Dry Run Mode

Preview the exact curl commands that would be executed without making actual API calls.

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Overview

Dry run mode shows you exactly what curl commands curl-runner would execute, without actually making the HTTP requests. This is invaluable for debugging configurations, validating variable interpolation, and reviewing complex request setups.

Preview Commands

See the exact curl command before execution

Validate Config

Verify headers, body, and variable interpolation

Safe Testing

No API calls made, no side effects

Basic Usage

Enable dry run mode with the -n or --dry-run flag.

Basic Dry Run
# Basic dry run
curl-runner api.yaml --dry-run

# Short form
curl-runner api.yaml -n

# Dry run a directory of tests
curl-runner tests/ --dry-run

# Dry run with verbose output
curl-runner api.yaml -n -v

Example

Given this YAML configuration, dry run mode shows the generated curl command.

api.yaml
# api.yaml
request:
  name: Create User
  url: https://api.example.com/users
  method: POST
  headers:
    Authorization: Bearer ${API_TOKEN}
    Content-Type: application/json
  body:
    name: John Doe
    email: john@example.com
Dry Run Output
$ curl-runner api.yaml --dry-run

  Command:
    curl -X POST -w '__CURL_METRICS_START__%{json}__CURL_METRICS_END__' \
      -H 'Authorization: Bearer token123' \
      -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
      -d '{"name":"John Doe","email":"john@example.com"}' \
      -L -s -S https://api.example.com/users

✓ Create User [api]
   ├─ POST: https://api.example.com/users
   ├─ ✓ Status: DRY-RUN
   └─ Duration: 0ms | 0 B

Summary: 1 request completed successfully

Output Formats

Dry run works with all output formats. The dryRun: true field indicates no request was made.

--output-format prettydefault

Shows Status: DRY-RUN in cyan

--output-format json

Includes "dryRun": true in the response

--output-format raw

Shows only the curl command (no response body)

JSON Output
$ curl-runner api.yaml --dry-run --output-format json

{
  "request": {
    "name": "Create User",
    "url": "https://api.example.com/users",
    "method": "POST"
  },
  "success": true,
  "dryRun": true
}

Environment Variables

Enable dry run mode via environment variable for scripted workflows.

CURL_RUNNER_DRY_RUNEnable dry run mode (true/false)
Environment Variables
# Enable dry run via environment variable
CURL_RUNNER_DRY_RUN=true curl-runner api.yaml

# Useful in scripts for conditional dry runs
if [ "$DEBUG" = "true" ]; then
  curl-runner api.yaml --dry-run
else
  curl-runner api.yaml
fi

Use Cases

Common scenarios where dry run mode is helpful.

Common Use Cases
# Verify configuration before deployment
curl-runner production.yaml --dry-run

# Debug authentication headers
curl-runner auth-test.yaml -n -v

# Validate variable interpolation
curl-runner ${ENV}.yaml --dry-run

# Review generated commands for complex requests
curl-runner file-upload.yaml --dry-run

Best Practices

Recommended

• Use -n before running against production APIs
• Verify authentication headers are correctly interpolated
• Check request body structure for complex payloads
• Validate file upload configurations

Notes

• Response storage won't have values from dry runs
• Conditional execution evaluates but doesn't execute
• Snapshot/diff modes show DRY-RUN status
• All requests show success (no actual validation)