[](https://github.com/Orange-OpenSource/hurl/actions)
[](https://circleci.com/gh/lepapareil/hurl/tree/master)
[](https://crates.io/crates/hurl)
[](https://hurl.dev)
# What's Hurl?
Hurl is a command line tool that runs HTTP requests defined in a simple plain text format.
It can perform requests, capture values and evaluate queries on headers and body response. Hurl is very
versatile: it can be used for both fetching data and testing HTTP sessions.
```hurl
# Get home:
GET https://example.net
HTTP/1.1 200
[Captures]
csrf_token: xpath "string(//meta[@name='_csrf_token']/@content)"
# Do login!
POST https://example.net/login?user=toto&password=1234
X-CSRF-TOKEN: {{csrf_token}}
HTTP/1.1 302
```
Chaining multiple requests is easy:
```hurl
GET https://api.example.net/health
GET https://api.example.net/step1
GET https://api.example.net/step2
GET https://api.example.net/step3
```
# Also an HTTP Test Tool
Hurl can run HTTP requests but can also be used to test HTTP responses.
Different types of queries and predicates are supported, from [XPath] and [JSONPath] on body response,
to assert on status code and response headers.
It is well adapted for REST / JSON apis
```hurl
POST https://api.example.net/tests
{
"id": "456",
"evaluate": true
}
HTTP/1.1 200
[Asserts]
jsonpath "$.status" == "RUNNING" # Check the status code
jsonpath "$.tests" count == 25 # Check the number of items
```
HTML content
```hurl
GET https://example.net
HTTP/1.1 200
[Asserts]
xpath "normalize-space(//head/title)" == "Hello world!"
```
and even SOAP apis
```hurl
POST https://example.net/InStock
Content-Type: application/soap+xml; charset=utf-8
SOAPAction: "http://www.w3.org/2003/05/soap-envelope"
GOOG
HTTP/1.1 200
```
Hurl can also be used to test HTTP endpoints performances:
```hurl
GET http://api.example.org/v1/pets
HTTP/1.0 200
[Asserts]
duration < 1000 # Duration in ms
```
And responses bytes content
```hurl
GET http://example.org/data.tar.gz
HTTP/1.0 200
[Asserts]
sha256 == hex,039058c6f2c0cb492c533b0a4d14ef77cc0f78abccced5287d84a1a2011cfb81;
```
# Why Hurl?
- Text Format: for both devops and developers
- Fast CLI: a command line for local dev and continuous integration
- Single Binary: easy to install, with no runtime required
# Powered by curl
Hurl is a lightweight binary written in [Rust]. Under the hood, Hurl HTTP engine is
powered by [libcurl], one of the most powerful and reliable file transfer library.
With its text file format, Hurl adds syntactic sugar to run and tests HTTP requests,
but it's still the [curl] that we love.
# Feedbacks
[Feedback, suggestion, bugs or improvements] are welcome!
```hurl
POST https://hurl.dev/api/feedback
{
"name": "John Doe",
"feedback": "Hurl is awesome !"
