carapace-sh HTTPie (http/https) In-Depth Reference
Comprehensive reference for HTTPie — a command-line HTTP client designed for the API era. Covers the full CLI surface, request items syntax, authentication, sessions, output formatting, SSL/TLS, downloads, configuration, plugins, scripting, and the carapace-bin completer.
Data Flow
http [flags] [METHOD] URL [REQUEST_ITEM ...]
→ parse flags & default_options from config.json
→ resolve URL (default scheme, localhost shortcuts, path normalization)
→ build request (method, headers, body from request items)
→ apply auth (basic/digest/bearer/plugin, .netrc, session)
→ send request (proxy, SSL/TLS, redirects, timeout)
→ receive response
→ format output (pretty, style, print options, stream)
→ stdout / file (--output) / download (--download)
Sub-Resources
Load the reference that matches your task. When in doubt, load multiple references.
| Keywords | Reference |
|---|---|
| invocation, command line, flags, options, --json, -j, --form, -f, --multipart, --boundary, --raw, --compress, -x, --verbose, -v, --all, --quiet, -q, --debug, --traceback, --help, --version, --offline, --ignore-stdin, -I, --timeout, --max-headers, --max-redirects, --check-status, --path-as-is, --chunked, http vs https, METHOD, GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, PATCH, HEAD, positional arguments | references/cli.md |
| request items, request item, separator, header, :, URL parameter, ==, data field, =, raw JSON, :=, file upload, @, embed file, =@, :=@, :@, ==@, escaping, backslash, --, nested JSON, key[subkey], array, escaping brackets, Content-Type, form data, JSON object | references/request-items.md |
| authentication, auth, --auth, -a, --auth-type, -A, basic, digest, bearer, token, .netrc, --ignore-netrc, password prompt, auth plugins, NTLM, OAuth, JWT, HMAC, AWS, EdgeGrid, SPNEGO, Hawk | references/auth.md |
| session, --session, --session-read-only, named session, anonymous session, session file, cookie persistence, Set-Cookie, cookie domain, unbound cookie, session upgrade, sessions upgrade-all, --bind-cookies, session storage, session JSON format | references/sessions.md |
| output, --print, -p, --headers, -h, --body, -b, --meta, -m, --verbose, -v, --all, --stream, -S, --pretty, --style, -s, --sorted, --unsorted, --format-options, --response-charset, --response-mime, --output, -o, binary data, redirected output, terminal output, format options, headers.sort, json.format, json.indent, json.sort_keys, xml.format, xml.indent, Pie theme, color style | references/output.md |
| SSL, TLS, --verify, --ssl, --ciphers, --cert, --cert-key, --cert-key-pass, certificate verification, CA bundle, REQUESTS_CA_BUNDLE, protocol version, ssl2.3, tls1, tls1.1, tls1.2, tls1.3, OpenSSL cipher list | references/ssl.md |
| download, --download, -d, --continue, -c, --output, -o, Content-Disposition, filename, resume, Range, 206 Partial Content, piping download, wget-like, progress bar | references/downloads.md |
| configuration, config file, config.json, default_options, plugins_dir, HTTPIE_CONFIG_DIR, XDG_CONFIG_HOME, legacy config, ~/.httpie, config directory resolution, --no-OPTION, unsetting options, http --debug, config_dir | references/config.md |
| plugins, plugin manager, httpie cli plugins, install, list, upgrade, uninstall, AuthPlugin, TransportPlugin, ConverterPlugin, FormatterPlugin, PluginManager, entry points, httpie-unixsocket, httpie-ntlm, httpie-jwt-auth, httpie-oauth, httpie-aws-auth, httpie-edgegrid, httpie-hmac-auth, httpie-api-auth, httpie-negotiate, requests-hawk, plugin development | references/plugins.md |
| scripting, exit codes, --check-status, shell script, automation, --ignore-stdin, --timeout, piping, stdin, redirected input, --raw, here string, piping output, best practices, cron | references/scripting.md |
| URL, URL syntax, default scheme, --default-scheme, localhost shortcut, :/foo, :3000, ://, query string, ==, path normalization, path-as-is, dot segment, URL escaping, http+unix | references/url-syntax.md |
Quick Guide
- What flags and options does
httpsupport? → references/cli.md - How do I specify headers, data fields, query params, or file uploads? → references/request-items.md
- How do I authenticate with basic, digest, or bearer token? → references/auth.md
- How do sessions work and how do I persist cookies/headers across requests? → references/sessions.md
- How do I control output formatting, colors, and what gets printed? → references/output.md
- How do I configure SSL/TLS certificates and protocol versions? → references/ssl.md
- How do I download files with
http? → references/downloads.md - Where is the config file and what can I configure? → references/config.md
- How do I install, list, or develop HTTPie plugins? → references/plugins.md
- What exit codes does HTTPie use and how do I use it in scripts? → references/scripting.md
- How do URL shortcuts like
:/fooor:3000work? → references/url-syntax.md - What is the difference between
httpandhttpscommands? → references/cli.md - How do I send nested JSON or arrays via request items? → references/request-items.md
- How do I pipe data into HTTPie via stdin? → references/scripting.md
- How do I resume an interrupted download? → references/downloads.md
- How do I set default options for every invocation? → references/config.md
Cross-Project References
- For carapace completion integration (the
http/httpscompleters incompleters/common/http_completer/andcompleters/common/https_completer/), see the carapace-dev skill and the project'sAGENTS.md. The completer uses shared actions frompkg/actions/net/http/for request headers, methods, media types, and status codes. - For the carapace YAML spec format and spec-based completions, see the carapace skill →
references/spec.md. - For shell quoting rules that affect how request items are passed on the command line, see the bash, zsh, or fish skills as appropriate.
- For HTTP protocol fundamentals (status codes, headers, methods, content negotiation), consult RFC 7230/7231 or the MDN Web Docs — this skill covers HTTPie's CLI surface, not HTTP itself.