https://github.com/oxylabs/http-headers-with-curl
The basic actions of sending and receiving HTTP headers using cURL.
https://github.com/oxylabs/http-headers-with-curl
curl http http-headers http-requests
Last synced: 2 months ago
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The basic actions of sending and receiving HTTP headers using cURL.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/oxylabs/http-headers-with-curl
- Owner: oxylabs
- Created: 2023-06-08T14:41:55.000Z (over 2 years ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2025-02-11T13:05:11.000Z (about 1 year ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-03-11T05:49:03.672Z (12 months ago)
- Topics: curl, http, http-headers, http-requests
- Homepage: https://oxylabs.io/blog/curl-send-headers
- Size: 151 KB
- Stars: 0
- Watchers: 1
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
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README
# Sending HTTP Headers With cURL
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[
](https://github.com/topics/curl) [
](https://github.com/topics/headers)
- [Sending HTTP headers](#sending-http-headers)
- [Sending custom HTTP headers](#sending-custom-http-headers)
- [Sending multiple headers](#sending-multiple-headers)
- [Get/show HTTP headers](#getshow-http-headers)
- [Advanced tips for working with cURL headers](#advanced-tips-for-working-with-curl-headers)
- [FAQ](#faq)
In this guide, you’ll learn how to send and receive HTTP headers using cURL, a versatile command-line tool for transferring data with URL syntax.
## Sending HTTP headers
HTTP headers consist of a name-value pair, separated by a colon – `:`. The name identifies the type of information sent, while the value is the actual data.
Some of the most common HTTP headers include User-Agent, Content-Type, Accept, and Cache-Control.
When you send an HTTP request with cURL, it sends the following headers by default:
- `Host: example.com`
- `user-agent: curl/7.87.0`
- `accept: */*`
You can change the value of these headers when sending a request.
To send HTTP headers with cURL, you can use the `-H` or `--header` option followed by the header name and value in the format `"Header-Name: value"`.
```sh
curl -H "User-Agent: MyCustomUserAgent" http://httpbin.org/headers
```
In the example below, a custom User-Agent header is sent as `"MyCustomUserAgent"` when requesting the http://httpbin.org/headers page.
The http://httpbin.org/headers page is meant for testing as it returns a JSON file with all the headers it found in the request. Ignore the `X-Amzn` header that this site uses internally.
## Sending custom HTTP headers
To send custom HTTP headers with cURL, use the `-H` option and provide the header name and value.
```sh
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer my-access-token" http://httpbin.org/headers
```
## Sending multiple headers
To send multiple headers with cURL, you can use the `-H` option multiple times in the same command.
```sh
curl -H "User-Agent: MyCustomUserAgent" -H "Accept:application/json" http://httpbin.org/headers
```
## Get/show HTTP headers
To view the response headers from a web server, you can use the `-I` or `--head` option with cURL.
```sh
curl -I http://httpbin.org/headers
curl --head http://httpbin.org/headers
```
You can also use the `-i` or `--include` option to show both the response headers and the content in the output.
```sh
curl -i http://httpbin.org/headers
curl --include http://httpbin.org/headers
```
## Advanced tips for working with cURL headers
### Sending empty headers
```sh
curl -H "User-Agent;" http://httpbin.org/headers
```
### Removing headers
```sh
curl -H "User-Agent:" http://httpbin.org/headers
```
### Verbose mode
If you want to see more detailed information about the request and response, including the headers sent and received, you can use the `-v` or `--verbose` option.
```sh
curl -v http://httpbin.org/headers
curl --verbose http://httpbin.org/headers
```
### Saving headers to a file
```sh
curl -D headers.txt -o content.txt http://httpbin.org/headers
```
## FAQ
### How to add headers in cURL?
```sh
curl -H "User-Agent: MyCustomUserAgent" http://httpbin.org/headers
```
### Does cURL automatically add headers?
Yes, cURL automatically adds standard headers, such as User-Agent, Accept, and Host, based on the request type and other options. You can override or add custom headers using the `-H` command.
### How to check HTTP headers in cURL?
To check HTTP headers in cURL, use the `-I` or `--head` option to only retrieve headers without the actual content.
```sh
curl -I http://httpbin.org/headers
```
Alternatively, you can use the `-i` or `--include` option to show both the response headers and content in the output.
```sh
curl -i http://httpbin.org/headers
```
### How to send empty headers with cURL?
```sh
curl -H "User-Agent;" http://httpbin.org/headers
```
### How to remove a default header in cURL?
To remove a header that cURL adds by default, provide the header name followed by a colon without a value. For example, to remove the User-Agent header:
```sh
curl -H "User-Agent:" http://httpbin.org/headers
```