}
HTTP/1.1 200
```
# Resources
[License]
[Documentation]
[GitHub]
Table of Contents
=================
* [Samples](#samples)
* [Getting Data](#getting-data)
* [HTTP Headers](#http-headers)
* [Query Params](#query-params)
* [Sending Data](#sending-data)
* [Sending HTML Form Datas](#sending-html-form-datas)
* [Sending Multipart Form Datas](#sending-multipart-form-datas)
* [Posting a JSON Body](#posting-a-json-body)
* [Templating a JSON / XML Body](#templating-a-json--xml-body)
* [Testing Response](#testing-response)
* [Testing Response Headers](#testing-response-headers)
* [Testing REST Apis](#testing-rest-apis)
* [Testing HTML Response](#testing-html-response)
* [Testing Set-Cookie Attributes](#testing-set-cookie-attributes)
* [Others](#others)
* [Testing Endpoint Performance](#testing-endpoint-performance)
* [Using SOAP Apis](#using-soap-apis)
* [Capturing and Using a CSRF Token](#capturing-and-using-a-csrf-token)
* [Checking Byte Order Mark (BOM) in Response Body](#checking-byte-order-mark-bom-in-response-body)
* [Man Page](#man-page)
* [Name](#name)
* [Synopsis](#synopsis)
* [Description](#description)
* [Hurl File Format](#hurl-file-format)
* [Capturing values](#capturing-values)
* [Asserts](#asserts)
* [Options](#options)
* [Environment](#environment)
* [Exit Codes](#exit-codes)
* [WWW](#www)
* [See Also](#see-also)
* [Installation](#installation)
* [Binaries Installation](#binaries-installation)
* [Linux](#linux)
* [Debian / Ubuntu](#debian--ubuntu)
* [Arch Linux / Manjaro](#arch-linux--manjaro)
* [macOS](#macos)
* [Windows](#windows)
* [Zip File](#zip-file)
* [Installer](#installer)
* [Chocolatey](#chocolatey)
* [Scoop](#scoop)
* [Windows Package Manager](#windows-package-manager)
* [Cargo](#cargo)
* [Building From Sources](#building-from-sources)
* [Build on Linux, macOS](#build-on-linux-macos)
* [Build on Windows](#build-on-windows)
# Samples
To run a sample, edit a file with the sample content, and run Hurl:
```shell
$ vi sample.hurl
GET https://example.net
$ hurl sample.hurl
```
You can check [Hurl tests suit] for more samples.
## Getting Data
A simple GET:
```hurl
GET https://example.net
```
[Doc](https://hurl.dev/docs/request.html#method)
### HTTP Headers
A simple GET with headers:
```hurl
GET https://example.net/news
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0
Accept: */*
Accept-Language: en-US,en;q=0.5
Accept-Encoding: gzip, deflate, br
Connection: keep-alive
```
[Doc](https://hurl.dev/docs/request.html#headers)
Headers can be used to perform [Basic authentication]. Given a login `bob`
with password `secret`:
In a shell:
```shell
$ echo -n 'bob:secret' | base64
Ym9iOnNlY3JldA==
```
Then, use [`Authorization` header] to add basic authentication to a request:
```hurl
GET https://example.com/protected
Authorization: Basic Ym9iOnNlY3JldA==
```
Alternatively, one can use [`--user` option].
### Query Params
```hurl
GET https://example.net/news
[QueryStringParams]
order: newest
search: something to search
count: 100
```
Or:
```hurl
GET https://example.net/news?order=newest&search=something%20to%20search&count=100
```
[Doc](https://hurl.dev/docs/request.html#query-parameters)
## Sending Data
### Sending HTML Form Datas
```hurl
POST https://example.net/contact
[FormParams]
default: false
token: {{token}}
email: john.doe@rookie.org
number: 33611223344
```
[Doc](https://hurl.dev/docs/request.html#form-parameters)
### Sending Multipart Form Datas
```hurl
POST https://example.net/upload
[MultipartFormData]
field1: value1
field2: file,example.txt;
# On can specify the file content type:
field3: file,example.zip; application/zip
```
[Doc](https://hurl.dev/docs/request.html#multipart-form-data)
### Posting a JSON Body
With an inline JSON:
```hurl
POST https://api.example.net/tests
{
"id": "456",
"evaluate": true
}
```
[Doc](https://hurl.dev/docs/request.html#json-body)
With a local file:
```hurl
POST https://api.example.net/tests
Content-Type: application/json
file,data.json;
```
[Doc](https://hurl.dev/docs/request.html#file-body)
### Templating a JSON / XML Body
Using templates with [JSON body] or [XML body] is not currently supported in Hurl.
