Dev
Dummy cURL Command Generator
Writing cURL examples by hand for API docs means remembering flag syntax, choosing a plausible URL, and constructing a correct JSON body every time. A dummy cURL command generator produces ready-to-use commands with realistic endpoint URLs, authorization headers, and correct request bodies for methods that need them. The `method` input pins a specific HTTP method or sets it to 'random' for a varied batch. GET and DELETE include an optional resource ID in the URL. POST and PUT include a -d flag with a JSON body containing name, email, and role fields. PATCH includes a minimal partial body with only the status field — reflecting real PATCH semantics. All commands include an auth header (Bearer token or X-Api-Key) and end with -s to suppress progress output. The `count` input generates 1 to 15 commands. Commands use realistic patterns like https://api.example.
How to use
- Choose your options above
- Click Generate
- Copy your result
Detailed instructions
- Set the count field to the number of cURL commands you need for your documentation or script.
- Choose a specific HTTP method from the dropdown, or leave it on 'random' to get a mixed set across all methods.
- Click Generate to produce the commands, then review the output for the methods and endpoint patterns you need.
- Copy the command or commands directly and paste into your terminal, markdown file, or documentation editor.
- Replace placeholder values — the base URL, resource IDs, and Bearer token — with your actual API details.
Use Cases
- •Seeding a GitHub README with realistic GET, POST, and DELETE request examples
- •Generating a batch of varied cURL samples for a REST API tutorial on a dev blog
- •Populating internal Confluence docs with authenticated PATCH and PUT request snippets
- •Showing junior developers correct Bearer token header syntax through concrete examples
- •Filling a Postman collection description with shell-equivalent cURL commands for each method
Tips
- →Generate with 'random' method selected when writing tutorials; you get natural variety across GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, and DELETE without duplicates.
- →Pipe the copied cURL command through '| jq .' in your terminal to pretty-print the JSON response for easier reading.
- →Use the PATCH output as a starting point for partial-update examples — its body already contains only a subset of fields, matching real-world usage.
- →When seeding README examples, generate 5-6 commands and delete the ones with methods irrelevant to your API rather than writing each from scratch.
- →The Bearer token placeholder is intentionally generic — replace it with a real short-lived token when running commands against a live development endpoint.
- →If you need to test rate limiting or batch behavior, paste the same generated POST command into a loop: for i in {1..10}; do <command>; done
FAQ
how do I send json data with a curl post request
Add -d followed by your JSON string and include -H 'Content-Type: application/json' so the server parses the body correctly. The generated POST and PUT commands already include both flags. For large payloads, save the JSON to a file and reference it with -d @payload.json instead of pasting the string inline.
are the generated curl commands safe to run in a terminal
The commands use placeholder URLs and token values, so they will not hit real endpoints or expose credentials until you swap them out. Before running against a live API, replace the example domain (api.example.com), the resource path IDs, and the Authorization header placeholder with your actual values.
what is the difference between put and patch in these generated commands
PUT bodies include a full object with id, name, and status — reflecting that PUT replaces the entire resource. PATCH bodies contain only the status field — reflecting that PATCH applies a partial update. This matches REST conventions and makes the generated examples accurate starting points for documentation.
what does the -s flag do in the generated commands
The -s (silent) flag suppresses cURL's download progress meter and error messages, so you see only the response body in the terminal output — useful when piping into jq or capturing output in a script. It does not affect the request itself. Drop it if you want to see transfer progress or timing information while debugging.
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