Day 15: 3 Must-Know Linux Networking Commands That Every Developer Should Master (with Real-World API Examples)"

Command 1: curl – Fetch API Data in Your Terminal

Explanation:

curl is a killer command-line tool that lets you fetch data from any API straight into your Linux terminal. Here's how the internet actually works: when you hit a URL, you don't directly talk to the server. Your request first hits an API, then the API forwards it to the server, fetches the data, and sends it back to your terminal (client).

Real-World Example:

1. Head over to: https://dummy.restapiexample.com/

2. Copy any sample API link by right-clicking → Copy Link Address (Example):

2. In your terminal, run:

2. To make it look pretty (just like on the website), use jq:

jq is a JSON processor that makes the output clean and easy to read.

Command 2: wget – Download Any File from the Internet

Explanation:

Want to download any file (PDF, DOC, ZIP, etc.) from the internet using your terminal? wget is the OG command for that.

Real-World Example:

1. Go to: https://filesamples.com/categories/document

2. Pick any file, right-click, and Copy Link Address (Example):

2. Now jump into your Downloads folder:

3. Run:

4. Check if it downloaded successfully

wget supports fast downloads, resumable downloads, and works like a charm in the terminal.

Command 3: watch – Live Monitoring of Any Command

Explanation:

watch allows you to monitor the live output of any command by running it again and again in a loop (default: every 2 seconds). Perfect for real-time monitoring!

Real-World Example:

Let's say you want to monitor open ports and network sockets live:

This will refresh the output every 2 seconds and show you real-time updates.