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SSL certificate error in Node.js

Self-signed or expired certs will break in strict clients even though -k made curl happy. Paste your curl command to see what Node.js (native fetch) would send and compare against the working request.

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·Headers1·Body—· Chars 73
OutputJavaScript · Node fetch(Node 18+)
// Node 18+ has global fetch
const response = await fetch("https://api.example.com/me", {
  method: "GET",
  headers: {
    "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"
  },
  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 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"

Implementation notes

  • Fix the certificate, or configure the language client with a custom CA bundle. Never disable verification in production.
  • Use the Explain panel to enumerate exactly which headers, cookies, and TLS flags the curl request carries.
  • The In-browser Runner is a fast way to confirm whether the failure reproduces from the browser or only from the server.

Common mistakes

  • Comparing curl and Node.js without capturing both actual wire requests — mitmproxy or Charles pays off here.
  • Assuming a working curl means the API is happy — client differences (redirect handling, keep-alive, HTTP/2) surface as edge cases.
  • Silencing warnings instead of fixing them — every Node.js client has a way to log the outgoing request; turn it on.

Common questions

Why does curl work but Node.js fail?
Usually a header curl adds by default is missing in Node.js, or vice versa. Paste the curl above to see a normalized breakdown.
Is my request sent to Toolpaper?
No. Parsing and diffing run in your browser.

More guides in Node.js

Node.js hub →

401 Unauthorized from curl · Node.js

/how-to/curl-401-in-node

CORS error when replaying curl in the browser · Node.js

/how-to/curl-cors-in-node

The same guide in other languages

All guides →

In JavaScript

/how-to/curl-ssl-in-javascript

In Python

/how-to/curl-ssl-in-python

In Go

/how-to/curl-ssl-in-go

In Java

/how-to/curl-ssl-in-java

In C#

/how-to/curl-ssl-in-csharp

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