http - Man Page

• Make a simple GET request (shows response headers and content): http https://example.com
• Print specific parts of the content (H: request headers, B: request body, h: response headers, b: response body, m: response metadata): http --print H|B|h|b|m|Hh|Hhb|... https://example.com
• Specify the HTTP method when sending a request and use a proxy to intercept the request: http GET|POST|HEAD|PUT|PATCH|DELETE|... --proxy http|https:http://localhost:8080|socks5://localhost:9050|... https://example.com
• Follow any 3xx redirects and specify additional headers in a request: http -F|--follow https://example.com 'User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0' 'Accept-Encoding: gzip'
• Authenticate to a server using different authentication methods: http --auth username:password|token --auth-type basic|digest|bearer GET|POST|... https://example.com/auth
• Construct a request but do not send it (similar to a dry-run): http --offline GET|DELETE|... https://example.com
• Use named sessions for persistent custom headers, auth credentials and cookies: http --session session_name|path/to/session.json --auth username:password https://example.com/auth API-KEY:xxx
• Upload a file to a form (the example below assumes that the form field is <input type="file" name="cv" />): http --form POST https://example.com/upload cv@path/to/file

tldr.sh

http [METHOD] URL [REQUEST_ITEM ...]

HTTPie: modern, user-friendly command-line HTTP client for the API era. <https://httpie.io>

These arguments come after any flags and in the order they are listed here. Only URL is required.

METHOD

The HTTP method to be used for the request (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, ...).

This argument can be omitted in which case HTTPie will use POST if there is some data to be sent, otherwise GET:

   $ http example.org               # => GET
   $ http example.org hello=world   # => POST

URL

The request URL. Scheme defaults to 'http://' if the URL does not include one. (You can override this with: --default-scheme=http/https)

You can also use a shorthand for localhost

   $ http :3000                    # => http://localhost:3000
   $ http :/foo                    # => http://localhost/foo

REQUEST_ITEM

Optional key-value pairs to be included in the request. The separator used determines the type:

':' HTTP headers:

   Referer:https://httpie.io  Cookie:foo=bar  User-Agent:bacon/1.0

'==' URL parameters to be appended to the request URI:

   search==httpie

'=' Data fields to be serialized into a JSON object (with --json, -j)
   or form data (with --form, -f):

   name=HTTPie  language=Python  description='CLI HTTP client'

':=' Non-string JSON data fields (only with --json, -j):

   awesome:=true  amount:=42  colors:='["red", "green", "blue"]'

'@' Form file fields (only with --form or --multipart):

   cv@~/Documents/CV.pdf
   cv@'~/Documents/CV.pdf;type=application/pdf'

'=@' A data field like '=', but takes a file path and embeds its content:

   essay=@Documents/essay.txt

':=@' A raw JSON field like ':=', but takes a file path and embeds its content:

   package:=@./package.json

You can use a backslash to escape a colliding separator in the field name:

   field-name-with\:colon=value

--json,  -j

(default) Data items from the command line are serialized as a JSON object. The Content-Type and Accept headers are set to application/json (if not specified).

--form,  -f

Data items from the command line are serialized as form fields.

The Content-Type is set to application/x-www-form-urlencoded (if not specified). The presence of any file fields results in a multipart/form-data request.

--multipart

Similar to --form, but always sends a multipart/form-data request (i.e., even without files).

--boundary

Specify a custom boundary string for multipart/form-data requests. Only has effect only together with --form.

--raw

This option allows you to pass raw request data without extra processing (as opposed to the structured request items syntax):

   $ http --raw='data' pie.dev/post

You can achieve the same by piping the data via stdin:

   $ echo data | http pie.dev/post

Or have HTTPie load the raw data from a file:

   $ http pie.dev/post @data.txt

--compress,  -x

Content compressed (encoded) with Deflate algorithm. The Content-Encoding header is set to deflate.

Compression is skipped if it appears that compression ratio is negative. Compression can be forced by repeating the argument.

