If you're developing a web app, you'll need to test it. With HTTPie, you can test HTTP and other APIs from the Linux command line. Here's how to get started.

What Is HTTPie?

HTTPie is an application meant for sending HTTP requests, as well as requests for RESTful web APIs to a remote server. Desktop and web-based versions for HTTPie are available too, but we'll concentrate on the command-line version.

HTTPie terminal website

HTTP is the protocol underlying the web, including the page you're reading now. In the protocol, requests come to a server from a user agent. This user agent is usually a web browser, but it doesn't have to be.

Installing HTTPie on Linux

You can install HTTPie through many major Linux package managers. For example, on Debian and Ubuntu: 

        sudo apt install httpie

And on Arch Linux: 

        sudo pacman -S httpie

On the Red Hat family of distros, run: 

        sudo dnf install httpie

Using HTTPie to Test APIs on Linux

HTTPie output from makeuseof.com

To start HTTPie, you need to call it from the command line using either of these two commands: http or https. The former uses HTTP and the latter uses encrypted HTTPS. Since most websites use HTTPS, you'll want to use https on the command line.

To do a simple "GET" request, just use the URL as the argument: 

        https example.com

You can also send a POST, which is useful if you're developing a website with forms.

For example, if you wanted to pass the name "MUO" to a form, you'd use this command: 

        https example.com name="MUO"

HTTPie also works with JSON fields. If you wanted to set the name attribute, for example, run: 

        https PUT example.com name="MUO"

HTTPie Is a Useful Web Development Tool

With HTTPie, you'll have a tool for testing websites from the Linux command line. Linux is already popular for web development, being the main server OS in the market.

Linux and Unix have been the go-to OS for programmers and technical people for decades. Why is it so popular? It's the way Linux is designed, and the availability of programming tools that makes it such a favorite of serious techies.