.TH XH 1 2025-12-16 0.25.2 "User Commands"
.SH NAME
xh \- Friendly and fast tool for sending HTTP requests
.SH SYNOPSIS
.B xh
[\fIOPTIONS\fR]
[\fIMETHOD\fR]
\fIURL\fR
[\-\-\]
[\fIREQUEST_ITEM\fR ...]
.SH DESCRIPTION
\fBxh\fR is an HTTP client with a friendly command line interface. It strives to
have readable output and easy-to-use options.
xh is mostly compatible with HTTPie: see \fBhttp\fR(1).
The \fB--curl\fR option can be used to print a \fBcurl\fR(1) translation of the
command instead of sending a request.
.SH POSITIONAL ARGUMENTS
.TP 4
[\fIMETHOD\fR]\fI
The HTTP method to use for the request.
This defaults to GET, or to POST if the request contains a body.
.TP
\fIURL\fR
The URL to request.
The URL scheme defaults to "http://" normally, or "https://" if
the program is invoked as "xhs".
A leading colon works as shorthand for localhost. ":8000" is equivalent
to "localhost:8000", and ":/path" is equivalent to "localhost/path".
.TP
[\fIREQUEST_ITEM\fR ...]
Optional key\-value pairs to be included in the request.
The separator is used to determine the type:
.RS 8
.TP 4
key==value
Add a query string to the URL.
.TP 4
key=value
Add a JSON property (\-\-json) or form field (\-\-form) to the request body.
.TP 4
key:=value
Add a field with a literal JSON value to the request body.
Example: "numbers:=[1,2,3] enabled:=true"
.TP 4
key@filename
Upload a file (requires \-\-form or \-\-multipart).
To set the filename and mimetype, ";type=" and ";filename=" can be used respectively.
Example: "pfp@ra.jpg;type=image/jpeg;filename=profile.jpg"
.TP 4
@filename
Use a file as the request body.
.TP 4
header:value
Add a header, e.g. "user\-agent:foobar"
.TP 4
header:
Unset a header, e.g. "connection:"
.TP 4
header;
Add a header with an empty value.
.RE
.RS
An "@" prefix can be used to read a value from a file. For example: "x\-api\-key:@api\-key.txt".
A backslash can be used to escape special characters, e.g. "weird\\:key=value".
To construct a complex JSON object, the REQUEST_ITEM's key can be set to a JSON path instead of a field name. For more information on this syntax, refer to https://httpie.io/docs/cli/nested\-json.
.RE
.SH OPTIONS
Each --OPTION can be reset with a --no-OPTION argument.
.TP 4
\fB\-j\fR, \fB\-\-json\fR
(default) Serialize data items from the command line as a JSON object.
Overrides both \-\-form and \-\-multipart.
.TP 4
\fB\-f\fR, \fB\-\-form\fR
Serialize data items from the command line as form fields.
Overrides both \-\-json and \-\-multipart.
.TP 4
\fB\-\-multipart\fR
Like \-\-form, but force a multipart/form\-data request even without files.
Overrides both \-\-json and \-\-form.
.TP 4
\fB\-\-raw\fR=\fIRAW\fR
Pass raw request data without extra processing.
.TP 4
\fB\-\-pretty\fR=\fISTYLE\fR
Controls output processing. Possible values are:
all (default) Enable both coloring and formatting
colors Apply syntax highlighting to output
format Pretty\-print json and sort headers
none Disable both coloring and formatting
Defaults to "format" if the NO_COLOR env is set and to "none" if stdout is not tty.
.TP 4
\fB\-\-format\-options\fR=\fIFORMAT_OPTIONS\fR
Set output formatting options. Supported option are:
json.indent:<NUM>
json.format:<true|false>
headers.sort:<true|false>
Example: \-\-format\-options=json.indent:2,headers.sort:false.
.TP 4
\fB\-s\fR, \fB\-\-style\fR=\fITHEME\fR
Output coloring style.
[possible values: auto, solarized, monokai, fruity]
.TP 4
\fB\-\-response\-charset\fR=\fIENCODING\fR
Override the response encoding for terminal display purposes.