--pretty

Controls output processing. The value can be "none" to not prettify the output (default for redirected output), "all" to apply both colors and formatting (default for terminal output), "colors", or "format".

--style,  -s STYLE

Output coloring style (default is "auto"). It can be one of:

   auto, pie, pie-dark, pie-light, solarized

For finding out all available styles in your system, try:

$ http --style

The "auto" style follows your terminal's ANSI color styles. For non-auto styles to work properly, please make sure that the $TERM environment variable is set to "xterm-256color" or similar (e.g., via `export TERM=xterm-256color' in your ~/.bashrc).

--unsorted

Disables all sorting while formatting output. It is a shortcut for:

   --format-options=headers.sort:false,json.sort_keys:false

--sorted

Re-enables all sorting options while formatting output. It is a shortcut for:

   --format-options=headers.sort:true,json.sort_keys:true

--response-charset ENCODING

Override the response encoding for terminal display purposes, e.g.:

   --response-charset=utf8
   --response-charset=big5

--response-mime MIME_TYPE

Override the response mime type for coloring and formatting for the terminal, e.g.:

   --response-mime=application/json
   --response-mime=text/xml

--format-options

Controls output formatting. Only relevant when formatting is enabled through (explicit or implied) --pretty=all or --pretty=format. The following are the default options:

   headers.sort:true
   json.format:true
   json.indent:4
   json.sort_keys:true
   xml.format:true
   xml.indent:2

You may use this option multiple times, as well as specify multiple comma-separated options at the same time. For example, this modifies the settings to disable the sorting of JSON keys, and sets the indent size to 2:

   --format-options json.sort_keys:false,json.indent:2

This is something you will typically put into your config file.

--print,  -p WHAT

String specifying what the output should contain:

   'H' request headers
   'B' request body
   'h' response headers
   'b' response body
   'm' response metadata

The default behaviour is 'hb' (i.e., the response headers and body is printed), if standard output is not redirected. If the output is piped to another program or to a file, then only the response body is printed by default.

--headers,  -h

Print only the response headers. Shortcut for --print=h.

--meta,  -m

Print only the response metadata. Shortcut for --print=m.

--body,  -b

Print only the response body. Shortcut for --print=b.

--verbose,  -v

Verbose output. For the level one (with single `-v`/`--verbose`), print the whole request as well as the response. Also print any intermediary requests/responses (such as redirects). For the second level and higher, print these as well as the response metadata.

Level one is a shortcut for: --all --print=BHbh Level two is a shortcut for: --all --print=BHbhm

--all

By default, only the final request/response is shown. Use this flag to show any intermediary requests/responses as well. Intermediary requests include followed redirects (with --follow), the first unauthorized request when Digest auth is used (--auth=digest), etc.

--stream,  -S

Always stream the response body by line, i.e., behave like `tail -f'.

Without --stream and with --pretty (either set or implied), HTTPie fetches the whole response before it outputs the processed data.

Set this option when you want to continuously display a prettified long-lived response, such as one from the Twitter streaming API.

It is useful also without --pretty: It ensures that the output is flushed more often and in smaller chunks.

--output,  -o FILE

Save output to FILE instead of stdout. If --download is also set, then only the response body is saved to FILE. Other parts of the HTTP exchange are printed to stderr.

--download,  -d

Do not print the response body to stdout. Rather, download it and store it in a file. The filename is guessed unless specified with --output [filename]. This action is similar to the default behaviour of wget.

--continue,  -c

Resume an interrupted download. Note that the --output option needs to be specified as well.

--quiet,  -q

Do not print to stdout or stderr, except for errors and warnings when provided once. Provide twice to suppress warnings as well. stdout is still redirected if --output is specified. Flag doesn't affect behaviour of download beyond not printing to terminal.

--session SESSION_NAME_OR_PATH

Create, or reuse and update a session. Within a session, custom headers, auth credential, as well as any cookies sent by the server persist between requests.

