cURL to PHP Code Converter

Q: How do I check for cURL errors in PHP?

After curl_exec() , check curl_errno($ch) — a non-zero value indicates an error. Use curl_error($ch) to get a human-readable error message. Also check the HTTP status code with curl_getinfo($ch, CURLINFO_HTTP_CODE) before parsing the response. Always call curl_close($ch) in a finally block or after the check to free resources. For production code, also set CURLOPT_TIMEOUT and CURLOPT_CONNECTTIMEOUT to prevent hanging.

Q: How do I send JSON data in a PHP cURL request?

Set CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS to the JSON string and add the Content-Type: application/json header. Do not pass an array to CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS for JSON — PHP will encode it as form data instead. Use json_encode($data) to convert a PHP array to a JSON string first: curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, json_encode(['key' => 'value'])) .

Convert cURL commands to PHP code instantly. Get working PHP cURL or Guzzle HTTP snippets with all headers, authentication, and body parameters preserved — ready to paste into your PHP project.

Why Convert cURL to PHP

PHP has native cURL bindings but they require verbose curl_setopt() chains to configure. Converting an API request from the command line or browser DevTools to PHP means mapping each cURL flag to the right CURLOPT_* constant. This converter handles that mapping automatically: -H headers become the CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER array, -d body becomes CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, and Bearer auth maps to the correct header format. The output compiles and runs without modification.

PHP cURL output: Native curl_init() / curl_setopt() code — no dependencies
All HTTP methods: GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, and custom methods
Headers preserved: Converted to proper CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER array format
Auth support: Bearer tokens, Basic auth, and API key headers translated correctly
JSON body: Request body preserved as string for CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS

Convert cURL to PHP →

Choose the Right Variant

This page: PHP native cURL extension — works everywhere PHP is installed
cURL to Python: Python requests library
cURL to Go: Go net/http standard library
cURL to Ruby: Ruby Net::HTTP snippets
cURL to Fetch: JavaScript fetch() API

Step-by-Step Tutorial

Copy your cURL command — e.g. from browser DevTools → Network tab → right-click request → Copy as cURL
Paste into the converter: curl -X POST https://api.example.com/v1/send -H "Authorization: Bearer sk-abc123" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"message":"hello"}'
Select PHP as the target language
Copy the generated PHP cURL snippet and paste into your script or controller
Run with php script.php or integrate into your Laravel/Symfony/WordPress code

Example Conversion

Input cURL:

curl -X POST https://api.example.com/messages \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer mytoken" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"text":"hello"}'

Output PHP:

<?php
$ch = curl_init();
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, 'https://api.example.com/messages');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, 'POST');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, [
    'Authorization: Bearer mytoken',
    'Content-Type: application/json',
]);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, '{"text":"hello"}');
$response = curl_exec($ch);
curl_close($ch);
echo $response;

Privacy and Data Handling

All conversion runs locally in your browser. cURL commands containing API keys, tokens, or request payloads never leave your device. Safe to use with development credentials — never paste production secrets into shared or cloud-based tools.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I check for cURL errors in PHP?

After curl_exec(), check curl_errno($ch) — a non-zero value indicates an error. Use curl_error($ch) to get a human-readable error message. Also check the HTTP status code with curl_getinfo($ch, CURLINFO_HTTP_CODE) before parsing the response. Always call curl_close($ch) in a finally block or after the check to free resources. For production code, also set CURLOPT_TIMEOUT and CURLOPT_CONNECTTIMEOUT to prevent hanging.

Should I use PHP cURL or Guzzle for API requests?

PHP's native cURL works everywhere without additional dependencies. Guzzle adds a cleaner API, middleware support, async requests, and better error handling — but requires Composer. For simple scripts or WordPress plugins, native cURL is fine. For Laravel, Symfony, or any Composer-based project, Guzzle (or Laravel's HTTP client which wraps Guzzle) is the recommended choice. The converter outputs native cURL which you can adapt to Guzzle syntax with minimal changes.

How do I send JSON data in a PHP cURL request?

Set CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS to the JSON string and add the Content-Type: application/json header. Do not pass an array to CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS for JSON — PHP will encode it as form data instead. Use json_encode($data) to convert a PHP array to a JSON string first: curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, json_encode(['key' => 'value'])).