How to send a POST request with JSON content using cURL?

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1

Hey everyone! I’m trying to update some data in a JSON file using cURL, but I’m running into issues. Here’s the command I’m using:

curl -i -H "Content-Type: application/json" -X POST http://localhost:5000/api/update

When I run this, I get an error message about missing an argument for the ‘-InFile’ parameter. It looks like PowerShell is interpreting the command differently than I expected.

The error mentions something about ‘Invoke-WebRequest’ and a ‘ParameterBindingException’. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong here.

Can anyone help me figure out the correct way to send this POST request with JSON content using cURL in PowerShell? Thanks in advance for any tips or explanations!

2

Hey Iris_92Paint! I totally get your frustration with cURL in PowerShell. It’s a common hiccup!

Have you considered using the -d option to include your JSON data? Something like this might work:

curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"key":"value"}' http://localhost:5000/api/update

But honestly, PowerShell can be quirky with cURL. Have you tried Invoke-RestMethod instead? It’s pretty neat for API stuff.

Oh, and just curious - what kind of data are you updating? Sounds like an interesting project! :blush:

Let me know if this helps or if you need more info. We can definitely figure this out together!

3

yo iris, powershell can be a pain with curl. try this:

curl.exe -X POST -H “Content-Type: application/json” -d ‘{“key”:“value”}’ http://localhost:5000/api/update

the .exe part tells powershell to use actual curl, not its weird alias. should work better. lemme know if u need more help!

4

It seems like you’re running into an issue specific to PowerShell’s interpretation of cURL commands. In PowerShell, ‘curl’ is actually an alias for ‘Invoke-WebRequest’, which behaves differently from the standard cURL utility.

To send a POST request with JSON content using PowerShell, you might want to try this approach instead:

$body = @{
    key = 'value'
} | ConvertTo-Json

Invoke-RestMethod -Uri 'http://localhost:5000/api/update' -Method Post -Body $body -ContentType 'application/json'

This method uses PowerShell’s native ‘Invoke-RestMethod’ cmdlet, which is designed for REST API interactions. It should help you avoid the ‘ParameterBindingException’ you’re encountering.

If you specifically need to use cURL, consider installing the genuine cURL utility for Windows, which will behave more like the Unix version you might be familiar with.