Quick Start
Send your first HTTP request with atra in seconds.
Basic Syntax
The atra Command
The basic syntax follows a natural pattern: method, URL, and optional key-value pairs.
atra [METHOD] URL [KEY:VALUE ...]
If you omit the method, atra defaults to GET. Specify the method explicitly for POST, PUT, PATCH, and DELETE requests.
Your First Request
Simple GET Request
Fetch data from an API endpoint.
# GET is the default method
atra https://api.example.com/users
POST with JSON Body
Send JSON data using key:value pairs. atra automatically sets the Content-Type to application/json.
atra POST https://api.example.com/users name:John email:[email protected]
This sends the following JSON body:
{"name": "John", "email": "[email protected]"}
Explicit Method
You can specify any HTTP method explicitly.
# GET request
atra GET https://api.example.com/users
# POST request
atra POST https://api.example.com/users name:John email:[email protected]
# PUT request
atra PUT https://api.example.com/users/1 name:Jane
# PATCH request
atra PATCH https://api.example.com/users/1 status:active
# DELETE request
atra DELETE https://api.example.com/users/1
Common Options
Frequently Used Flags
-vVerbose output — show request headers, response headers, timing, and size-HAdd a custom header-dSend a request body-uBasic authentication-aAdd an assertion-LFollow redirectsQuick Examples
# Verbose output with headers and timing
atra GET https://api.example.com/users -v
# Add custom header
atra GET https://api.example.com/data -H "X-Api-Key: my-key"
# Basic auth
atra GET https://api.example.com/admin -u admin:secret
# Assert status code is 200
atra GET https://api.example.com/health -a "status eq 200"
# Follow redirects
atra GET https://example.com/redirect -L
Getting Help
Built-in Help
Access the full list of commands and flags anytime.
# Detailed help with full descriptions
atra --help
# Short summary of all flags
atra -h
# Show help for the run command
atra run --help
# Show version
atra --version
--help shows detailed descriptions for each flag, while -h shows a compact summary. Use --help when you need more context about a specific flag.