web services - HTTP POST and GET using cURL in Linux
I have a server application written in ASP.NET on Windows that provides a web service.

*nix provides a nice little command which makes our lives a lot easier.
GET:
with JSON:
curl -i -H "Accept: application/json" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -X GET http://hostname/resource

with XML:
curl -H "Accept: application/xml" -H "Content-Type: application/xml" -X GET http://hostname/resource

POST:
For posting data:
curl --data "param1=value1&param2=value2" http://hostname/resource

For file upload:
curl --form "fileupload=@filename.txt" http://hostname/resource

RESTful HTTP Post:
curl -X POST -d @filename http://hostname/resource

For logging into a site (auth):
curl -d "username=admin&password=admin&submit=Login" --dump-header headers http://localhost/Login
curl -L -b headers http://localhost/

Pretty-printing the curl results:
For JSON:
If you use npm and nodejs, you can install json package by running this command:
npm install -g json

Usage:
curl -i -H "Accept: application/json" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -X GET http://hostname/resource | json

If you use pip and python, you can install pjson package by running this command:
pip install pjson

Usage:
curl -i -H "Accept: application/json" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -X GET http://hostname/resource | pjson

If you use Python 2.6+, json tool is bundled within.
Usage:
curl -i -H "Accept: application/json" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -X GET http://hostname/resource | python -m json.tool

If you use gem and ruby, you can install colorful_json package by running this command:
gem install colorful_json

Usage:
curl -i -H "Accept: application/json" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -X GET http://hostname/resource | cjson

If you use apt-get (aptitude package manager of your Linux distro), you can install yajl-tools package by running this command:
sudo apt-get install yajl-tools

Usage:
curl -i -H "Accept: application/json" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -X GET http://hostname/resource |  json_reformat

For XML:
If you use *nix with Debian/Gnome envrionment, install libxml2-utils:
sudo apt-get install libxml2-utils

Usage:
curl -H "Accept: application/xml" -H "Content-Type: application/xml" -X GET http://hostname/resource | xmllint --format -

or install tidy:
sudo apt-get install tidy

Usage:
curl -H "Accept: application/xml" -H "Content-Type: application/xml" -X GET http://hostname/resource | tidy -xml -i -

Saving the curl response to a file
curl http://hostname/resource >> /path/to/your/file

or
curl http://hostname/resource -o /path/to/your/file

For detailed description of the curl command, hit:
man curl

For details about options/switches of the curl command, hit:
curl -h

