Testing REST APIs, inspecting HTTP response headers, and debugging web endpoints are everyday duties for Linux developers and DevOps engineers. While standard curl is exceptionally powerful and installed everywhere, its verbose command flags and lack of formatted, colourised JSON output can make interactive testing clumsy. Conversely, tools like httpie offer human-friendly syntax but suffer from slower Python runtime startup times. curlie is a small Go binary that acts as a frontend to curl, delivering HTTPie-style syntax and colour formatting with the raw speed and dependability of native curl.
Installing curlie on Linux Distributions
curlie can be installed across popular Linux distributions through Homebrew, webi, or direct binary download:
- Using Homebrew (Linuxbrew):
brew install curlie - Using Webi Quick Installer:
curl -sS https://webi.sh/curlie | sh - Arch Linux (AUR):
yay -S curlie-bin - Direct Binary: Download the pre-compiled binary tarball from GitHub releases, extract it, and copy
curlieto/usr/local/bin/.
Making Clean GET and POST Requests
curlie accepts intuitive parameters and renders colourised, beautifully indented output automatically:
- Basic GET Request:
curlie api.github.com/users/octocat
It formats headers cleanly and highlights JSON body syntax in vivid colours. - Sending JSON Data via POST: Send key-value pairs without quoting JSON brackets:
curlie POST api.example.com/items name="Widget" price:=49.99 - Inspecting Headers Only: Pass standard intuitive flags to inspect response metadata:
curlie -I https://httpbin.org/get
Full Compatibility with Native Curl Flags
Because curlie delegates network transport directly to the underlying curl binary on your machine, every single advanced curl flag—including custom certificates (--cacert), HTTP/2 negotiation, socks5 proxies, and silent pipes—works natively without translation layers.
Installing curlie brings modern aesthetics and human readability to your terminal API workflows while preserving the complete power of Unix networking.