fetch

fetch is a modern command-line HTTP(S) client written in Rust. It supports a wide variety of HTTP features — from basic GET requests to options such as custom headers, authentication (including AWS signature V4), multipart or urlencoded forms, and automatic response body decompression. It also features built‑in request formatting, syntax highlighting, progress indicators, and even in-terminal image rendering.

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Installation

You can install fetch from the pre-built binaries or compile it from source.

Using Pre-built Binaries

Visit the GitHub releases page to download the binary for your operating system.

Building from Source

Make sure you have Rust installed (using rustup) then run:

cargo install --force --locked fetch-cli

Alternatively, you can build from source locally from the main branch:

git clone https://github.com/ryanfowler/fetch.git
cd fetch
cargo install --force --locked --path .

Updating

Once installed, you can update the fetch binary in-place by running:

fetch --update

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Basic Usage

To make a GET request to a URL and print the response body to stdout:

fetch https://api.example.com/data

By default, fetch uses the GET method. To use a different HTTP method (e.g. POST), use the --method (or -m) option:

fetch -m POST https://api.example.com/submit

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Custom Headers and Query Parameters

Custom Headers

Use the --header (or -H) flag to append custom headers. For example:

fetch -H "Accept: application/json" -H "X-Custom-Header: hello" https://api.example.com/data

Query Parameters

Append query parameters using the --query (or -q) flag:

fetch -q "key1=value1" -q "key2=value2" https://api.example.com/search

These parameters will be URL‑encoded and appended to the request URL.

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Sending Request Bodies

Raw Data and Files

Use the --data (or -d) flag to send a raw request body. To send data directly:

fetch -m POST --json -d '{"name": "Alice", "age": 30}' https://api.example.com/users

The --json flag sets the request's Content-Type header to application/json.

If you want to load the request body from a file, prefix the file path with an @:

fetch -m POST -d @payload.json https://api.example.com/users

Form and Multipart Data

For URL‑encoded form submissions, use the --form (or -f) option. This option accepts key=value pairs:

fetch -m POST -f "username=alice" -f "password=secret" https://api.example.com/login

For multipart form submissions, use the --multipart (or -F) option:

fetch -m POST -F "file=@/path/to/image.png" https://api.example.com/upload

Using an Editor

If you want to interactively create or edit the request body before sending, use the --edit (or -e) option:

fetch --edit -m PUT https://api.example.com/update

Your preferred editor (from the VISUAL or EDITOR environment variables) will be opened so you can enter the body content.

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Authentication

Basic Authentication

Use the --basic option followed by USER:PASS:

fetch --basic "alice:secret" https://api.example.com/protected

Bearer Authentication

Use the --bearer option followed by your token:

fetch --bearer "your_access_token" https://api.example.com/secure-data

AWS Signature V4

For services that require AWS Signature Version 4 signing, use the --aws-sigv4 option with the format REGION/SERVICE. Ensure that the environment variables AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID and AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY are set.

fetch --aws-sigv4 "us-east-1/s3" https://s3.amazonaws.com/your-bucket/your-object

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Other Options

HTTP Versions

Force the use of a specific HTTP version with the --http flag. Supported values are 1 and 2:

fetch --http 2 https://api.example.com/data

Proxy Support

To route your request through a proxy server, use the --proxy option:

fetch --proxy http://proxy.example.com:8080 https://api.example.com/data

Dry-Run Mode

Want to see what the request will look like without actually sending it? Use --dry-run to print the full request details:

fetch --dry-run https://api.example.com/data

Verbosity Levels

Control the amount of information printed to stderr with the -v or --verbose flag. One -v will print the response headers, two -vv will also print the request headers.

fetch -v https://api.example.com/data
fetch -vv https://api.example.com/data

Alternatively, use the --silent(or -s) flag to suppress any output to stderr:

fetch -s https://api.example.com/data

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Output and Display

Saving to a File

To write the response body to a file instead of stdout, use the --output (or -o) option:

fetch -o response.json https://api.example.com/data

Pager and In-Terminal Rendering

If stdout is a TTY, fetch automatically uses a pager (like less) for long text responses unless you disable it with the --no-pager flag.

Image Rendering

If the response is an image (e.g. JPEG, PNG, TIFF, WebP), fetch can render it directly in the terminal using one of several protocols. Depending on your terminal emulator (e.g. iTerm2, Kitty, Ghostty, or others), the image will be rendered inline or using block graphics.

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Examples

1. Simple GET Request

fetch https://api.github.com/repos/ryanfowler/fetch

2. POST JSON Data with Bearer Token

fetch -m POST --json -d '{"title": "New Issue", "body": "Issue description"}' \
  --bearer "your_token_here" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/ryanfowler/fetch/issues

3. Send a Form Submission

fetch -m POST -f "username=alice" -f "password=secret" https://example.com/login

4. Upload a File via Multipart Form

fetch -m POST -F "file=@/path/to/upload.png" https://example.com/upload

5. AWS S3 Request with Signature V4

Ensure your AWS credentials are set:

export AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID="your_access_key"
export AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY="your_secret_key"
fetch --aws-sigv4 "us-west-2/s3" https://s3.amazonaws.com/your-bucket/your-object

6. Editing the Request Body with an Editor

fetch --edit -m PUT https://api.example.com/update

An editor window will open so you can write or modify the request body before it is sent.

7. Verbose Dry-Run

See the full details of the request without actually sending it:

fetch --dry-run -vv https://api.example.com/data

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License

fetch is released under the MIT License.