Custom Headers

Many APIs require specific headers for authentication, content negotiation, or custom tracing. NetShift allows you to pass one or more custom headers seamlessly.

Usage

Use the -H or --header flag followed by the header in Key: Value format.

You can specify multiple headers by repeating the flag.

ns <method> <url> -H "Header-Key: Header-Value"

Examples

Sending JSON data (Content-Type)

ns post https://httpbin.org/post -H "Content-Type: application/json"

Authentication (Bearer Token)

ns get https://api.example.com/protected -H "Authorization: Bearer my-secret-token"

Multiple Headers

ns get https://api.example.com/items \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -H "X-Request-Source: netshift"

Syntax Rules

NetShift enforces a few rules to ensure your headers are valid before sending the request:

1. Colon separator: Each header must contain a colon (:). If the colon is missing, the CLI will raise an error.
2. Trimming: NetShift automatically trims whitespace around the header key and value, so -H "Key : Value" is parsed correctly as Key: Value.

Example of an invalid header that will be rejected:

# This will fail because it lacks a colon
ns get https://api.example.com/items -H "Accept application/json"