Getting Started

This guide walks you through installing autocurl, authoring your first request collection in JavaScript, generating human-readable .autocurl files, and executing requests interactively.

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Step 1: Install autocurl

autocurl is distributed as a single static binary with zero external runtime dependencies. It utilizes the native curl binary already installed on your system.

Option A: Homebrew (macOS & Linux — Recommended)

The easiest way to install and keep autocurl updated:

brew install autocurl

To update autocurl in the future:

brew upgrade autocurl

Option B: Quick Shell Installer

For Linux servers, CI/CD runners, or environments without Homebrew:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/anshuman/autocurl/main/install.sh | bash

Option C: Manual Binary Download

Standalone binaries are available from GitHub Releases for all major platforms:

Operating System	Architecture
macOS	Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) & Intel x86_64
Linux	x86_64 & ARM64 (aarch64)
Windows	x86_64 standalone executable (.exe)

Verifying Installation

Check that autocurl is accessible in your shell:

$ autocurl --version
autocurl 0.1.0 (x86_64-apple-darwin)

Requirements: autocurl relies on the standard curl executable. Ensure curl is available in your $PATH (available by default on macOS, modern Linux distributions, and Windows 10/11).

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Step 2: Define your API requests in JavaScript

Create a file named requests.js (or index.js) in your project directory. Export an array of request objects:

// requests.js
export default [
  {
    name: "Health Check",
    method: "GET",
    url: "https://api.github.com/zen",
  },
  {
    name: "Fetch User Profile",
    method: "GET",
    url: "https://api.github.com/users/octocat",
    headers: {
      Accept: "application/vnd.github.v3+json",
      "User-Agent": "autocurl-client",
    },
  },
  {
    name: "Create Test Issue",
    method: "POST",
    url: "https://httpbin.org/post",
    headers: {
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
    body: {
      title: "Found a bug in API",
      severity: "medium",
    },
  },
];

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Step 3: Compile to plain .autocurl curl file

Run the compiler against your JavaScript file:

autocurl requests.js

autocurl evaluates the definitions and writes requests.autocurl:

# Health Check
curl -X GET \
  "https://api.github.com/zen"

# Fetch User Profile
curl -X GET \
  "https://api.github.com/users/octocat" \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  -H "User-Agent: autocurl-client"

# Create Test Issue
curl -X POST \
  "https://httpbin.org/post" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"title":"Found a bug in API","severity":"medium"}'

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Step 4: Pick and execute interactively

Pass the .autocurl file to autocurl to launch the interactive selector:

autocurl requests.autocurl

autocurl opens an interactive prompt in your terminal:

? Select a request to run:
  ❯ Health Check
    Fetch User Profile
    Create Test Issue

(Press ↑/↓ to move, Enter to execute, Ctrl+C to exit)

Select a request and press Enter. autocurl invokes native curl and prints the response status, headers, and body directly to your terminal.

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Next: Using autocurl effectively → Learn the .autocurl specification, terminal picker shortcuts, direct execution flags, and real-world examples.