HTTPie

Human-friendly HTTP client for the terminal. Color-coded JSON output, intuitive key=value syntax, JSON by default - no flags required for common operations. The developer-friendly alternative to curl.

What is HTTPie?

HTTPie is a command-line HTTP client built around one principle: interacting with HTTP APIs should be as readable and intuitive as possible for humans. Where curl requires flags like -X POST, -H "Content-Type: application/json", and -d '{...}', HTTPie infers them from simple key=value arguments and handles JSON formatting automatically.

HTTPie automatically color-codes and pretty-prints JSON responses, sets appropriate headers based on the data you provide, supports persistent sessions for cookie and auth management, and includes a plugin ecosystem for OAuth, JWT, and other extensions. A free desktop GUI (HTTPie Desktop) is also available for macOS, Windows, and Linux.

Key Features

• Human-readable output - JSON responses are automatically formatted and color-coded in the terminal
• Intuitive syntax - key=value for strings, key:=value for JSON types; no -X, no --data needed
• JSON by default - sets Content-Type and Accept headers automatically when sending data
• Sessions - persist cookies, auth, and custom headers across multiple requests with --session
• File uploads - multipart form upload with key@/path/to/file syntax
• Downloads - save responses to disk with --download
• Plugin ecosystem - extend with OAuth, JWT, HMAC auth, and more via pip-installable plugins
• HTTPie Desktop - free GUI app with collections, history, and visual request builder

Installation

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install httpie

# Python / pip (cross-platform)
pip install httpie

# Ubuntu / Debian
sudo apt install httpie

# Windows (Scoop)
scoop install httpie

# Verify installation
http --version

# HTTPie Desktop GUI (macOS / Windows / Linux)
# https://httpie.io/desktop

GET Requests

GET is the default method when no body data is provided. Query parameters use the key==value syntax (double equals). HTTPie always pretty-prints and color-codes JSON responses.

# Simple GET request - HTTPie adds headers and pretty-prints JSON automatically
http GET https://api.github.com/users/torvalds

# Shorthand - GET is the default when no body is provided
http https://api.github.com/users/torvalds

# With query parameters (key==value syntax)
http https://api.github.com/search/repositories q==httpie sort==stars

# Response headers only
http --headers https://api.github.com/users/torvalds

# Response body only (pipe-friendly)
http --body https://api.github.com/users/torvalds

POST with JSON Body

Use key=value for strings and key:=value for non-string JSON types (numbers, booleans, arrays). HTTPie sets Content-Type: application/json automatically.

# POST with JSON body - HTTPie sends JSON by default when key=value pairs are given
http POST https://httpbin.org/post name="Alice" age:=30 active:=true

# Equivalent curl command for comparison:
# curl -X POST https://httpbin.org/post #   -H "Content-Type: application/json" #   -d '{"name":"Alice","age":30,"active":true}'

# POST with explicit raw JSON
echo '{"name":"Alice"}' | http POST https://httpbin.org/post Content-Type:application/json

# POST with a JSON file
http POST https://httpbin.org/post @payload.json

# Form data (not JSON)
http --form POST https://httpbin.org/post username=alice password=secret

Authentication & Sessions

Headers use the Name:value syntax (single colon). Sessions persist cookies and auth across requests - log in once, then reuse the session for subsequent calls.

# Bearer token auth
http GET https://api.example.com/profile Authorization:"Bearer eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9..."

# HTTP Basic auth
http -a username:password GET https://api.example.com/protected

# API key in header
http GET https://api.example.com/data X-API-Key:your-key-here

# Session - persist cookies and headers across requests
http --session=./session.json POST https://api.example.com/login [email protected] password=secret
http --session=./session.json GET https://api.example.com/me

File Upload & Advanced Options

HTTPie handles multipart uploads, file downloads, redirects, timeouts, and verbose output for debugging - all with readable flags.

# Upload a file (multipart form)
http --form POST https://httpbin.org/post file@/path/to/photo.jpg

# Download a file and save it
http --download https://example.com/file.zip

# Follow redirects
http --follow GET https://httpbin.org/redirect/3

# Set timeout (seconds)
http --timeout=10 GET https://slow-api.example.com/data

# Verbose mode - shows request and response headers
http --verbose POST https://httpbin.org/post name=test

HTTPie vs curl

Pros and Cons