Curl to Code Converter: From API Docs to Working Code
Most API documentation ships example requests as curl commands — great for a quick terminal test, tedious to hand-translate into your application's actual HTTP client. This tool parses a real curl command (headers, JSON/form body, method, auth) and generates equivalent, ready-to-paste code across 14 languages and libraries.
Uses the curlconverter library's real parser, not a regex approximation of curl syntax.
Why Hand-Translation Goes Wrong
Manually converting a curl command with a JSON body and several headers into, say, Python's `requests` library means correctly re-escaping quotes, converting the body into a Python dict, and matching header casing — miss one of these and you get a confusing 400 or 401 error that has nothing to do with your actual application logic.
What Gets Preserved in the Conversion
HTTP method, full URL (including query string), every header, JSON or form-encoded request bodies, and basic auth credentials (`-u user:pass`) are all carried through to the generated code — so the output is a faithful equivalent of the original request, not just a rough approximation.
Practical Examples
Converting a Stripe API Example
Turning a curl example from API docs into Python.
- 1.Paste the curl -X POST command with -H Authorization header
- 2.Select Python (requests)
- 3.Copy the generated code
Supported Targets
- JavaScript (fetch), Node.js (Axios, http)
- Python (requests)
- Go, PHP, Rust, Java, C#, Ruby, Swift, Kotlin
- HTTPie, and a structured JSON spec
Good Use Cases
- Turning API documentation examples into working code fast
- Learning how a curl request maps to your language's HTTP client
- Reproducing a request from browser dev tools' 'Copy as curl' feature
- Sharing a runnable code sample with a teammate on a different stack
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this use to parse the curl command?
The `curlconverter` library — a real, well-tested curl-command parser and code generator, not a regex approximation. It correctly handles headers, JSON/form bodies, auth flags, cookies, and most common curl options.
Why does this need a server round-trip instead of running fully in the browser?
`curlconverter` relies on Node-specific parsing internals that aren't practical to bundle into client-side JavaScript, so this tool sends your curl command to a lightweight server action for parsing and returns the generated code — nothing is logged or stored.
Does it handle authentication headers and API keys safely?
Your curl command (including any tokens or keys it contains) is sent to the server only for the parsing step and is never logged, stored, or used for anything else — but as a general rule, avoid pasting real production secrets into any online tool.
Which languages are supported?
JavaScript (fetch), Node.js (Axios and native http), Python (requests), Go, PHP, Rust, Java, C#, Ruby, Swift, Kotlin, HTTPie, and a structured JSON request representation.
What if my curl command doesn't parse correctly?
The tool reports a parse error rather than guessing — double-check for unbalanced quotes or curl flags outside the common set (-X, -H, -d, --data, -u, cookies) that curlconverter supports.