Convert curl to Node.js

Q: What is Node.js http module?

The http and https modules are Node.js built-in modules for making HTTP requests without any dependencies. They provide low-level control over request/response streams. For higher-level alternatives, curl2code also supports axios, node-fetch, got, ky, and superagent.

Q: http vs axios vs node-fetch vs got — which should I use?

http is zero-dependency but verbose. axios offers a clean API with interceptors and automatic JSON parsing. node-fetch mirrors the browser Fetch API. got is feature-rich with retries, pagination, and streams. Choose based on project needs. For browser JavaScript, see our curl to JavaScript converter.

Q: How to handle authentication in Node.js?

Set the Authorization header in the options object. For Basic auth, use Buffer.from(user + ':' + pass).toString('base64'). With axios, use the built-in auth config option. curl2code converts -u and Bearer token flags for all supported Node.js libraries.

Q: How to send multipart form data in Node.js?

With the built-in http module, construct the multipart body manually or use the form-data package. With axios, pass a FormData instance as the body. Node.js 18+ has a built-in FormData class. curl2code handles -F flags for each library variant.

Q: How to handle HTTP errors in Node.js?

With http, listen for the 'error' event on the request and check response.statusCode. With axios, errors are thrown for non-2xx status codes and can be caught in try/catch. With got, use the same pattern plus built-in retry logic on failure.

Q: How to handle streaming responses in Node.js?

The http module returns a readable stream by default — pipe it with response.pipe(fs.createWriteStream('file')). With got, use got.stream(url). With axios, set responseType: 'stream'. Streaming is ideal for large files and avoids loading entire responses into memory.

Q: How to set timeouts in Node.js HTTP requests?

With http, pass timeout in options and listen for the 'timeout' event, then call req.destroy(). Axios accepts timeout in milliseconds. Got supports both timeout.request and built-in automatic retries with configurable backoff.

Q: How to use a proxy with Node.js?

The built-in http module requires manual proxy tunneling. Use https-proxy-agent or http-proxy-agent packages. Axios supports proxies via proxy config. Got uses agent option with proxy agents. curl2code converts -x and --proxy flags appropriately.

Q: How to send a POST request with JSON body in Node.js?

Convert a curl POST command like curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"key":"value"}' URL to Node.js using curl2code. The generated code uses axios.post(url, { key: 'value' }). curl2code automatically detects -d/--data flags with JSON content and sets the appropriate Content-Type header in the axios code.

Q: How to add Bearer token authorization in Node.js?

Pass curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" URL to curl2code and it generates axios code with the auth header: headers: { Authorization: 'Bearer YOUR_TOKEN' }. curl2code detects Bearer tokens from both -H "Authorization: Bearer ..." and --oauth2-bearer flags. For Basic auth, use -u user:pass.

Convert curl commands to Node.js code using the built-in http module. curl2code runs entirely in your browser via WebAssembly — your API keys and data stay private. For browser-side JavaScript, see our curl to JavaScript converter. If you prefer Python, try curl to Python. Below you'll find ready-to-use examples.

How to copy curl from your browser

1
Open DevTools
Press F12 or Ctrl+Shift+I to open your browser developer tools.
2
Go to the Network tab
Click the Network tab and perform the action that triggers the HTTP request.
3
Copy as cURL
Right-click the request → Copy → Copy as cURL. Then paste it above.

Node.js Code Examples

1Simple GET Request

curl command

curl https://api.example.com/users

Node.js · http

import https from 'https';

const req = https.get('https://api.example.com/users', function (res) {
  const chunks = [];

  res.on('data', function (chunk) {
    chunks.push(chunk);
  });

  res.on('end', function () {
    const body = Buffer.concat(chunks);
    console.log(body.toString());
  });
});

2POST with JSON Body

curl command

curl -X POST https://api.example.com/users \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name":"John","email":"john@example.com"}'

Node.js · http

import https from 'https';

const options = {
  hostname: 'api.example.com',
  path: '/users',
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  }
};

const req = https.request(options, function (res) {
  const chunks = [];

  res.on('data', function (chunk) {
    chunks.push(chunk);
  });

  res.on('end', function () {
    const body = Buffer.concat(chunks);
    console.log(body.toString());
  });
});

req.write(JSON.stringify({
  'name': 'John',
  'email': 'john@example.com'
}));
req.end();

3Request with Bearer Token

curl command

curl https://api.example.com/me \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer token123"

Node.js · http

import https from 'https';

const options = {
  hostname: 'api.example.com',
  path: '/me',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer token123'
  }
};

const req = https.get(options, function (res) {
  const chunks = [];

  res.on('data', function (chunk) {
    chunks.push(chunk);
  });

  res.on('end', function () {
    const body = Buffer.concat(chunks);
    console.log(body.toString());
  });
});

4Multipart Form Upload

curl command

curl -X POST https://api.example.com/upload \
  -F "file=@document.pdf" \
  -F "description=My file"