Besides, you can use templates in [raw string body] with variables to send a JSON or XML body:
~~~hurl
PUT https://api.example.net/hits
Content-Type: application/json
```
{
"key0": "{{a_string}}",
"key1": {{a_bool}},
"key2": {{a_null}},
"key3": {{a_number}}
}
```
~~~
Variables can be initialized via command line:
```shell
$ hurl --variable key0=apple \
--variable key1=true \
--variable key2=null \
--variable key3=42 \
test.hurl
```
Resulting in a PUT request with the following JSON body:
```
{
"key0": "apple",
"key1": true,
"key2": null,
"key3": 42
}
```
[Doc](https://hurl.dev/docs/request.html#raw-string-body)
## Testing Response
### Testing Response Headers
Use implicit response asserts to test header values:
```hurl
GET http://www.example.org/index.html
HTTP/1.0 200
Set-Cookie: theme=light
Set-Cookie: sessionToken=abc123; Expires=Wed, 09 Jun 2021 10:18:14 GMT
```
[Doc](https://hurl.dev/docs/asserting-response.html#headers)
Or use explicit response asserts with [predicates]:
```hurl
GET https://example.net
HTTP/1.1 302
[Asserts]
header "Location" contains "www.example.net"
```
[Doc](https://hurl.dev/docs/asserting-response.html#header-assert)
### Testing REST Apis
Asserting JSON body response (node values, collection count etc...) with [JSONPath]:
```hurl
GET https://example.org/order
screencapability: low
HTTP/1.1 200
[Asserts]
jsonpath "$.validated" == true
jsonpath "$.userInfo.firstName" == "Franck"
jsonpath "$.userInfo.lastName" == "Herbert"
jsonpath "$.hasDevice" == false
jsonpath "$.links" count == 12
jsonpath "$.state" != null
jsonpath "$.order" matches "^order-\\d{8}$" # metacharacters beginining with \ must be escaped
```
[Doc](https://hurl.dev/docs/asserting-response.html#jsonpath-assert)
Testing status code:
```hurl
GET https://example.org/order/435
HTTP/1.1 200
```
[Doc](https://hurl.dev/docs/asserting-response.html#version-status)
```hurl
GET https://example.org/order/435
# Testing status code is in a 200-300 range
HTTP/1.1 *
[Asserts]
status >= 200
status < 300
```
[Doc](https://hurl.dev/docs/asserting-response.html#status-assert)
### Testing HTML Response
```hurl
GET https://example.com
HTTP/1.1 200
Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8
[Asserts]
xpath "string(/html/head/title)" contains "Example" # Check title
xpath "count(//p)" == 2 # Check the number of p
xpath "//p" count == 2 # Similar assert for p
xpath "boolean(count(//h2))" == false # Check there is no h2
xpath "//h2" not exists # Similar assert for h2
```
[Doc](https://hurl.dev/docs/asserting-response.html#xpath-assert)
### Testing Set-Cookie Attributes
```hurl
GET http://myserver.com/home
HTTP/1.0 200
[Asserts]
cookie "JSESSIONID" == "8400BAFE2F66443613DC38AE3D9D6239"
cookie "JSESSIONID[Value]" == "8400BAFE2F66443613DC38AE3D9D6239"
cookie "JSESSIONID[Expires]" contains "Wed, 13 Jan 2021"
cookie "JSESSIONID[Secure]" exists
cookie "JSESSIONID[HttpOnly]" exists
cookie "JSESSIONID[SameSite]" == "Lax"
```
[Doc](https://hurl.dev/docs/asserting-response.html#cookie-assert)
## Others
### Testing Endpoint Performance
```hurl
GET https://sample.org/helloworld
HTTP/* *
[Asserts]
duration < 1000 # Check that response time is less than one second
```
[Doc](https://hurl.dev/docs/asserting-response.html#duration-assert)
### Using SOAP Apis
```hurl
POST https://example.net/InStock
Content-Type: application/soap+xml; charset=utf-8
SOAPAction: "http://www.w3.org/2003/05/soap-envelope"
GOOG
HTTP/1.1 200
```
[Doc](https://hurl.dev/docs/request.html#xml-body)
### Capturing and Using a CSRF Token
```hurl
GET https://example.net
HTTP/* 200
[Captures]
csrf_token: xpath "string(//meta[@name='_csrf_token']/@content)"
POST https://example.net/login?user=toto&password=1234
X-CSRF-TOKEN: {{csrf_token}}
HTTP/* 302
```
[Doc](https://hurl.dev/docs/capturing-response.html#xpath-capture)
### Checking Byte Order Mark (BOM) in Response Body
```hurl
GET https://example.net/data.bin
HTTP/* 200
[Asserts]
bytes startsWith hex,efbbbf;
```
[Doc](https://hurl.dev/docs/asserting-response.html#bytes-assert)
# Man Page
## Name
hurl - run and test HTTP requests.
