Apidog
All-in-one API platform to design, debug, mock, and test with CI/CD
HTTPie
Human-friendly command-line HTTP client for the API era
Expressive CLI tool for testing, debugging, and interacting with APIs and HTTP servers. Features intuitive syntax, formatted output, JSON support, and authentication.
Overview
Modern HTTP client for developers
HTTPie CLI is a command-line HTTP client designed to make interaction with web services intuitive and efficient. Built for developers who test, debug, and work with APIs daily, it replaces complex curl commands with simple, natural syntax that's easy to read and write.
Capabilities and workflow
The http and https commands let you create and send arbitrary HTTP requests with minimal effort. Built-in JSON support, colorized terminal output, and formatted responses make API exploration faster. HTTPie handles authentication, proxies, HTTPS, custom headers, forms, file uploads, and persistent sessions out of the box. Offline mode allows you to build and inspect requests before sending them.
Who uses HTTPie
Developers working with REST APIs, DevOps engineers debugging services, and QA teams testing endpoints benefit from HTTPie's readable syntax and rich feature set. Written in Python and distributed under the BSD-3-Clause license, HTTPie integrates seamlessly into terminal workflows and CI/CD pipelines.
Highlights
Expressive syntax with formatted, colorized terminal output
Native JSON support with automatic request/response handling
Persistent sessions, authentication, and HTTPS/proxy support
Offline mode to build and inspect requests before sending
Pros
- Intuitive syntax significantly easier than curl for API work
- Colorized, formatted output improves readability and debugging
- Built-in session management and authentication methods
- Active community with comprehensive documentation
Considerations
- Python dependency may add overhead in minimal environments
- Less ubiquitous than curl in default system installations
- Advanced scripting may require learning HTTPie-specific syntax
- Feature richness can be overkill for simple GET requests
Managed products teams compare with
When teams consider HTTPie, these hosted platforms usually appear on the same shortlist.
Looking for a hosted option? These are the services engineering teams benchmark against before choosing open source.
Fit guide
Great for
- Developers testing and debugging REST APIs interactively
- DevOps engineers troubleshooting HTTP services and endpoints
- Teams needing readable, maintainable API testing scripts
- Exploratory API work requiring quick iteration and inspection
Not ideal when
- Environments where Python installation is restricted or unavailable
- Scripts requiring maximum portability across minimal systems
- Performance-critical automation where curl overhead matters
- Teams already invested in curl-based tooling and workflows
How teams use it
API endpoint testing during development
Quickly validate request/response behavior with readable syntax and formatted JSON output for faster debugging cycles
Authenticated GitHub API interactions
Post comments, create issues, and manage repositories using built-in authentication without complex token handling
Debugging production HTTP services
Inspect headers, test proxies, and verify HTTPS configurations with colorized output that highlights issues immediately
Building requests offline before execution
Construct and review complex API calls in offline mode to ensure correctness before sending to production endpoints
Tech snapshot
Python92%
Roff5%
Shell1%
Makefile1%
Dockerfile1%
Frequently asked questions
How does HTTPie differ from curl?
HTTPie offers simpler syntax, automatic JSON handling, colorized output, and built-in session management. It's optimized for human interaction rather than scripting, making API testing more intuitive.
Does HTTPie require Python to be installed?
Yes, HTTPie is written in Python. You'll need Python installed on your system, though standalone binaries and package manager installations handle dependencies automatically.
Can I use HTTPie in CI/CD pipelines?
Yes, HTTPie works well in automated environments. It supports scripting, exit codes for error handling, and can output raw responses for parsing by other tools.
What authentication methods does HTTPie support?
HTTPie supports Basic Auth, Digest Auth, Bearer tokens, and custom authentication schemes. Sessions can persist authentication across multiple requests.
Is HTTPie suitable for file uploads and downloads?
Yes, HTTPie handles multipart form uploads, file attachments, and wget-like downloads with progress indicators and resume capabilities.
Project at a glance
Dormant- Stars
- 37,368
- Watchers
- 37,368
- Forks
- 3,800
LicenseBSD-3-Clause
Repo age13 years old
Last commitlast year
Primary languagePython
Last synced yesterday