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What is curlie?

rs/curlie — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

3,648GoAudience · developerComplexity · 1/5LicenseSetup · easy

In one sentence

Curlie wraps curl with cleaner syntax and color-coded, readable output inspired by HTTPie, while keeping every curl option available.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Wraps curl
      Colorized output
      JSON formatting
    Tech stack
      Go
      curl
    Use cases
      Debug HTTP APIs
      Readable requests
    Audience
      Developers
      CLI users

Code map

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filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Make readable, color-coded HTTP requests from the terminal without giving up any curl options

USE CASE 2

Debug an API by viewing automatically formatted JSON responses

USE CASE 3

Print the exact curl command curlie ran behind the scenes for debugging or learning

What is it built with?

Gocurl

How does it compare?

rs/curliecontainersolutions/k8s-deployment-strategiesahmetb/go-linq
Stars3,6483,6503,652
LanguageGoGoGo
Setup difficultyeasymoderateeasy
Complexity1/53/52/5
Audiencedeveloperops devopsdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

So what is it?

Curlie is a command-line tool for making HTTP requests, the kind of requests your browser makes when loading a website. It is a companion to curl, a widely used but complex tool for the same purpose. The problem curlie addresses is that curl has a steep learning curve and produces dense, hard-to-read output. A tool called HTTPie improved on curl's usability and output formatting, but it cannot do everything curl can. Curlie sits in between: it wraps curl so that all of curl's options remain available, but it adds cleaner syntax and color-coded, readable output inspired by HTTPie. JSON responses are automatically formatted in a readable way when you run curlie in a terminal. You can also pass any standard curl option directly to curlie without learning a new set of flags. Installation is available through most common package managers: Homebrew on macOS, Scoop on Windows, apt-compatible packages on Linux, and a standalone binary download for all platforms. It can also be installed using the Go toolchain directly. The README notes a few differences from HTTPie: response headers are printed to a different output stream than the body, output is not buffered so streaming responses work correctly, and there is an option to print the exact curl command being run behind the scenes, which is useful for debugging or learning. Curlie is written in Go and licensed under the MIT license. The README is short and the tool is straightforward in scope.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
How do I install curlie and use it to make a GET request with readable JSON output?
Prompt 2
How do I pass a raw curl option through curlie, like setting custom headers?
Prompt 3
Show me how curlie's output differs from plain curl for the same request.
Prompt 4
How do I use curlie to see the exact curl command it ran, for debugging purposes?

Frequently asked questions

What is curlie?

Curlie wraps curl with cleaner syntax and color-coded, readable output inspired by HTTPie, while keeping every curl option available.

What language is curlie written in?

Mainly Go. The stack also includes Go, curl.

How hard is curlie to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is curlie for?

Mainly developer.

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