Exploring Hurl, a command line alternative to Postman

Hurl is a command-line tool designed for developers who prefer testing APIs through the terminal, offering a lightweight alternative to GUI-based clients like Postman. It supports various protocols such as REST, GraphQL, and SOAP, and is compatible with multiple operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and MacOS. Hurl leverages the cURL tool for HTTP transfers and allows developers to execute HTTP requests stored in .hurl files, which can contain multiple entries to be run sequentially. It provides flexibility with implicit and explicit assertions on API responses and can be integrated into Continuous Integration (CI) pipelines, making it suitable for environments with limited resources. Despite its steep learning curve, especially for beginners, Hurl is open-source, free, and community-driven, allowing developers to streamline API testing without relying on GUI applications.