Session files are stored in:

   [HTTPIE_CONFIG_DIR]/<HOST>/<SESSION_NAME>.json.

See the following page to find out your default HTTPIE_CONFIG_DIR:

   https://httpie.io/docs/cli/config-file-directory

--session-read-only SESSION_NAME_OR_PATH

Create or read a session without updating it form the request/response exchange.

--auth,  -a USER[:PASS] | TOKEN

For username/password based authentication mechanisms (e.g basic auth or digest auth) if only the username is provided (-a username), HTTPie will prompt for the password.

--auth-type,  -A

The authentication mechanism to be used. Defaults to "basic".

"basic": Basic HTTP auth

"digest": Digest HTTP auth

"bearer": Bearer HTTP Auth

To see all available auth types on your system, including ones installed via plugins, run:

$ http --auth-type

--ignore-netrc

Ignore credentials from .netrc.

--offline

Build the request and print it but don`t actually send it.

--proxy PROTOCOL:PROXY_URL

String mapping protocol to the URL of the proxy (e.g. http:http://foo.bar:3128). You can specify multiple proxies with different protocols. The environment variables $ALL_PROXY, $HTTP_PROXY, and $HTTPS_proxy are supported as well.

--follow,  -F

Follow 30x Location redirects.

--max-redirects

By default, requests have a limit of 30 redirects (works with --follow).

--max-headers

The maximum number of response headers to be read before giving up (default 0, i.e., no limit).

--timeout SECONDS

The connection timeout of the request in seconds. The default value is 0, i.e., there is no timeout limit. This is not a time limit on the entire response download; rather, an error is reported if the server has not issued a response for timeout seconds (more precisely, if no bytes have been received on the underlying socket for timeout seconds).

--check-status

By default, HTTPie exits with 0 when no network or other fatal errors occur. This flag instructs HTTPie to also check the HTTP status code and exit with an error if the status indicates one.

When the server replies with a 4xx (Client Error) or 5xx (Server Error) status code, HTTPie exits with 4 or 5 respectively. If the response is a 3xx (Redirect) and --follow hasn't been set, then the exit status is 3. Also an error message is written to stderr if stdout is redirected.

--path-as-is

Bypass dot segment (/../ or /./) URL squashing.

--chunked

Enable streaming via chunked transfer encoding. The Transfer-Encoding header is set to chunked.

--verify

Set to "no" (or "false") to skip checking the host's SSL certificate. Defaults to "yes" ("true"). You can also pass the path to a CA_BUNDLE file for private certs. (Or you can set the REQUESTS_CA_BUNDLE environment variable instead.)

--ssl

The desired protocol version to use. This will default to SSL v2.3 which will negotiate the highest protocol that both the server and your installation of OpenSSL support. Available protocols may vary depending on OpenSSL installation (only the supported ones are shown here).

--ciphers

A string in the OpenSSL cipher list format.

See `http --help` for the default ciphers list on you system.

--cert

You can specify a local cert to use as client side SSL certificate. This file may either contain both private key and certificate or you may specify --cert-key separately.

--cert-key

The private key to use with SSL. Only needed if --cert is given and the certificate file does not contain the private key.

--cert-key-pass

The passphrase to be used to with the given private key. Only needed if --cert-key is given and the key file requires a passphrase. If not provided, you`ll be prompted interactively.

--ignore-stdin,  -I

Do not attempt to read stdin

--help

Show this help message and exit.

--manual

Show the full manual.

--version

Show version and exit.

--traceback

Prints the exception traceback should one occur.

--default-scheme

The default scheme to use if not specified in the URL.

--debug

Prints the exception traceback should one occur, as well as other information useful for debugging HTTPie itself and for reporting bugs.

For every --OPTION there is also a --no-OPTION that reverts OPTION to its default value.

Suggestions and bug reports are greatly appreciated: https://github.com/httpie/cli/issues