Toolpaper

cURL with Basic auth in Node.js

Paste a curl command that uses Basic auth and get Node.js code using native fetch. Toolpaper also detects secrets and offers a one-click redaction before sharing.

Quick answer

To convert a cURL command to Node.js, paste it into the Toolpaper workbench below. It parses the command in your browser and emits idiomatic Node.js code — headers, query string, request body, authentication (Bearer, Basic, API key), and cookies are all wired up automatically. No data is uploaded; conversion is fully client-side.

Prefer a different target? See the full cURL to Node.js reference, or jump to the same guide in JavaScript, Python, or Go.

InputcURL command
1 secret
MethodGET·Headers0·Body—·Authbasic· Chars 51
OutputJavaScript · Node fetch(Node 18+)
// Node 18+ has global fetch
const response = await fetch("https://api.example.com/me", {
  method: "GET",
  headers: {
    "Authorization": "Basic YWxpY2U6czNjcmV0"
  },
  redirect: "manual"
});
const data = await response.json();
Inspect

Example

A representative curl command for this scenario. Paste your own above to convert an exact match.

curl input
curl https://api.example.com/me \
  -u alice:s3cret

Implementation notes

  • -u user:pass is decoded and re-emitted as an idiomatic native fetch auth primitive rather than a hand-rolled base64 header.
  • Secrets are visible in the parsed request. Use the Clean panel's redact-and-diff flow before you paste the command anywhere.
  • Shareable links Base64-encode the input — they never leave your browser, and cleaned versions produce different links.

Common mistakes

  • Hard-coding user:pass into source instead of reading from env vars — the generated snippet marks credentials so you notice.
  • Not rotating a leaked credential because "it's only in a screenshot" — screenshots get OCR'd, redact first.
  • Trusting HTTPS alone for API keys in query strings — proxies log URLs. Prefer headers, which the converter defaults to.

Common questions

How is Basic auth rendered in Node.js?
-u user:pass becomes an idiomatic Basic auth call — auth=(user, pass) in Python, SetBasicAuth in Go, .setBasicAuth in Java.
Can I redact the secret before sharing?
Yes. Open the Clean panel — Toolpaper detects Bearer tokens, Basic credentials, and common API-key patterns and replaces them with <REDACTED> in a diffable view.
Does anything leave my browser?
No. Parsing, redaction, and generation are 100% client-side.

More auth flows in Node.js

Node.js hub →

Bearer token in Node.js

/how-to/curl-bearer-auth-in-node

API key in Node.js

/how-to/curl-api-key-auth-in-node

The same guide in other languages

All guides →

In JavaScript

/how-to/curl-basic-auth-in-javascript

In Python

/how-to/curl-basic-auth-in-python

In Go

/how-to/curl-basic-auth-in-go

In PHP

/how-to/curl-basic-auth-in-php

In Ruby

/how-to/curl-basic-auth-in-ruby

In Rust

/how-to/curl-basic-auth-in-rust

In Java

/how-to/curl-basic-auth-in-java

In Kotlin

/how-to/curl-basic-auth-in-kotlin

Full Node.js reference on the cURL to Node.js hub, or open the main converter for all 18 targets.