## Synopsis
**hurl** [options] [FILE...]
## Description
**Hurl** is an HTTP client that performs HTTP requests defined in a simple plain text format.
Hurl is very versatile, it enables to chain HTTP requests, capture values from HTTP responses and make asserts.
```
$ hurl session.hurl
```
If no input-files are specified, input is read from stdin.
```
$ echo GET http://httpbin.org/get | hurl
{
"args": {},
"headers": {
"Accept": "*/*",
"Accept-Encoding": "gzip",
"Content-Length": "0",
"Host": "httpbin.org",
"User-Agent": "hurl/0.99.10",
"X-Amzn-Trace-Id": "Root=1-5eedf4c7-520814d64e2f9249ea44e0"
},
"origin": "1.2.3.4",
"url": "http://httpbin.org/get"
}
```
Output goes to stdout by default. For output to a file, use the -o option:
```
$ hurl -o output input.hurl
```
By default, Hurl executes all HTTP requests and outputs the response body of the last HTTP call.
## Hurl File Format
The Hurl file format is fully documented in [https://hurl.dev/docs/hurl-file.html](https://hurl.dev/docs/hurl-file.html)
It consists of one or several HTTP requests
```hurl
GET http:/example.net/endpoint1
GET http:/example.net/endpoint2
```
### Capturing values
A value from an HTTP response can be-reused for successive HTTP requests.
A typical example occurs with csrf tokens.
```hurl
GET https://example.net
HTTP/1.1 200
# Capture the CSRF token value from html body.
[Captures]
csrf_token: xpath "normalize-space(//meta[@name='_csrf_token']/@content)"
# Do the login !
POST https://example.net/login?user=toto&password=1234
X-CSRF-TOKEN: {{csrf_token}}
```
### Asserts
The HTTP response defined in the Hurl session are used to make asserts.
At the minimum, the response includes the asserts on the HTTP version and status code.
```hurl
GET http:/google.com
HTTP/1.1 302
```
It can also include asserts on the response headers
```hurl
GET http:/google.com
HTTP/1.1 302
Location: http://www.google.com
```
You can also include explicit asserts combining query and predicate
```hurl
GET http:/google.com
HTTP/1.1 302
[Asserts]
xpath "//title" == "301 Moved"
```
Thanks to asserts, Hurl can be used as a testing tool to run scenarii.
## Options
Options that exist in curl have exactly the same semantic.
Option | Description
--- | ---
--color | Colorize Output
-b, --cookie <file> | Read cookies from file (using the Netscape cookie file format).
Combined with [-c, --cookie-jar](#cookie-jar), you can simulate a cookie storage between successive Hurl runs.
--cacert | Tells curl to use the specified certificate file to verify the peer.
The file may contain multiple CA certificates.
The certificate(s) must be in PEM format.
Normally curl is built to use a default file for this, so this option is typically used to alter that default file.
--compressed | Request a compressed response using one of the algorithms br, gzip, deflate and automatically decompress the content.
--connect-timeout <seconds> | Maximum time in seconds that you allow Hurl's connection to take.
See also [-m, --max-time](#max-time) option.
-c, --cookie-jar <file> | Write cookies to FILE after running the session (only for one session).
The file will be written using the Netscape cookie file format.
Combined with [-b, --cookie](#cookie), you can simulate a cookie storage between successive Hurl runs.
--fail-at-end | Continue executing requests to the end of the Hurl file even when an assert error occurs.
By default, Hurl exits after an assert error in the HTTP response.
Note that this option does not affect the behavior with multiple input Hurl files.
All the input files are executed independently. The result of one file does not affect the execution of the other Hurl files.
--file-root <dir> | Set root filesystem to import files in Hurl. This is used for both files in multipart form data and request body.
When this is not explicitly defined, the files are relative to the current directory in which Hurl is running.
--glob <glob> | Specify input files that match the given blob.
Multiple glob flags may be used. This flag supports common Unix glob patterns like *, ? and [].
However, to avoid your shell accidentally expanding glob patterns before Hurl handles them,
you must use single quotes or double quotes around each pattern.
