Running Multiple curl cmd Commands Found in a Separate .txt File in a Single Folder

Running Multiple cURL cmd Commands Found in a Single .txt File within a Single Folder

In this article, we will discuss how to execute multiple cURL commands stored in a text file, located within a specific folder. This technique can be useful when managing a series of API requests, website checks, or any other scenario where running multiple cURL commands is required.

What is cURL?

cURL (curl) is a command-line tool used to transfer data to or from a server. It supports various protocols like HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, SFTP, and more. With cURL, you can easily test API endpoints, download files, or upload data, making it an invaluable tool for web developers and system administrators.

Running cURL commands from a file

Often, when working with cURL, you come across situations where you need to run multiple commands in sequence. Manually typing out each command can be time-consuming and error-prone. Fortunately, cURL allows you to store and execute commands from a text file.

Preparing the command file

To prepare the command file, follow these steps:

Create a new text file using your preferred text editor (e.g., nano, vi, or Notepad++).
Enter your cURL commands, one per line, in the following format:
curl [options] [URL]

Once you have prepared your command file, save it with a .txt extension (e.g., curl_commands.txt).

Executing the commands using Bash

To execute the commands stored in the .txt file, open a terminal, navigate to the folder where the file is located, and use the following command:


 bash curl_commands.txt

Each command in the file will be executed sequentially. If a command fails, Bash will continue executing the remaining commands in the file, allowing you to identify which commands might require further review.

Use case: example.com

Let's consider a simple use case where we have a .txt file with multiple cURL commands to test an example.com website.

 
 # curl_example.txt
 curl -I example.com
 curl -X GET https://api.example.com/users
 curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"name":"John"}' https://api.example.com/users

By executing bash curl_example.txt in the terminal, you will perform the following actions:

Check the HTTP headers of the example.com homepage
Fetch a list of users from the example.com API
Create a new user in the example.com API with the name "John"