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Emmanuel Mumba
Emmanuel Mumba

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Top 8 API CLI Tools Every Developer Should Know in 2026

#webdev #programming #ai

If you've spent any time building or working with APIs, you've probably realized that the terminal is still one of the fastest places to get things done.

While graphical API clients have become more powerful over the years, I still find myself opening a terminal whenever I need to quickly test an endpoint, validate an OpenAPI specification, automate repetitive tasks, or integrate API workflows into a CI/CD pipeline. CLI tools are lightweight, scriptable, and fit naturally into modern development workflows.

The interesting part is that API command-line tools have evolved far beyond simply sending HTTP requests. Today, some tools help lint API specifications, others compare schema changes, automate testing, generate documentation, or even manage the entire API lifecycle directly from the terminal.

In this article, I'm sharing ten API CLI tools that I think every developer should know in 2026. Some are industry classics that have stood the test of time, while others solve newer challenges around API automation and collaboration. Whether you're a backend developer, DevOps engineer, QA engineer, or simply someone who works with APIs every day, there's something here that can improve your workflow.

1. curl

What it is

It's impossible to talk about API CLI tools without mentioning curl. Despite being one of the oldest tools on this list, it remains one of the most useful. Almost every developer has used it at some point, and it's available by default on most operating systems.

Best for

Quick API requests, debugging endpoints, downloading files, and scripting.

Key Features

  • Supports virtually every HTTP method
  • Handles authentication and custom headers
  • Works with HTTPS, FTP, SMTP, and many other protocols
  • Easily integrates into shell scripts
  • Available on almost every platform

Installation 

# macOS
brew install curl

# Ubuntu
sudo apt install curl
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Example 

curl <https://api.example.com/users>
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2. Apidog CLI

What it is

Apidog CLI is a command-line tool designed to bring the entire API development lifecycle into your terminal. Beyond running API tests, it allows developers to manage API resources, validate schemas, organize projects, publish documentation, and automate workflows directly from local machines or CI/CD pipelines. It's particularly useful for teams that want to reduce context switching between different tools while keeping API development integrated into their existing development workflow.

Best for

Developers and teams looking to automate API design, testing, documentation, and project management from the command line.

Key Features

  • Create, update, and manage API endpoints, schemas, test cases, and Markdown documentation
  • Run automated test cases, test scenarios, and test suites from your terminal or CI/CD pipeline
  • Validate JSON resource files before creating or updating APIs using built-in CLI schemas
  • Manage projects, teams, environments, variables, and runtime settings
  • Import and export API resources in more than 30 formats, including OpenAPI, Postman, HAR, JMeter, WSDL, and Markdown
  • Publish and manage API documentation sites for internal teams and external consumers
  • Support branch-based collaboration, including AI-safe branches for isolated API changes
  • Generate test reports in multiple formats, including CLI output, HTML, JSON, and JUnit
  • Integrate with popular CI/CD platforms such as GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD, Jenkins, Azure Pipelines, CircleCI, and Bitbucket Pipelines

Installation 

npm install -g apidog-cli@latest
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Example

Authenticate once:

apidog login --with-token <your-access-token>
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Run an automated test scenario:

apidog run -t <testScenarioId>
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Validate an endpoint definition before creating it:

apidog cli-schema validate endpoint-create --file ./endpoint.json
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List projects available to your account:

apidog project list
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One aspect I particularly like is that Apidog CLI isn't limited to executing API requests. You can manage API resources, validate data before making changes, organize environments and variables, collaborate across branches, publish documentation, and automate testing from the same CLI, making it a practical choice for teams building and maintaining APIs at scale.

3. HTTPie

What it is

HTTPie is often described as a more human-friendly alternative to curl. Its syntax is cleaner, responses are easier to read, and working with JSON feels much more natural.

Best for

Developers who frequently test REST APIs from the terminal.

Key Features

  • Clean, readable command syntax
  • Automatic JSON formatting
  • Built-in authentication support
  • Session persistence
  • Colorized output for improved readability

Installation 

pip install httpie
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Example 

http GET <https://api.example.com/users>
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4. jq

What it is

Receiving JSON is only half the battle. Parsing it efficiently is where jq shines. Think of it as a command-line JSON processor that allows you to filter, transform, and extract exactly the data you need.

Best for

Processing API responses and automating shell scripts.

Key Features

  • Parse complex JSON structures
  • Filter nested data
  • Transform JSON output
  • Chain with other CLI tools
  • Lightweight and extremely fast

Installation 

brew install jq
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Example 

curl <https://api.example.com/users> | jq '.users[0].name'
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5. Newman

What it is

If your team already uses Postman collections, Newman allows you to run those collections directly from the command line, making automated testing much easier.

Best for

Running Postman collections inside CI/CD pipelines.

Key Features

  • Execute Postman collections
  • Generate test reports
  • Environment support
  • CI/CD integration
  • Multiple reporting formats

Installation 

npm install -g newman
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Example 

newman run collection.json
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6. Spectral

What it is

Writing an OpenAPI specification is one thing. Making sure it follows consistent standards is another. Spectral is a linter designed specifically for API descriptions.

Best for

API governance and OpenAPI quality checks.

Key Features

  • Lint OpenAPI specifications
  • Custom rule creation
  • Detect design issues
  • Enforce API standards
  • CI/CD integration

Installation 

npm install -g @stoplight/spectral-cli
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Example 

spectral lint openapi.yaml
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7. Bruno CLI

What it is

Bruno has become increasingly popular among developers who prefer storing API collections directly in Git instead of cloud-based workspaces.

Best for

Version-controlled API testing.

Key Features

  • Git-friendly collections
  • Local-first workflow
  • CLI automation
  • Team collaboration
  • Simple collection management

Installation 

npm install -g @usebruno/cli
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Example 

bru run collection
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8. oasdiff

What it is

Making changes to an API specification can introduce breaking changes without anyone noticing. oasdiff compares two OpenAPI specifications and highlights exactly what's changed.

Best for

Tracking API changes before releases.

Key Features

  • Compare OpenAPI specifications
  • Detect breaking changes
  • Generate change reports
  • Release validation
  • CI/CD integration

Installation 

brew install oasdiff
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Example 

oasdiff old.yaml new.yaml
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Comparison

Final Thoughts

No single CLI tool solves every API challenge, and that's perfectly fine. In my own workflow, I often use several of these together depending on what I'm trying to accomplish. A quick request might start with curl or HTTPie, JSON responses usually end up flowing through jq, and API specifications often benefit from tools like Spectral or Swagger CLI before they're committed.

For teams building larger APIs, though, it's becoming increasingly valuable to reduce the number of separate tools needed throughout the API lifecycle. That's one reason I think tools like Apidog CLI are worth exploring. Instead of focusing solely on testing, it also supports API management, schema validation, documentation publishing, environment management, imports and exports across dozens of formats, and automation from the command line, making it a practical addition to modern CI/CD workflows.

Ultimately, the best CLI tool is the one that fits naturally into the way you build software. Hopefully, a few of the tools in this list will help you spend less time on repetitive tasks and more time building great APIs.

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