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How to Start Using cURL: A Simple Introduction
A web development learner and tech enthusiast, documenting my journey into modern web development. I share what I learn, write practical coding tips, and publish beginner-friendly blogs on programming concepts and tools.
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When we build software, websites, or APIs, one thing happens again and again:
our code needs to talk to a server.
A browser does this all the time without us noticing. But as developers, we also need a direct way to send messages to servers and see their responses clearly. This is where cURL comes in.
In this blog, we will understand cURL from first principles. We will not rush into complex flags or advanced usage. We will first build the mental model, then slowly connect the dots.
Before understanding cURL, we need to understand what a server is.
A server is just another computer connected to the internet. Its job is to receive requests and send responses. When we open a website, submit a form, or load data in an app, we are talking to a server.
The server may send:
A webpage (HTML)
Data (JSON)
Images
Or just a simple message like “OK” or “Error”
As developers, we constantly need to:
Check what a server is returning
Test APIs
Debug errors
Verify data
For this, relying only on the browser is not enough.
cURL is a tool that lets us send messages to a server from the terminal.
That’s it.
It does not have buttons.
It does not have a UI.
It does not hide anything.
It shows us:
What request we send
What response we get back
Think of cURL as a direct phone call to a server, instead of using a fancy app.
Browsers do many things automatically:
They add headers
They follow redirects
They cache responses
They hide raw data
This is good for users, but not always good for learning or debugging.
With cURL, we:
Talk directly to the server
See raw responses
Test APIs without writing code
Understand how HTTP really works
This makes cURL extremely important for backend developers, frontend developers, and even DevOps engineers.
The simplest thing we can do with cURL is fetch a webpage.
When we run a basic cURL command, we are doing the same thing a browser does at a very basic level:
Send a request
Receive a response
Print it on the screen
There is no magic here. cURL sends a request to the server, and the server sends something back.
Seeing this response directly helps us understand what is really happening behind the scenes.
Every communication with a server follows the same idea:
A request is sent
A response is returned
A request usually contains:
Where we want to go (URL)
What we want to do (method like GET or POST)
A response usually contains:
A status (success or error)
Data (HTML, JSON, text, etc.)
cURL lets us see this response clearly, without browser interference. This is one of its biggest learning advantages.
To keep things simple, we only focus on two methods.
GET means:
“We want to read data”
No changes on the server
POST means:
“We want to send data”
Something may be created or updated on the server
Most APIs in the beginning can be understood using just these two methods. There is no need to overload ourselves early.
An API is just a server endpoint that returns data instead of a full webpage.
When we use cURL with APIs, we:
Send a request
Get back structured data (often JSON)
Check if the server behaves correctly
This is extremely useful when:
Frontend is not ready
Backend is under development
We want to test quickly without writing code
cURL becomes a bridge between our terminal and the backend logic.
One common mistake is trying to learn all flags at once. cURL has many options, but beginners don’t need most of them early.
Another mistake is copying commands without understanding what they do. This creates confusion instead of clarity.
Some also expect cURL to behave like a browser. But cURL is not a browser, it is a network tool.
The goal in the beginning is not mastery. The goal is confidence.
A browser:
Sends many automatic headers
Loads CSS, JS, images
Executes JavaScript
cURL:
Sends exactly what we tell it
Shows raw responses
Does one job at a time
Both talk to servers, but cURL gives us transparency.
In backend development, cURL is used to:
Test APIs
Debug production issues
Verify server responses
Learn HTTP deeply
It often becomes the first tool we reach for when something breaks.
cURL is not about commands.
It is about understanding communication between our system and a server.
Once we understand this flow, everything else, APIs, frameworks, tools starts making more sense.
We don’t rush.
We build clarity first.
Depth comes later.