Dictionary · Linux and Windows Commands
curl
Web · Beginner
Transfers data to or from a URL and can print headers or a response body. It is a client, not a browser, and it does only what the account is allowed to request.
Administrators use it to see a status code and headers without drawing the page. A header request does not download the whole body.
Example: curl -I https://example.com requests only the headers and shows the status line.
Command
Platform: Windows, Linux, and macOS
curl -I https://example.com
-I sends a HEAD request. The first line is the status code. Later lines are headers such as the server name and content type.
Common misconception
- It does not execute a remote page as a browser would. It transfers data and prints what you asked for.