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Basic Request Examples

This page provides simple, practical examples to help you get started with ReqSmith's core HTTP request functionality.

GET Requests​

Simple GET Request​

# Basic GET request
reqsmith get https://api.github.com/users/octocat

# GET with query parameters
reqsmith get "https://api.github.com/search/users?q=location:san+francisco"

# GET with custom headers
reqsmith get https://api.github.com/user \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer your-token" \
  --header "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json"

GET with Output Options​

# Save response to file
reqsmith get https://api.github.com/users/octocat --output user.json

# Pretty print JSON
reqsmith get https://api.github.com/users/octocat --pretty

# Show only response headers
reqsmith get https://api.github.com/users/octocat --headers-only

# Show timing information
reqsmith get https://api.github.com/users/octocat --timing

POST Requests​

JSON POST Requests​

# POST with JSON data
reqsmith post https://api.example.com/users \
  --data '{"name": "John Doe", "email": "john@example.com"}'

# POST with JSON from file
reqsmith post https://api.example.com/users \
  --data @user.json

# POST with form data
reqsmith post https://api.example.com/login \
  --form username=john \
  --form password=secret

File Upload​

# Upload a file
reqsmith post https://api.example.com/upload \
  --file document=@./report.pdf \
  --header "Content-Type: multipart/form-data"

# Multiple file upload
reqsmith post https://api.example.com/upload \
  --file document1=@./file1.pdf \
  --file document2=@./file2.pdf

PUT and PATCH Requests​

Update Resources​

# PUT request (full update)
reqsmith put https://api.example.com/users/123 \
  --data '{"name": "Jane Doe", "email": "jane@example.com", "age": 30}'

# PATCH request (partial update)
reqsmith patch https://api.example.com/users/123 \
  --data '{"email": "newemail@example.com"}'

# PUT with authentication
reqsmith put https://api.example.com/users/123 \
  --data @user-update.json \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer your-token"

DELETE Requests​

Delete Resources​

# Simple DELETE
reqsmith delete https://api.example.com/users/123

# DELETE with authentication
reqsmith delete https://api.example.com/users/123 \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer your-token"

# DELETE with confirmation (when supported by API)
reqsmith delete https://api.example.com/users/123 \
  --data '{"confirm": true}'

Authentication Examples​

Bearer Token Authentication​

# Using Authorization header
reqsmith get https://api.example.com/protected \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer your-access-token"

# Using shorthand auth option
reqsmith get https://api.example.com/protected \
  --auth bearer:your-access-token

Basic Authentication​

# Basic auth with username:password
reqsmith get https://api.example.com/protected \
  --auth basic:username:password

# Basic auth with base64 encoded credentials
reqsmith get https://api.example.com/protected \
  --header "Authorization: Basic dXNlcm5hbWU6cGFzc3dvcmQ="

API Key Authentication​

# API key in header
reqsmith get https://api.example.com/data \
  --header "X-API-Key: your-api-key"

# API key in query parameter
reqsmith get "https://api.example.com/data?api_key=your-api-key"

Working with Headers​

Common Headers​

# Set content type
reqsmith post https://api.example.com/data \
  --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{"key": "value"}'

# Set user agent
reqsmith get https://api.example.com/data \
  --header "User-Agent: MyApp/1.0"

# Set multiple headers
reqsmith get https://api.example.com/data \
  --header "Accept: application/json" \
  --header "Accept-Language: en-US" \
  --header "Cache-Control: no-cache"

Custom Headers​

# Custom application headers
reqsmith get https://api.example.com/data \
  --header "X-Client-Version: 1.2.3" \
  --header "X-Request-ID: req-123" \
  --header "X-Feature-Flag: new-ui"

Response Handling​

Response Filtering​

# Show only response body
reqsmith get https://api.github.com/users/octocat --body-only

# Show only status code
reqsmith get https://api.github.com/users/octocat --status-only

# Show response size
reqsmith get https://api.github.com/users/octocat --include-size

Response Formatting​

# Format JSON response
reqsmith get https://api.github.com/users/octocat --format json

# Format as table (for structured data)
reqsmith get https://api.github.com/users/octocat --format table

# Format as YAML
reqsmith get https://api.github.com/users/octocat --format yaml

Error Handling​

Handling HTTP Errors​

# Continue on HTTP errors
reqsmith get https://api.example.com/not-found --ignore-errors

# Show detailed error information
reqsmith get https://api.example.com/error --verbose

# Retry on failure
reqsmith get https://api.example.com/unreliable \
  --retry 3 \
  --retry-delay 1000

Debugging Requests​

# Show request details
reqsmith get https://api.example.com/data --debug

# Show curl equivalent
reqsmith get https://api.example.com/data --show-curl

# Verbose output with timing
reqsmith get https://api.example.com/data --verbose --timing

Common API Patterns​

REST API Operations​

# List resources
reqsmith get https://api.example.com/users

# Get specific resource
reqsmith get https://api.example.com/users/123

# Create new resource
reqsmith post https://api.example.com/users \
  --data '{"name": "John", "email": "john@example.com"}'

# Update resource
reqsmith put https://api.example.com/users/123 \
  --data '{"name": "John Doe", "email": "john.doe@example.com"}'

# Delete resource
reqsmith delete https://api.example.com/users/123

Pagination​

# Get first page
reqsmith get "https://api.example.com/users?page=1&limit=10"

# Get next page
reqsmith get "https://api.example.com/users?page=2&limit=10"

# Get all pages (with follow option)
reqsmith get "https://api.example.com/users?page=1&limit=10" --follow-pagination

Search and Filtering​

# Search users
reqsmith get "https://api.example.com/users?search=john"

# Filter by status
reqsmith get "https://api.example.com/users?status=active"

# Multiple filters
reqsmith get "https://api.example.com/users?status=active&role=admin&page=1"

Time and Date Examples​

Working with Timestamps​

# Filter by date range
reqsmith get "https://api.example.com/events?start_date=2024-01-01&end_date=2024-12-31"

# Get recent data
reqsmith get "https://api.example.com/logs?since=2024-01-01T00:00:00Z"

# Using relative dates
reqsmith get "https://api.example.com/logs?since=1h" # Last hour
reqsmith get "https://api.example.com/logs?since=1d" # Last day

Environment-Specific Examples​

Development Environment​

# Using development API
reqsmith get https://api-dev.example.com/users \
  --header "X-Environment: development"

Staging Environment​

# Using staging API
reqsmith get https://api-staging.example.com/users \
  --header "X-Environment: staging"

Production Environment​

# Using production API (with extra caution)
reqsmith get https://api.example.com/users \
  --header "X-Environment: production" \
  --confirm # Prompt for confirmation

Best Practices​

  1. Use descriptive headers: Include version, client info, and request IDs
  2. Handle errors gracefully: Use retry mechanisms and proper error handling
  3. Validate data: Check response status and content before processing
  4. Use authentication: Always authenticate properly for protected resources
  5. Monitor performance: Use timing flags to track API performance
  6. Save responses: Use output files for further processing
  7. Use templates: Create reusable templates for common requests

Next Steps​