-h, --help | Usage help. This lists all current command line options with a short description.
--html <dir> | Generate html report in dir.
If the html report already exists, it will be updated with the new test results.
--ignore-asserts | Ignore all asserts defined in the Hurl file.
-i, --include | Include the HTTP headers in the output (last entry).
--interactive | Stop between requests.
This is similar to a break point, You can then continue (Press C) or quit (Press Q).
--json | Output each hurl file result to JSON. The format is very closed to HAR format.
-k, --insecure | This option explicitly allows Hurl to perform "insecure" SSL connections and transfers.
-L, --location | Follow redirect. You can limit the amount of redirects to follow by using the [--max-redirs](#max-redirs) option.
-m, --max-time <seconds> | Maximum time in seconds that you allow a request/response to take. This is the standard timeout.
See also [--connect-timeout](#connect-timeout) option.
--max-redirs <num> | Set maximum number of redirection-followings allowed
By default, the limit is set to 50 redirections. Set this option to -1 to make it unlimited.
--no-color | Do not colorize Output
--no-output | Suppress output. By default, Hurl outputs the body of the last response.
--noproxy <no-proxy-list> | Comma-separated list of hosts which do not use a proxy.
Override value from Environment variable no_proxy.
--to-entry <entry-number> | Execute Hurl file to ENTRY_NUMBER (starting at 1).
Ignore the remaining of the file. It is useful for debugging a session.
-o, --output <file> | Write output to instead of stdout.
--progress | Print filename and status for each test (on stderr)
--summary | Print test metrics at the end of the run (on stderr)
--test | Activate test mode; equals --no-output --progress --summary
-x, --proxy [protocol://]host[:port] | Use the specified proxy.
-u, --user <user:password> | Add basic Authentication header to each request.
--variable <name=value> | Define variable (name/value) to be used in Hurl templates.
Only string values can be defined.
--variables-file <file> | Set properties file in which your define your variables.
Each variable is defined as name=value exactly as with [--variable](#variable) option.
Note that defining a variable twice produces an error.
-v, --verbose | Turn on verbose output on standard error stream
Useful for debugging.
A line starting with '>' means data sent by Hurl.
A line staring with '<' means data received by Hurl.
A line starting with '*' means additional info provided by Hurl.
If you only want HTTP headers in the output, -i, --include might be the option you're looking for.
-V, --version | Prints version information
## Environment
Environment variables can only be specified in lowercase.
Using an environment variable to set the proxy has the same effect as using the [-x, --proxy](#proxy) option.
Variable | Description
--- | ---
`http_proxy [protocol://][:port]` | Sets the proxy server to use for HTTP.
`https_proxy [protocol://][:port]` | Sets the proxy server to use for HTTPS.
`all_proxy [protocol://][:port]` | Sets the proxy server to use if no protocol-specific proxy is set.
`no_proxy ` | list of host names that shouldn't go through any proxy.
## Exit Codes
Value | Description
--- | ---
`1` | Failed to parse command-line options.
`2` | Input File Parsing Error.
`3` | Runtime error (such as failure to connect to host).
`4` | Assert Error.
## WWW
[https://hurl.dev](https://hurl.dev)
## See Also
curl(1) hurlfmt(1)
# Installation
## Binaries Installation
### Linux
Precompiled binary is available at [hurl-1.5.0-x86_64-linux.tar.gz]:
```shell
$ INSTALL_DIR=/tmp
$ curl -sL https://github.com/Orange-OpenSource/hurl/releases/download/1.5.0/hurl-1.5.0-x86_64-linux.tar.gz | tar xvz -C $INSTALL_DIR
$ export PATH=$INSTALL_DIR/hurl-1.5.0:$PATH
$ hurl --version
hurl 1.5.0
```
#### Debian / Ubuntu
For Debian / Ubuntu, Hurl can be installed using a binary .deb file provided in each Hurl release.
```shell
$ curl -LO https://github.com/Orange-OpenSource/hurl/releases/download/1.5.0/hurl_1.5.0_amd64.deb
$ sudo dpkg -i hurl_1.5.0_amd64.deb
```
#### Arch Linux / Manjaro
[`hurl-bin` package] for Arch Linux and derived distros are available via [AUR].
