cURL Converter Online: The Complete Guide
How to convert cURL commands to Python, JavaScript, Go, PHP, and Ruby — with a curl flag reference and practical examples.
Last updated: May 4, 2026
What is a cURL converter?
cURL is a command-line tool for making HTTP requests. It is the lingua franca of API testing — API documentation almost always includes cURL examples, and browser DevTools let you export any network request as a cURL command. A cURL converter takes that command and translates it into equivalent code in a real programming language so you can use it directly in your project.
Without a converter, you have to manually translate headers into a dict, figure out the right method for your HTTP client, escape the body correctly, and handle auth. A converter does all of that in one step. It is one of the most-used developer productivity shortcuts when integrating APIs.
How to convert cURL to code in 3 steps
- Get the cURL command. Copy it from API documentation, or right-click a request in browser DevTools → Copy → Copy as cURL.
- Paste it into the converter. The tool parses the command and extracts URL, method, headers, body, auth, and flags.
- Select your target language and copy the generated code. Paste it into your project.
Copying cURL from browser DevTools
The fastest source of cURL commands is your browser. Here is how to get one:
- Open Chrome or Firefox and go to the page that makes the request.
- Press F12 to open DevTools and go to the Network tab.
- Trigger the request (click a button, refresh the page, etc.).
- Find the request in the Network panel and right-click it.
- Choose Copy → Copy as cURL (Chrome) or Copy Value → Copy as cURL (Firefox).
- Paste into the Vultio cURL Converter and select your language.
This gives you the exact request the browser sent — including all authentication cookies, session tokens, and request headers — which makes it ideal for reproducing a request in backend code.
cURL flag reference
Understanding the most common cURL flags helps you read and verify converted code:
| Flag | Long form | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| -X POST | --request POST | Set the HTTP method |
| -H "K: V" | --header | Add a request header |
| -d 'body' | --data / --data-raw | Set the request body |
| -u user:pass | --user | Basic Auth credentials |
| — | --oauth2-bearer TOKEN | Bearer token auth |
| -b "k=v" | --cookie | Send cookies |
| -k | --insecure | Skip SSL verification |
| -L | --location | Follow redirects |
| — | --max-time N | Timeout in seconds |
| — | --compressed | Request compressed response |
Output language comparison
The converter supports six output languages. Here is when to choose each:
The most readable option for data scripts, automation, backend services, and quick prototypes. requests is the most popular Python HTTP library.
Built-in to all modern browsers and Node.js 18+. Best for frontend code, serverless functions, and environments where you prefer zero dependencies.
A widely used library with a cleaner API than fetch for complex scenarios: interceptors, timeouts, automatic JSON parsing, and upload progress.
The standard library HTTP client. Best for Go services and CLIs. The generated code includes proper error handling and defer for response body cleanup.
Uses the native PHP curl extension via curl_setopt_array. Best for WordPress plugins, legacy PHP applications, and shared hosting environments.
The Ruby standard library HTTP client. Best for Ruby on Rails apps, scripts, and environments where adding gems is not desired.
Privacy: your cURL commands never leave the browser
cURL commands exported from DevTools often contain authentication tokens, session cookies, and API keys. The Vultio cURL Converter runs entirely in your browser — no data is sent to any server. You can use it safely with production credentials. After converting, revoke or rotate any long-lived tokens that were included, and never paste production secrets into shared tools or documentation.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The parser handles backslash line continuations (the \ at the end of each line in DevTools output) and normalizes them before parsing. Paste the entire multi-line command as-is.
The converter uses the convenience methods (requests.get, requests.post, etc.) when the method is a standard one. For custom methods like PATCH or DELETE it uses requests.request("PATCH", url, ...) to keep the code idiomatic.
Yes. --data-binary is treated the same as --data-raw: the body is passed as a raw string to the HTTP client. Binary payloads should be handled accordingly in your application code.
Multipart form data (--form) is not yet parsed by the converter. Convert the form fields manually using multipart/form-data encoding in your target library.
The generated code is a solid starting point that correctly handles method, headers, body, and auth. Review it before using in production — especially error handling, timeout configuration, and response parsing.