-Updated: Dec 24, 2013 (http://curl.haxx.se/docs/httpscripting.html)
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3. Fetch a page
3.1 GET
3.2 HEAD
+ 3.3 Multiple URLs in a single command line
+ 3.4 Multiple HTTP methods in a single command line
4. HTML forms
4.1 Forms explained
4.2 GET
The Uniform Resource Locator format is how you specify the address of a
particular resource on the Internet. You know these, you've seen URLs like
http://curl.haxx.se or https://yourbank.com a million times. RFC 3986 is the
- canonical spec.
+ canonical spec. And yeah, the formal name is not URL, it is URI.
2.2 Host
the associated response. The path is what is to the right side of the slash
that follows the host name and possibly port number.
-
3. Fetch a page
3.1 GET
may see a Content-Length: in the response headers, but there must not be an
actual body in the HEAD response.
+ 3.3 Multiple URLs in a single command line
+
+ A single curl command line may involve one or many URLs. The most common case
+ is probably to just use one, but you can specify any amount of URLs. Yes
+ any. No limits. You'll then get requests repeated over and over for all the
+ given URLs.
+
+ Example, send two GETs:
+
+ curl http://url1.example.com http://url2.example.com
+
+ If you use --data to POST to the URL, using multiple URLs means that you send
+ that same POST to all the given URLs.
+
+ Example, send two POSTs:
+
+ curl --data name=curl http://url1.example.com http://url2.example.com
+
+
+ 3.4 Multiple HTTP methods in a single command line
+
+ Sometimes you need to operate on several URLs in a single command line and do
+ different HTTP methods on each. For this, you'll enjoy the --next option. It
+ is basically a separator that separates a bunch of options from the next. All
+ the URLs before --next will get the same method and will get all the POST
+ data merged into one.
+
+ When curl reaches the --next on the command line, it'll sort of reset the
+ method and the POST data and allow a new set.
+
+ Perhaps this is best shown with a few examples. To send first a HEAD and then
+ a GET:
+
+ curl -I http://example.com --next http://example.com
+
+ To first send a POST and then a GET:
+
+ curl -d score=10 http://example.com/post.cgi --next http://example.com/results.html
+
+
4. HTML forms
4.1 Forms explained
curl --data-urlencode "name=I am Daniel" http://www.example.com
+ If you repeat --data several times on the command line, curl will
+ concatenate all the given data pieces - and put a '&' symbol between each
+ data segment.
+
4.4 File Upload POST
Back in late 1995 they defined an additional way to post data over HTTP. It
truckload of advanced features to allow all those encryptions and key
infrastructure mechanisms encrypted HTTP requires.
- Curl supports encrypted fetches thanks to the freely available OpenSSL
- libraries. To get a page from a HTTPS server, simply run curl like:
+ Curl supports encrypted fetches when built to use a TLS library and it can be
+ built to use one out of a fairly large set of libraries - "curl -V" will show
+ which one your curl was built to use (if any!). To get a page from a HTTPS
+ server, simply run curl like:
curl https://secure.example.com
http://curl.haxx.se/docs/sslcerts.html
+ At times you may end up with your own CA cert store and then you can tell
+ curl to use that to verify the server's certificate:
+
+ curl --cacert ca-bundle.pem https://example.com/
+
+
11. Custom Request Elements
11.1 Modify method and headers
14.1 Standards
- RFC 2616 is a must to read if you want in-depth understanding of the HTTP
+ RFC 7230 is a must to read if you want in-depth understanding of the HTTP
protocol
RFC 3986 explains the URL syntax
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