Example: \-\-response\-charset=latin1.
.TP 4
\fB\-\-response\-mime\fR=\fIMIME_TYPE\fR
Override the response mime type for coloring and formatting for the terminal.
Example: \-\-response\-mime=application/json.
.TP 4
\fB\-p\fR, \fB\-\-print\fR=\fIFORMAT\fR
String specifying what the output should contain
'H' request headers
'B' request body
'h' response headers
'b' response body
'm' response metadata
Example: \-\-print=Hb.
.TP 4
\fB\-h\fR, \fB\-\-headers\fR
Print only the response headers. Shortcut for \-\-print=h.
.TP 4
\fB\-b\fR, \fB\-\-body\fR
Print only the response body. Shortcut for \-\-print=b.
.TP 4
\fB\-m\fR, \fB\-\-meta\fR
Print only the response metadata. Shortcut for \-\-print=m.
.TP 4
\fB\-v\fR, \fB\-\-verbose\fR
Print the whole request as well as the response.
Additionally, this enables \-\-all for printing intermediary requests/responses while following redirects.
Using verbose twice i.e. \-vv will print the response metadata as well.
Equivalent to \-\-print=HhBb \-\-all.
.TP 4
\fB\-\-debug\fR
Print full error stack traces and debug log messages.
Logging can be configured in more detail using the `$RUST_LOG` environment variable. Set `RUST_LOG=trace` to show even more messages. See https://docs.rs/env_logger/0.11.3/env_logger/#enabling\-logging.
.TP 4
\fB\-\-all\fR
Show any intermediary requests/responses while following redirects with \-\-follow.
.TP 4
\fB\-P\fR, \fB\-\-history\-print\fR=\fIFORMAT\fR
The same as \-\-print but applies only to intermediary requests/responses.
.TP 4
\fB\-q\fR, \fB\-\-quiet\fR
Do not print to stdout or stderr.
Using quiet twice i.e. \-qq will suppress warnings as well.
.TP 4
\fB\-S\fR, \fB\-\-stream\fR
Always stream the response body.
.TP 4
\fB\-x\fR, \fB\-\-compress\fR
Content compressed (encoded) with Deflate algorithm.
The Content\-Encoding header is set to deflate.
Compression is skipped if it appears that compression ratio is negative. Compression can be forced by repeating this option.
Note: Compression cannot be used if the Content\-Encoding request header is present.
.TP 4
\fB\-o\fR, \fB\-\-output\fR=\fIFILE\fR
Save output to FILE instead of stdout.
.TP 4
\fB\-d\fR, \fB\-\-download\fR
Download the body to a file instead of printing it.
The Accept\-Encoding header is set to identify and any redirects will be followed.
.TP 4
\fB\-c\fR, \fB\-\-continue\fR
Resume an interrupted download. Requires \-\-download and \-\-output.
.TP 4
\fB\-\-session\fR=\fIFILE\fR
Create, or reuse and update a session.
Within a session, custom headers, auth credentials, as well as any cookies sent by the server persist between requests.
.TP 4
\fB\-\-session\-read\-only\fR=\fIFILE\fR
Create or read a session without updating it from the request/response exchange.
.TP 4
\fB\-A\fR, \fB\-\-auth\-type\fR=\fIAUTH_TYPE\fR
Specify the auth mechanism.
[possible values: basic, bearer, digest]
.TP 4
\fB\-a\fR, \fB\-\-auth\fR=\fIUSER\fR[\fI:PASS\fR] | \fITOKEN\fR
Authenticate as USER with PASS (\-A basic|digest) or with TOKEN (\-A bearer).
PASS will be prompted if missing. Use a trailing colon (i.e. "USER:") to authenticate with just a username.
TOKEN is expected if \-\-auth\-type=bearer.
.TP 4
\fB\-\-ignore\-netrc\fR
Do not use credentials from .netrc.
.TP 4
\fB\-\-offline\fR
Construct HTTP requests without sending them anywhere.
