How to Parse cURL Commands

cURL is the most common way to share HTTP requests. When you copy a request from Chrome DevTools as cURL, you get a command with the URL, method, headers, cookies, and body all in one string. Parsing this into usable code saves time and reduces errors.

What a cURL Command Contains

A typical cURL command includes:

• curl 'https://api.example.com/data' — the URL
• -X POST — the HTTP method
• -H 'Content-Type: application/json' — headers
• -d '{"key":"value"}' — request body
• -b 'session=abc123' — cookies

Converting cURL to Other Languages

Once parsed, a cURL command maps cleanly to other HTTP libraries:

JavaScript fetch():

fetch('https://api.example.com/data', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
  body: JSON.stringify({ key: 'value' })
});

Python requests:

import requests
response = requests.post(
    'https://api.example.com/data',
    headers={'Content-Type': 'application/json'},
    json={'key': 'value'}
)

Common Use Cases

• API debugging: Copy a failing request from DevTools, parse it, and reproduce in your code.
• Documentation: Convert cURL examples from API docs to the language your team uses.
• Testing: Combine with a custom User-Agent header to test different clients.

Try It Online

Use our cURL Parser to paste any cURL command and get structured output—URL, method, headers, and body extracted instantly. Also check cURL to Fetch for direct JavaScript conversion and URL Parser for analyzing URL components.