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Tutorial Reference

How to Interact with a REST API from a Batch Script

Learn how to send GET and POST requests to REST APIs directly from Windows Batch scripts using native tools like curl.exe and PowerShell.

Modern IT environments rely heavily on REST APIs to communicate with web services, cloud platforms, and third-party applications. While pure Batch scripting does not have a native "HTTP Request" command, modern Windows 10 and 11 environments include powerful built-in tools like curl.exe and PowerShell's Invoke-RestMethod.

In this guide, we will demonstrate how to send GET and POST requests to a REST API directly from a Batch script using these native tools.

Method 1: Using the Native curl Command

Starting with Windows 10 version 1803, curl.exe is included as a native system tool. It is the most robust and widely recognized command-line HTTP client.

Making a GET Request

To retrieve data from an API (e.g., getting a fake JSON response):

@echo off
setlocal

set "apiUrl=https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/todos/1"

echo Fetching data from: %apiUrl%
echo.

:: Use curl.exe to fetch the JSON response
:: -s = silent (no progress bar), -f = fail silently on HTTP errors
curl.exe -s -f "%apiUrl%"

if %errorlevel% NEQ 0 (
    echo.
    echo [ERROR] Request failed with error code: %errorlevel%
)

echo.
pause

Making a POST Request with Headers

To send JSON data to an API, you must specify the HTTP Method (-X POST), provide the Headers (-H), and include the Data payload (-d).

@echo off
setlocal

set "apiUrl=https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts"

:: Define JSON payload in a file to avoid escaping issues
(
    echo {
    echo   "title": "Batch Test",
    echo   "body": "This is a test from CMD",
    echo   "userId": 1
    echo }
) > "%TEMP%\payload.json"

echo Sending POST request to %apiUrl%...
echo.

:: Send request using payload file (@) instead of inline string
curl.exe -s -f -X POST "%apiUrl%" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d @"%TEMP%\payload.json"

if %errorlevel% NEQ 0 (
    echo.
    echo [ERROR] Request failed with error code: %errorlevel%
)

:: Clean up temp file
del "%TEMP%\payload.json" 2>nul

echo.
pause

Capturing the Response into a Variable

To use the API response in subsequent Batch logic, redirect curl's output to a temporary file and read it back:

@echo off
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion

set "apiUrl=https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/todos/1"
set "tempFile=%TEMP%\api_response.json"

:: Fetch and save response
curl.exe -s -f "%apiUrl%" -o "%tempFile%"

if %errorlevel% NEQ 0 (
    echo [ERROR] Request failed.
    pause
    exit /b
)

:: Read each line of the response
echo Response:
for /f "usebackq delims=" %%A in ("%tempFile%") do (
    echo   %%A
)

:: Clean up
del "%tempFile%" 2>nul
pause

Method 2: Using the PowerShell Bridge

If curl.exe is not available, or if you need to perform complex JSON parsing after receiving the response, bridging to PowerShell is highly effective. PowerShell's Invoke-RestMethod automatically parses JSON into usable objects.

Fetching and Parsing JSON with PowerShell

@echo off
setlocal

set "apiUrl=https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/users/1"

echo Querying API via PowerShell...

:: Fetch data and extract just the 'name' property
for /f "usebackq delims=" %%A in (`
    powershell -NoProfile -Command "(Invoke-RestMethod -Uri '%apiUrl%').name"
`) do set "userName=%%A"

if not defined userName (
    echo [ERROR] Failed to retrieve user name.
    pause
    exit /b
)

echo.
echo User Name Retrieved: %userName%
pause

Sending a POST Request with PowerShell

@echo off
setlocal

set "apiUrl=https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts"

for /f "usebackq delims=" %%A in (`
    powershell -NoProfile -Command ^
        "$body = @{title='Batch Test'; body='Test from CMD'; userId=1} | ConvertTo-Json; " ^
        "(Invoke-RestMethod -Uri '%apiUrl%' -Method Post -ContentType 'application/json' -Body $body).id"
`) do set "newId=%%A"

echo Created post with ID: %newId%
pause

Why Interact with REST APIs in Batch?

  1. Cloud Integration: Triggering a CI/CD pipeline build, sending a message to a Slack/Discord webhook, or creating a JIRA ticket.
  2. System Monitoring: Pulling the current status of a web service before proceeding with a local maintenance script.
  3. Data Ingestion: Downloading the latest configuration file or threat-intelligence list from a remote server before a scan.

Important Considerations

Conclusion

Interacting with REST APIs transforms your Batch scripts from isolated local tasks into powerful, connected automation tools. Whether you use the robust, industry-standard curl.exe or leverage the parsing power of the PowerShell bridge, you can integrate your local Windows environment with virtually any modern web service, cloud platform, or notification system.

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