api-tools

API Tools

Overview

Tools and techniques for API development, testing, documentation, and debugging.

HTTP Clients

cURL

# Basic GET
curl https://api.example.com/users

# GET with headers
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer TOKEN" \
     -H "Accept: application/json" \
     https://api.example.com/users

# POST with JSON body
curl -X POST \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{"name": "John", "email": "[email protected]"}' \
     https://api.example.com/users

# POST with form data
curl -X POST \
     -F "[email protected]" \
     -F "name=My Document" \
     https://api.example.com/upload

# PUT request
curl -X PUT \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{"name": "Updated Name"}' \
     https://api.example.com/users/123

# DELETE request
curl -X DELETE https://api.example.com/users/123

# Show response headers
curl -i https://api.example.com/users

# Verbose output (debugging)
curl -v https://api.example.com/users

# Follow redirects
curl -L https://example.com/redirect

# Save response to file
curl -o response.json https://api.example.com/users

# With authentication
curl -u username:password https://api.example.com/protected
curl --oauth2-bearer TOKEN https://api.example.com/protected

# Measure timing
curl -w "@curl-format.txt" -o /dev/null -s https://api.example.com

# curl-format.txt
     time_namelookup:  %{time_namelookup}s\n
        time_connect:  %{time_connect}s\n
     time_appconnect:  %{time_appconnect}s\n
    time_pretransfer:  %{time_pretransfer}s\n
       time_redirect:  %{time_redirect}s\n
  time_starttransfer:  %{time_starttransfer}s\n
                     ----------\n
          time_total:  %{time_total}s\n

HTTPie

# GET request (more readable output)
http https://api.example.com/users

# With headers
http https://api.example.com/users \
  Authorization:"Bearer TOKEN" \
  Accept:application/json

# POST with JSON (default)
http POST https://api.example.com/users \
  name=John \
  [email protected]

# POST with raw JSON
http POST https://api.example.com/users \
  < user.json

# Form data
http -f POST https://api.example.com/login \
  username=john \
  password=secret

# File upload
http -f POST https://api.example.com/upload \
  [email protected]

# Download file
http --download https://api.example.com/files/document.pdf

# Session persistence
http --session=user-session POST https://api.example.com/login
http --session=user-session GET https://api.example.com/profile

# Only headers
http --headers https://api.example.com/users

# Only body
http --body https://api.example.com/users