Node.js · http

import https from 'https';
import FormData from 'form-data';
import * as fs from 'fs';

const form = new FormData();
form.append('file', fs.readFileSync('document.pdf'), 'document.pdf');
form.append('description', 'My file');

const options = {
  hostname: 'api.example.com',
  path: '/upload',
  method: 'POST',
  headers: form.getHeaders()
};

const req = https.request(options, function (res) {
  const chunks = [];

  res.on('data', function (chunk) {
    chunks.push(chunk);
  });

  res.on('end', function () {
    const body = Buffer.concat(chunks);
    console.log(body.toString());
  });
});

form.pipe(req);

5Custom Headers

curl command

curl https://api.example.com/data \
  -H "X-API-Key: abc123" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -H "X-Request-ID: req-456"

Node.js · http

import https from 'https';

const options = {
  hostname: 'api.example.com',
  path: '/data',
  headers: {
    'X-API-Key': 'abc123',
    'Accept': 'application/json',
    'X-Request-ID': 'req-456'
  }
};

const req = https.get(options, function (res) {
  const chunks = [];

  res.on('data', function (chunk) {
    chunks.push(chunk);
  });

  res.on('end', function () {
    const body = Buffer.concat(chunks);
    console.log(body.toString());
  });
});

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Node.js http module?

The http and https modules are Node.js built-in modules for making HTTP requests without any dependencies. They provide low-level control over request/response streams. For higher-level alternatives, curl2code also supports axios, node-fetch, got, ky, and superagent.

http vs axios vs node-fetch vs got — which should I use?

http is zero-dependency but verbose. axios offers a clean API with interceptors and automatic JSON parsing. node-fetch mirrors the browser Fetch API. got is feature-rich with retries, pagination, and streams. Choose based on project needs. For browser JavaScript, see our curl to JavaScript converter.

How to handle authentication in Node.js?

Set the Authorization header in the options object. For Basic auth, use Buffer.from(user + ':' + pass).toString('base64'). With axios, use the built-in auth config option. curl2code converts -u and Bearer token flags for all supported Node.js libraries.

How to send multipart form data in Node.js?

With the built-in http module, construct the multipart body manually or use the form-data package. With axios, pass a FormData instance as the body. Node.js 18+ has a built-in FormData class. curl2code handles -F flags for each library variant.

How to handle HTTP errors in Node.js?

With http, listen for the 'error' event on the request and check response.statusCode. With axios, errors are thrown for non-2xx status codes and can be caught in try/catch. With got, use the same pattern plus built-in retry logic on failure.

How to handle streaming responses in Node.js?

The http module returns a readable stream by default — pipe it with response.pipe(fs.createWriteStream('file')). With got, use got.stream(url). With axios, set responseType: 'stream'. Streaming is ideal for large files and avoids loading entire responses into memory.

How to set timeouts in Node.js HTTP requests?

With http, pass timeout in options and listen for the 'timeout' event, then call req.destroy(). Axios accepts timeout in milliseconds. Got supports both timeout.request and built-in automatic retries with configurable backoff.

How to use a proxy with Node.js?

The built-in http module requires manual proxy tunneling. Use https-proxy-agent or http-proxy-agent packages. Axios supports proxies via proxy config. Got uses agent option with proxy agents. curl2code converts -x and --proxy flags appropriately.

How to send a POST request with JSON body in Node.js?

Convert a curl POST command like curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"key":"value"}' URL to Node.js using curl2code. The generated code uses axios.post(url, { key: 'value' }). curl2code automatically detects -d/--data flags with JSON content and sets the appropriate Content-Type header in the axios code.

How to add Bearer token authorization in Node.js?

Pass curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" URL to curl2code and it generates axios code with the auth header: headers: { Authorization: 'Bearer YOUR_TOKEN' }. curl2code detects Bearer tokens from both -H "Authorization: Bearer ..." and --oauth2-bearer flags. For Basic auth, use -u user:pass.

How to set Content-Type header in Node.js?

curl2code converts curl -H "Content-Type: application/json" URL to axios code with the proper header: headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' }. For -d data, curl defaults to application/x-www-form-urlencoded; for -F form uploads, it uses multipart/form-data. curl2code maps each to the correct axios API.

Useful Links

http Documentation

nodejs.org

Standard Library Reference

github.com

curl Man Page

curl.se

curl Guides

curl Error Codes

Look up any curl exit code — causes, fixes, and debugging tips.

Download Files with curl

Save files with -o, -O, follow redirects, resume downloads, and more.

SSL, TLS & Proxy

Configure certificates, TLS versions, HTTP/SOCKS proxies, and custom DNS.

How to copy curl from your browser

Node.js Code Examples

1Simple GET Request

2POST with JSON Body

3Request with Bearer Token

4Multipart Form Upload

5Custom Headers

Frequently Asked Questions

Useful Links

curl Guides

Convert curl to Other Languages

Node.js Code Examples

1Simple GET Request

2POST with JSON Body

3Request with Bearer Token

4Multipart Form Upload

5Custom Headers