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How To Send Curl Command Using Postman

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Sending cURL Commands with Postman

Postman is a powerful tool for API testing, allowing you to send various HTTP requests and inspect the responses. While Postman offers a visual, user-friendly interface, you might encounter situations where you need to execute cURL commands directly.

Here’s a guide on how to send cURL commands using Postman:

Understanding cURL and Postman

cURL is a command-line tool used for transferring data using various protocols like HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, and more. It’s widely used for interacting with APIs, making it a valuable tool for developers and testers. Postman, on the other hand, provides a graphical interface for interacting with APIs, simplifying the testing process.

Converting cURL to Postman Request

Postman offers a handy feature to convert cURL commands to Postman requests. This simplifies the process of using cURL commands within the Postman environment.

  1. Click ‘Import’ in the Postman interface.
  2. Select ‘Raw Text’ from the import options.
  3. Paste the cURL command into the text field.
  4. Click ‘Import’ to convert the cURL command into a Postman request.

Postman will automatically populate the request details, including the method, URL, headers, and body, based on the cURL command.

Example cURL command:

Terminal window
curl -X GET "https://reqres.in/api/users" -H "Accept: application/json"

Postman Request:

Manually Creating cURL Commands in Postman

You can also manually create cURL commands based on your Postman request. This involves extracting details like the method, URL, headers, and body from the Postman request and assembling them into a cURL command.

  1. Identify the Request Details: Note the method, URL, headers, and body of the request in Postman.
  2. Construct the cURL command:
    • Method: Use the -X flag followed by the HTTP method (e.g., GET, POST, PUT, DELETE).
    • URL: Include the URL of the API endpoint.
    • Headers: Use the -H flag for each header, separated by a colon.
    • Body: For POST, PUT, or PATCH requests, use the -d flag followed by the request body in “key=value” format, or utilize the --data-raw flag for JSON data.

Example Postman request:

Corresponding cURL command:

Terminal window
curl -X POST https://reqres.in/api/users \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d '{"name": "morpheus", "job": "leader"}'

Generating cURL Command from Postman History

Postman automatically saves your request history, allowing you to extract cURL commands for past requests.

  1. Navigate to the ‘History’ tab in Postman.
  2. Select the desired request from your history.
  3. Click on the ‘Code’ button in the request details.
  4. Choose ‘cURL’ from the code generation options.
  5. Copy the generated cURL command.

Benefits of Using cURL in Postman

  • Flexibility: cURL commands provide a more granular control for API interactions.
  • Portability: cURL commands can be executed across different platforms and environments.
  • Integration: cURL can be seamlessly integrated with scripts and automation tools.

Further Exploration

The cURL command-line tool offers extensive options for customizing API interactions, allowing you to fine-tune requests for specific needs.

Postman provides an intuitive and interactive interface for exploring and testing APIs, but understanding cURL commands empowers you with more control and flexibility in your API testing workflow. By leveraging both tools effectively, you can optimize your API testing process and achieve comprehensive coverage.

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