.TP 4
\fB\-\-check\-status\fR
(default) Exit with an error status code if the server replies with an error.
The exit code will be 4 on 4xx (Client Error), 5 on 5xx (Server Error), or 3 on 3xx (Redirect) if \-\-follow isn't set.
If stdout is redirected then a warning is written to stderr.
.TP 4
\fB\-F\fR, \fB\-\-follow\fR
Do follow redirects.
.TP 4
\fB\-\-max\-redirects\fR=\fINUM\fR
Number of redirects to follow. Only respected if \-\-follow is used.
.TP 4
\fB\-\-timeout\fR=\fISEC\fR
Connection timeout of the request.
The default value is "0", i.e., there is no timeout limit.
.TP 4
\fB\-\-proxy\fR=\fIPROTOCOL:URL\fR
Use a proxy for a protocol. For example: \-\-proxy https:http://proxy.host:8080.
PROTOCOL can be "http", "https" or "all".
If your proxy requires credentials, put them in the URL, like so: \-\-proxy http:socks5://user:password@proxy.host:8000.
You can specify proxies for multiple protocols by repeating this option.
The environment variables "http_proxy" and "https_proxy" can also be used, but are completely ignored if \-\-proxy is passed.
.TP 4
\fB\-\-verify\fR=\fIVERIFY\fR
If "no", skip SSL verification. If a file path, use it as a CA bundle.
Specifying a CA bundle will disable the system's built\-in root certificates.
"false" instead of "no" also works. The default is "yes" ("true").
.TP 4
\fB\-\-cert\fR=\fIFILE\fR
Use a client side certificate for SSL.
.TP 4
\fB\-\-cert\-key\fR=\fIFILE\fR
A private key file to use with \-\-cert.
Only necessary if the private key is not contained in the cert file.
.TP 4
\fB\-\-ssl\fR=\fIVERSION\fR
Force a particular TLS version.
"auto" gives the default behavior of negotiating a version with the server.
[possible values: auto, tls1, tls1.1, tls1.2, tls1.3]
.TP 4
\fB\-\-native\-tls\fR
Use the system TLS library instead of rustls (if enabled at compile time).
.TP 4
\fB\-\-https\fR
Make HTTPS requests if not specified in the URL.
.TP 4
\fB\-\-http\-version\fR=\fIVERSION\fR
HTTP version to use.
[possible values: 1.0, 1.1, 2, 2\-prior\-knowledge, 3\-prior\-knowledge]
.TP 4
\fB\-\-resolve\fR=\fIHOST:ADDRESS\fR
Override DNS resolution for specific domain to a custom IP.
You can override multiple domains by repeating this option.
Example: \-\-resolve=example.com:127.0.0.1.
.TP 4
\fB\-\-interface\fR=\fINAME\fR
Bind to a network interface or local IP address.
Example: \-\-interface=eth0 \-\-interface=192.168.0.2.
.TP 4
\fB\-4\fR, \fB\-\-ipv4\fR
Resolve hostname to ipv4 addresses only.
.TP 4
\fB\-6\fR, \fB\-\-ipv6\fR
Resolve hostname to ipv6 addresses only.
.TP 4
\fB\-\-unix\-socket\fR=\fIFILE\fR
Connect using a Unix domain socket.
Example: xh :/index.html \-\-unix\-socket=/var/run/temp.sock.
.TP 4
\fB\-I\fR, \fB\-\-ignore\-stdin\fR
Do not attempt to read stdin.
This disables the default behaviour of reading the request body from stdin when a redirected input is detected.
It is recommended to pass this flag when using xh for scripting purposes. For more information, refer to https://httpie.io/docs/cli/best\-practices.
.TP 4
\fB\-\-curl\fR
Print a translation to a curl command.
For translating the other way, try https://curl2httpie.online/.
.TP 4
\fB\-\-curl\-long\fR
Use the long versions of curl's flags.
