《RESTful Web APIs》书中有一段POST API示例，现实中我们如何测试这个示例？书中没有说，Let's try it！

《RESTful Web APIs》书中有一段POST API示例：

I then send the filled-out template as part of an HTTP POST request:

POST /api/ HTTP/1.1
Host: www.youtypeitwepostit.com
Content-Type: application/vnd.collection+json
{ "template":
{
"data": [
{"prompt": "Text of the message", "name": "text", "value": "Squid!"}
]
}
}

(Note that my request’s Content-Type is application/vnd.collection+json . This

filled-out template is a valid Collection+JSON document all on its own.)
The server responds:

HTTP/1.1 201 Created
Location: http://www.youtypeitwepostit.com/api/47210977342911065

作者Leonard Richardson and Mike Amundsen只说他们send了一个POST HTTP REQUEST，但我们不知道如何send？使用何种工具send？

step1. 我尝试使用“在线HTTP GET/POST模拟请求测试工具”，以失败告终；

step2. 在gdg的群里，偶然发现有朋友使用curl发送post请求至webapi，遂下载curl for windows，仿照他的命令测试，如下所示：

curl -X POST -H "Content-Type:application/vnd.collection+json" -d ‘{ "template" : { "data":  [ { "prompt": "Text of the message", "name": "text", "value": "Nathan" } ] } }’ http://www.youtypeitwepostit.com/api/

命令执行后返回：

curl: (6) Could not resolve host: template
curl: (7) Failed connect to :80; No error
curl: (3) [globbing] unmatched brace in column 1
curl: (6) Could not resolve host: data
curl: (3) [globbing] bad range specification in column 2
curl: (3) [globbing] unmatched brace in column 1
curl: (6) Could not resolve host: prompt
curl: (6) Could not resolve host: Text of the message,
curl: (6) Could not resolve host: name
curl: (6) Could not resolve host: text,
curl: (6) Could not resolve host: value
curl: (6) Could not resolve host: Nathan
curl: (3) [globbing] unmatched close brace/bracket in column 1
curl: (3) [globbing] unmatched close brace/bracket in column 1
curl: (3) [globbing] unmatched close brace/bracket in column 1
curl: (3) [globbing] unmatched close brace/bracket in column 1
{"collection":{"version":"1.0","href":"http://www.youtypeitwepostit.com/api/","error":{"title":"Server Error","code":500}}}

命令返回结果与作者在书里写的不一样，这是为什么呢？

经过一番周折，我在这位仁兄的博客里找到了答案：http://blog.csdn.net/lipei1220/article/details/8536520

step3. 成功模拟作者的发送命令，成功测试人生中第一个POST WEB API，cool！ 感谢gdg友人的分享讨论。

curl -X POST -H Content-Type:application/vnd.collection+json -d "{ \"template\" : { \"data\":  [ { \"prompt\": \"Text of the message\", \"name\": \"text\", \"value\": \"Nathan\" } ] } }"  http://www.youtypeitwepostit.com/api/

如果你也在阅读《RESTful Web APIs》，如果你也想try it yourself on your windows platform，just download curl for windows and try it!

===

2016年4月8日追加：

1. 如果希望看到上述命令返回的结果，需要打开curl命令的-i开关，如下所示：

curl -i -X POST -H Content-Type:application/vnd.collection+json -d "{ \"template\" : { \"data\":  [ { \"prompt\": \"Text of the message\", \"name\": \"text\", \"value\": \"Nathan\" } ] } }"  http://www.youtypeitwepostit.com/api/

执行命令后返回结果为：

HTTP/1.1 201 Created
Server: Cowboy
Connection: keep-alive
Location: http://www.youtypeitwepostit.com/api/9239483117125928
Date: Fri, 08 Apr 2016 07:33:17 GMT
Transfer-Encoding: chunked
Via: 1.1 vegur

2. 如果希望看到一次http通信的整个过程，包括端口连接和http request头信息，则需要打开curl命令的-v开关，如下所示：

curl -v -X POST -H Content-Type:application/vnd.collection+json -d "{ \"template\" : { \"data\":  [ { \"prompt\": \"Text of the message\", \"name\": \"text\", \"value\": \"Nathan\" } ] } }"  http://www.youtypeitwepostit.com/api/

执行命令后返回结果为：

* Adding handle: conn: 0x2225f90
* Adding handle: send: 0
* Adding handle: recv: 0
* Curl_addHandleToPipeline: length: 1
* - Conn 0 (0x2225f90) send_pipe: 1, recv_pipe: 0
* About to connect() to www.youtypeitwepostit.com port 80 (#0)
*   Trying 107.21.92.176...
* Connected to www.youtypeitwepostit.com (107.21.92.176) port 80 (#0)
> POST /api/ HTTP/1.1
> User-Agent: curl/7.33.0
> Host: www.youtypeitwepostit.com
> Accept: */*
> Content-Type:application/vnd.collection+json
> Content-Length: 104
>
* upload completely sent off: 104 out of 104 bytes
< HTTP/1.1 201 Created
* Server Cowboy is not blacklisted
< Server: Cowboy
< Connection: keep-alive
< Location: http://www.youtypeitwepostit.com/api/20962976710870862
< Date: Fri, 08 Apr 2016 07:38:36 GMT
< Transfer-Encoding: chunked
< Via: 1.1 vegur
<
* Connection #0 to host www.youtypeitwepostit.com left intact