### macOS
Precompiled binary is available at [hurl-1.5.0-x86_64-osx.tar.gz].
Hurl can also be installed with [Homebrew]:
```shell
$ brew tap jcamiel/hurl
$ brew install hurl
$ hurl --version
hurl 1.5.0
```
### Windows
#### Zip File
Hurl can be installed from a standalone zip file [hurl-1.5.0-win64.zip]. You will need to update your `PATH` variable.
#### Installer
An installer [hurl-1.5.0-win64-installer.exe] is also available.
#### Chocolatey
```shell
$ choco install hurl
```
#### Scoop
```shell
$ scoop install hurl
```
#### Windows Package Manager
```shell
$ winget install hurl
```
### Cargo
If you're a Rust programmer, Hurl can be installed with cargo.
```shell
$ cargo install hurl
```
## Building From Sources
Hurl sources are available in [GitHub].
### Build on Linux, macOS
Hurl depends on libssl, libcurl and libxml2 native libraries. You will need their development files in your platform.
```shell
# debian based distributions
apt install -y pkg-config libssl-dev libcurl4-openssl-dev libxml2-dev
# redhat based distributions
yum install -y pkg-config gcc openssl-devel libxml2-devel
# arch based distributions
pacman -Sy --noconfirm pkgconf gcc openssl libxml2
```
Hurl is written in [Rust]. You should [install] the latest stable release.
```shell
$ curl https://sh.rustup.rs -sSf | sh -s -- -y
$ source $HOME/.cargo/env
$ rustc --version
$ cargo --version
```
Build
```shell
$ git clone https://github.com/Orange-OpenSource/hurl
$ cd hurl
$ cargo build --release
$ ./target/release/hurl --version
```
### Build on Windows
Please follow the [contrib on Windows section].
[XPath]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XPath
[JSONPath]: https://goessner.net/articles/JsonPath/
[Rust]: https://www.rust-lang.org
[curl]: https://curl.se
[the installation section]: https://hurl.dev/docs/installation.html
[Feedback, suggestion, bugs or improvements]: https://github.com/Orange-OpenSource/hurl/issues
[License]: https://hurl.dev/docs/license.html
[Documentation]: https://hurl.dev/docs/installation.html
[GitHub]: https://github.com/Orange-OpenSource/hurl
[libcurl]: https://curl.se/libcurl/
[JSON body]: https://hurl.dev/docs/request.html#json-body
[XML body]: https://hurl.dev/docs/request.html#xml-body
[raw string body]: https://hurl.dev/docs/request.html#raw-string-body
[predicates]: https://hurl.dev/docs/asserting-response.html#predicates
[JSONPath]: https://goessner.net/articles/JsonPath/
[Basic authentication]: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Authentication#basic_authentication_scheme
[`Authorization` header]: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Headers/Authorization
[`--user` option]: https://hurl.dev/docs/man-page.html#user
[Hurl tests suit]: https://github.com/Orange-OpenSource/hurl/tree/master/integration/tests
[GitHub]: https://github.com/Orange-OpenSource/hurl
[hurl-1.5.0-win64.zip]: https://github.com/Orange-OpenSource/hurl/releases/download/1.5.0/hurl-1.5.0-win64.zip
[hurl-1.5.0-win64-installer.exe]: https://github.com/Orange-OpenSource/hurl/releases/download/1.5.0/hurl-1.5.0-win64-installer.exe
[hurl-1.5.0-x86_64-osx.tar.gz]: https://github.com/Orange-OpenSource/hurl/releases/download/1.5.0/hurl-1.5.0-x86_64-osx.tar.gz
[hurl-1.5.0-x86_64-linux.tar.gz]: https://github.com/Orange-OpenSource/hurl/releases/download/1.5.0/hurl-1.5.0-x86_64-linux.tar.gz
[Homebrew]: https://brew.sh
[AUR]: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Arch_User_Repository
[`hurl-bin` package]: https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/hurl-bin/
[install]: https://www.rust-lang.org/tools/install
[Rust]: https://www.rust-lang.org
[contrib on Windows section]: https://github.com/Orange-OpenSource/hurl/blob/master/contrib/windows/README.md