to answer requests from other computers.

Whenever we open a website, our browser sends a request to a server asking for data, and the server sends the response back. This happens automatically, so we don’t notice it.

Normally, the browser handles all this communication for us.
But sometimes, we want to send requests directly to a server, without using a browser.

That’s when cURL is used — it lets us talk to servers straight from the command line.

---

What is cURL (in very simple terms)

cURL is a tool that lets you talk to a website or server from the command line.

In very simple terms:

cURL is like a browser without a screen.

You give it a URL, and it:

• sends a request to the server

• shows you the server’s response as plain text

Example

curl https://google.com

This is like opening Google, but instead of a webpage, you see the raw response.

---

Why programmers need cURL

Programmers need cURL because it lets them test and talk to servers quickly, directly, and without a browser.

In simple points

Why cURL is useful for programmers

• Test APIs easily
  Send GET, POST, and PUT requests and see real responses.

• Debug server problems
  Check status codes, headers, and errors clearly.

• Fast & lightweight
  No UI, no setup — just one command.

• Automation-friendly
  Used in scripts, CI/CD, and cron jobs.

• Understand how the web works
  See DNS → HTTP → response in action.

• Better than guessing
  You know exactly what the server returns.

I guess you have confusion bet postman and curl, when to use what, and why

---

Making your first request using cURL

Let’s say you want to talk to a website, but without opening a browser.

That’s exactly what cURL helps us do.

Instead of clicking links, we simply type a command and send a request directly to the server. The server replies, and cURL shows us the response right in the terminal.

Let’s try the simplest possible request.

Your first cURL command

Open Command Prompt / Terminal and type:

curl https://example.com

What’s happening here?

• You are sending a GET request to example.com

• The server responds with its webpage

• cURL prints that response as text

You’ve just talked to a server — no browser involved

A slightly better example (API-style)

For a cleaner output that looks more “developer-like”, try:

curl https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/

This returns:

• Server data in JSON

• Real API response

---

Understanding request and response

Request Shows (what we send)

• The URL (where you’re sending the request)

• The method (GET or POST)

Response Shows (what we receive)

• Status code (success or failure)

• Data (HTML, JSON, text, etc.)

Example response meaning:

• 200 OK → request succeeded

• 404 → resource not found

• 500 → server error

• There are more statuscode also according to the response. But these are often used.

GET and POST

GET request (asking for data)

GET is used when you want to fetch something.

curl https://api.google.com/ai_blogs

POST request (sending data)

POST is used when you want to send data to the server.

curl -X POST https://api.google.com/login

---

Using cURL to talk to APIs

So far, we used cURL to talk to a website. But the real power of cURL shows up when we use it to talk to APIs.An API is just a server that doesn’t return a webpage. Instead, it returns data (usually in JSON format). Using cURL, we can send requests to an API and see exactly what data it sends back — no browser, no UI, just pure communication.

curl https://api.github.com/users/octocat

When we run this kind of command in the terminal, it shows the result like this

Why programmers use cURL for APIs

• To test APIs quickly

• To debug responses

• To understand the request–response flow

• To automate API calls in scripts

---

Common mistakes beginners make with cURL

• Beginners often expect cURL to behave like a browser, but it only shows raw server responses.

• Many forget that cURL does not follow redirects unless the -L flag is used.

• Another common mistake is not specifying the correct HTTP method or required headers.

• Seeing HTML, JSON, or error codes and thinking something is broken is also very common.

• In most cases, cURL is working correctly — it’s just showing the real server response.

Conclusion

• cURL is a simple but powerful tool to communicate directly with servers and APIs.

• It helps us see the real request and response flow without any browser or UI.

• Learning cURL gives beginners a clear understanding of how the web works behind the scenes.

• It makes API testing, debugging, and automation much easier.

• Even though it looks simple, cURL is an essential tool every programmer should know.