.TP 4
\fB\-\-generate\fR=\fIKIND\fR
Generate shell completions or man pages. Possible values are:
complete\-bash Generate completions for bash
complete\-elvish Generate completions for elvish
complete\-fish Generage completions for fish
complete\-nushell Generate completions for nushell
complete\-powershell Generate completions for powershell
complete\-zsh Generate completions for zsh
man Generate manual page in roff format
Example: xh \-\-generate=complete\-bash > xh.bash.
.TP 4
\fB\-\-help\fR
Print help.
.TP 4
\fB\-V\fR, \fB\-\-version\fR
Print version.
.SH EXIT STATUS
.TP 4
.B 0
Successful program execution.
.TP
.B 1
Usage, syntax or network error.
.TP
.B 2
Request timeout.
.TP
.B 3
Unexpected HTTP 3xx Redirection.
.TP
.B 4
HTTP 4xx Client Error.
.TP
.B 5
HTTP 5xx Server Error.
.TP
.B 6
Too many redirects.
.SH ENVIRONMENT
.TP 4
.B XH_CONFIG_DIR
Specifies where to look for config.json and named session data.
The default is ~/.config/xh for Linux/macOS and %APPDATA%\\xh for Windows.
.TP
.B XH_HTTPIE_COMPAT_MODE
Enables the HTTPie Compatibility Mode. The only current difference is that
\-\-check-status is not enabled by default. An alternative to setting this
environment variable is to rename the binary to either http or https.
.TP
.BR REQUESTS_CA_BUNDLE ", " CURL_CA_BUNDLE
Sets a custom CA bundle path.
.TP
.BR http_proxy "=[protocol://]<host>[:port]"
Sets the proxy server to use for HTTP.
.TP
.BR HTTPS_PROXY "=[protocol://]<host>[:port]"
Sets the proxy server to use for HTTPS.
.TP
.B NO_PROXY
List of comma-separated hosts for which to ignore the other proxy environment
variables. "*" matches all host names.
.TP
.B NETRC
Location of the .netrc file.
.TP
.B NO_COLOR
Disables output coloring. See <https://no-color.org>
.TP
.B RUST_LOG
Configure low-level debug messages. See <https://docs.rs/env_logger/0.11.3/env_logger/#enabling-logging>
.SH FILES
.TP 4
.I ~/.config/xh/config.json
xh configuration file. The only configurable option is "default_options"
which is a list of default shell arguments that gets passed to xh.
Example:
.RS
{ "default_options": ["--native-tls", "--style=solarized"] }
.RE
.TP
.IR ~/.netrc ", " ~/_netrc
Auto-login information file.
.TP
.I ~/.config/xh/sessions
Session data directory grouped by domain and port number.
.SH EXAMPLES
.TP 4
\fBxh\fR \fIhttpbin.org/json\fR
Send a GET request.
.TP
\fBxh\fR \fIhttpbin.org/post name=ahmed \fIage:=24\fR
Send a POST request with body {"name": "ahmed", "age": 24}.
.TP
\fBxh\fR get \fIhttpbin.org/json id==5 sort==true\fR
Send a GET request to http://httpbin.org/json?id=5&sort=true.
.TP
\fBxh\fR get \fIhttpbin.org/json x-api-key:12345\fR
Send a GET request and include a header named X-Api-Key with value 12345.
.TP
echo "[1, 2, 3]" | \fBxh\fR post \fIhttpbin.org/post
Send a POST request with body read from stdin.
.TP
\fBxh\fR put \fIhttpbin.org/put id:=49 age:=25\fR | less
Send a PUT request and pipe the result to less.
.TP
\fBxh\fR -d \fIhttpbin.org/json\fR -o \fIres.json\fR
Download and save to res.json.
.TP
\fBxh\fR \fIhttpbin.org/get user-agent:foobar\fR
Make a request with a custom user agent.
.TP
\fBxhs\fR \fIexample.com\fR
Make an HTTPS request to https://example.com.
.SH REPORTING BUGS
xh's Github issues <https://github.com/ducaale/xh/issues>
.SH SEE ALSO
\fBcurl\fR(1), \fBhttp\fR(1)
HTTPie's online documentation <https://httpie.io/docs/cli>