cURL is a command-line tool for transferring data with URLs and a library that applications can use for the same purpose. It is handy when checking whether an endpoint responds, reproducing a request outside a browser, or saving a response for inspection.
A small debugging workflow
Start with a simple request and ask for response headers:
curl -i https://example.com/The status line and headers help separate an HTTP response from a DNS, TLS, or connection failure. Add options one at a time when reproducing a request, and keep secrets out of command history and shared logs. A browser request may depend on cookies, JavaScript, or authentication that a basic cURL command does not include.
cURL does not render a page or execute its JavaScript. If the response is an HTML shell with content loaded later, inspect the network calls or use a browser automation tool when permitted. For repeated collection, add timeouts and a sensible request rate rather than running an unbounded loop.
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