API CLI Tool

This tool is a simple command-line utility for sending HTTP requests to REST APIs. It supports common HTTP methods, custom headers, request bodies (from a flag or stdin), authentication (basic and bearer token), and even mTLS. You can also save your configuration to a YAML file for quick reuse.

Features

• HTTP Methods: GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE
• Custom Headers: Specify multiple headers with -H
• Request Body: Provide JSON (or any text) via the -body flag or via stdin
• Authentication: Basic auth (-username and -password) or Bearer token (-token)
• mTLS Support: Use client certificates with -cert, -key, and -cacert
• Config Saving: Save your settings for reuse with the -save flag

Installation

1. Clone the repository.
2. Build the tool:

   go build -o api main.go

Usage

Usage: api [flags] <url-path> [--]

• <url-path>: The endpoint path relative to the host or a full URL.
• --: Optional separator to indicate that the request body should be read from stdin.

Available Flags

• -host
  The base URL or hostname (if scheme is omitted, https:// is assumed).

• -x HTTP method to use (e.g. GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE).

• -username and -password
  Basic authentication credentials.

• -token
  Bearer token for the Authorization header.

• -cacert
  CA certificate file for mTLS.

• -cert
  Client certificate file for mTLS.

• -key
  Client key file for mTLS.

• -d
  Request body. If it starts with { or [, the tool automatically sets Content-Type to application/json.

• -H
  Custom header in the form "Key: Value" (can be repeated).

• -save
  Save all flag values to the config file (~/.api_config.yaml) for reuse.

Examples

Below are examples using public REST APIs (all responses are in JSON).

1. Simple GET Request and Saving Configuration

Save your current settings to the configuration file for reuse:

./api -host https://httpbin.org -save /get

On subsequent runs, the saved values from ~/.api_config.yaml will be used as defaults.

2. GET Request with Custom Headers

Send a GET request with a custom header:

./api -H "X-Custom-Header: MyValue" /get

3. POST Request with JSON Body

Send a POST request with a JSON body using the -body flag:

./api -x post -body '{"name": "John", "age": 30}' /post

Alternatively, read the request body from stdin:

echo '{"name": "John", "age": 30}' | ./api -method POST /post --

4. Basic Authentication

Access an endpoint that requires basic authentication:

./api -username user -password passwd /basic-auth/user/passwd

5. Bearer Token Authentication

Send a request using a Bearer token:

./api -token your_token_here /bearer

6. mTLS (Mutual TLS)

If your API requires mTLS, provide your client certificate, key, and CA certificate:

./api -host https://your-secure-api.com -cert client.crt -key client.key -cacert ca.crt /your-endpoint

Note: Ensure you have valid certificate files for mTLS testing.

Conclusion

This API CLI Tool provides a flexible and lightweight way to test and interact with REST APIs directly from the command line. Customize your requests using a variety of options and streamline your workflow by saving your configuration. Feel free to contribute or open issues to help improve the tool!