curlie is a front end to curl with httpie's syntax: no http:// to type,
== for a query parameter, : for a header, = and := for the fields
of a JSON body. The output is httpie's too, coloured headers and
formatted JSON. Underneath it runs the real curl, so every curl flag
works unchanged and whatever curl can reach, curlie can reach.
That is the reason to pick it over httpie itself: it is one small Go
binary with no Python runtime, it has curl's speed and curl's protocol
support, and --curl prints the plain curl command for a request so
you can paste it into a script or a bug report. Nothing to learn twice.
The demo opens a shell with a local httpbin server answering on
localhost. It echoes back what each request carried. Try curlie localhost/get, then add search==shoes X-Api-Key:demo, post a JSON
body with item=mug qty:=2 gift:=true, and finish with --curl to see
the curl command it would have run. The VM is private to your browser
tab; nothing you type leaves it.
Commands to try
curlie localhost/get | a GET, headers above formatted JSON |
curlie localhost/get search==shoes X-Api-Key:demo | == adds a query parameter, : a header |
curlie post localhost/post item=mug qty:=2 gift:=true | a JSON body without writing JSON |
curlie -u demo:secret localhost/basic-auth/demo/secret | a curl flag, passed through unchanged |
curlie --curl post localhost/post item=mug qty:=2 | the curl command behind it |
Install curlie on your own machine
| Alpine | apk add curlie |
| macOS (Homebrew) | brew install curlie |
| any Linux / macOS | curl -sS https://webinstall.dev/curlie | bash |
This VM was last built on Oct 16, 2026. How Demoshell demos work →
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