curl/docs/cmdline-opts/data-binary.md

---
c: Copyright (C) Daniel Stenberg, <daniel@haxx.se>, et al.
SPDX-License-Identifier: curl
Long: data-binary
Arg: <data>
Help: HTTP POST binary data
Protocols: HTTP
Category: http post upload
Added: 7.2
Multi: append
See-also:
  - data-ascii
Example:
  - --data-binary @filename $URL
---

# `--data-binary`

Post data exactly as specified with no extra processing whatsoever.

If you start the data with the letter @, the rest should be a filename. Data
is posted in a similar manner as --data does, except that newlines and
carriage returns are preserved and conversions are never done.

Like --data the default content-type sent to the server is
application/x-www-form-urlencoded. If you want the data to be treated as
arbitrary binary data by the server then set the content-type to octet-stream:
-H "Content-Type: application/octet-stream".

If this option is used several times, the ones following the first append
data as described in --data.
docs/cmdline: change to .md for cmdline docs - switch all invidual files documenting command line options into .md, as the documentation is now markdown-looking. - made the parser treat 4-space indents as quotes - switch to building the curl.1 manpage using the "mainpage.idx" file, which lists the files to include to generate it, instead of using the previous page-footer/headers. Also, those files are now also .md ones, using the same format. I gave them underscore prefixes to make them sort separately: _NAME.md, _SYNOPSIS.md, _DESCRIPTION.md, _URL.md, _GLOBBING.md, _VARIABLES.md, _OUTPUT.md, _PROTOCOLS.md, _PROGRESS.md, _VERSION.md, _OPTIONS.md, _FILES.md, _ENVIRONMENT.md, _PROXYPREFIX.md, _EXITCODES.md, _BUGS.md, _AUTHORS.md, _WWW.md, _SEEALSO.md - updated test cases accordingly Closes #12751 2024-01-21 06:18:43 +08:00			`---`
copyright: update all copyright lines and remove year ranges - they are mostly pointless in all major jurisdictions - many big corporations and projects already don't use them - saves us from pointless churn - git keeps history for us - the year range is kept in COPYING checksrc is updated to allow non-year using copyright statements Closes #10205 2023-01-02 20:51:48 +08:00			`c: Copyright (C) Daniel Stenberg, <daniel@haxx.se>, et al.`
docs/cmdline-opts: add copyright and license identifier to each file gen.pl now insists on C: and SPDX-License-Identifier: fields to be present in all files. Closes #9002 2022-06-14 06:12:03 +08:00			`SPDX-License-Identifier: curl`
cmdline-docs: more options converted over 2016-11-16 06:44:58 +08:00			`Long: data-binary`
			`Arg: <data>`
			`Help: HTTP POST binary data`
			`Protocols: HTTP`
docs: add categories to all cmdline opts Adapted gen.pl with 'listcats' This commit is a part of "--help me if you can" Closes #5680 2020-07-13 20:15:04 +08:00			`Category: http post upload`
cmdline-opts: made the 'Added:' field mandatory Since "too old" versions are no longer included in the generated man page, this field is now mandatory so that it won't be forgotten and then not included in the documentation. Closes #7786 2021-09-28 17:50:07 +08:00			`Added: 7.2`
cmdline/docs: add a required 'multi' keyword for each option The keyword specifies how option works when specified multiple times: - single: the last provided value replaces the earlier ones - append: it supports being provided multiple times - boolean: on/off values - mutex: flag-like option that disable anoter flag The 'gen.pl' script then outputs the proper and unified language for each option's multi-use behavior in the generated man page. The multi: header is requires in each .d file and will cause build error if missing or set to an unknown value. Closes #9759 2022-10-18 16:39:43 +08:00			`Multi: append`
docs/cmdline: change to .md for cmdline docs - switch all invidual files documenting command line options into .md, as the documentation is now markdown-looking. - made the parser treat 4-space indents as quotes - switch to building the curl.1 manpage using the "mainpage.idx" file, which lists the files to include to generate it, instead of using the previous page-footer/headers. Also, those files are now also .md ones, using the same format. I gave them underscore prefixes to make them sort separately: _NAME.md, _SYNOPSIS.md, _DESCRIPTION.md, _URL.md, _GLOBBING.md, _VARIABLES.md, _OUTPUT.md, _PROTOCOLS.md, _PROGRESS.md, _VERSION.md, _OPTIONS.md, _FILES.md, _ENVIRONMENT.md, _PROXYPREFIX.md, _EXITCODES.md, _BUGS.md, _AUTHORS.md, _WWW.md, _SEEALSO.md - updated test cases accordingly Closes #12751 2024-01-21 06:18:43 +08:00			`See-also:`
			`- data-ascii`
			`Example:`
			`- --data-binary @filename $URL`
cmdline-docs: more options converted over 2016-11-16 06:44:58 +08:00			`---`
docs/cmdline: change to .md for cmdline docs - switch all invidual files documenting command line options into .md, as the documentation is now markdown-looking. - made the parser treat 4-space indents as quotes - switch to building the curl.1 manpage using the "mainpage.idx" file, which lists the files to include to generate it, instead of using the previous page-footer/headers. Also, those files are now also .md ones, using the same format. I gave them underscore prefixes to make them sort separately: _NAME.md, _SYNOPSIS.md, _DESCRIPTION.md, _URL.md, _GLOBBING.md, _VARIABLES.md, _OUTPUT.md, _PROTOCOLS.md, _PROGRESS.md, _VERSION.md, _OPTIONS.md, _FILES.md, _ENVIRONMENT.md, _PROXYPREFIX.md, _EXITCODES.md, _BUGS.md, _AUTHORS.md, _WWW.md, _SEEALSO.md - updated test cases accordingly Closes #12751 2024-01-21 06:18:43 +08:00
			# `--data-binary`

cmdline-opts: language cleanups Use imperative mood consistently for the first sentence describing an option. "Set this" instead "tell curl to set" or "this sets..." Plus some extra cleanups and rephrasing. Closes #13106 2024-03-12 17:34:58 +08:00			`Post data exactly as specified with no extra processing whatsoever.`
cmdline-docs: more options converted over 2016-11-16 06:44:58 +08:00
docs: address proselint nits - avoid exclamation marks - use consistent number of spaces after periods: one - avoid clichés - avoid using 'very' Closes #8060 2021-11-26 15:46:59 +08:00			`If you start the data with the letter @, the rest should be a filename. Data`
cmdline-docs: more options converted over 2016-11-16 06:44:58 +08:00			`is posted in a similar manner as --data does, except that newlines and`
			`carriage returns are preserved and conversions are never done.`

data-binary.d: clarify default content-type is x-www-form-urlencoded - Advise user that --data-binary sends a default content type of x-www-form-urlencoded, and to have the data treated as arbitrary binary data by the server set the content-type header to octet-stream. Ref: https://github.com/curl/curl/pull/2852#issuecomment-426465094 Closes https://github.com/curl/curl/pull/3085 2018-10-03 09:55:57 +08:00			`Like --data the default content-type sent to the server is`
			`application/x-www-form-urlencoded. If you want the data to be treated as`
			`arbitrary binary data by the server then set the content-type to octet-stream:`
			`-H "Content-Type: application/octet-stream".`

cmdline-docs: use present tense, not future + some smaller cleanups Closes #11821 2023-09-08 20:32:29 +08:00			`If this option is used several times, the ones following the first append`
cmdline-docs: more options converted over 2016-11-16 06:44:58 +08:00			`data as described in --data.`