Dry Run Mode

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

OverviewCopy Anchor Link

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 UsageCopy Anchor Link

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

# 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

ExampleCopy Anchor Link

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

# 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

$ curl-runner api.yaml --dry-run

  Command:
    curl -X POST -w
__CURL_METRICS_START__%{json}__CURL_METRICS_END__ -D - -H 'Authorization: [REDACTED]' -H 'Content-Type: application/json' --data-raw '{"name":"John Doe","email":"john@example.com"}' -L --proto -all,http,https --proto-redir -all,http,https -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 FormatsCopy Anchor Link

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

• --output-format pretty (default): 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)

$ 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 VariablesCopy Anchor Link

Enable dry run mode via environment variable for scripted workflows.

• CURL_RUNNER_DRY_RUN Enable dry run mode (true/false)

# 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 CasesCopy Anchor Link

Common scenarios where dry run mode is helpful.

# 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 PracticesCopy Anchor Link

• Recommended
  • Use -n before running against production APIs
  • Verify authentication headers are correctly interpolated (secret values are shown as [REDACTED]; use --no-redact to see them)
  • 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)