How is GraphQL encoded in the generated Java?

GraphQL queries are treated as JSON payloads with the { query, variables } shape intact.

Does it preserve Content-Type?

Yes. The Content-Type header is honored and matched against the body so serialization stays consistent.

Is anything uploaded?

No. Parsing and generation happen entirely in your browser.

Send GraphQL with cURL in Java

Paste a curl command that sends GraphQL and get idiomatic Java code. We pick the right serialization for OkHttp and set the correct Content-Type.

Quick answer

To convert a cURL command to Java, paste it into the Toolpaper workbench below. It parses the command in your browser and emits idiomatic Java 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 Java reference, or jump to the same guide in JavaScript, Node.js, or Python.

InputcURL command

MethodPOST·Headers1·Body34 B· Chars 128

OutputJVM · OkHttp(modern JVM)

import okhttp3.MediaType;
import okhttp3.OkHttpClient;
import okhttp3.Request;
import okhttp3.RequestBody;
import okhttp3.Response;

public class Main {
  public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
    OkHttpClient.Builder clientBuilder = new OkHttpClient.Builder();
    clientBuilder.followRedirects(false).followSslRedirects(false);
    OkHttpClient client = clientBuilder.build();
    RequestBody body = RequestBody.create("{\"query\":\"{ viewer { id name } }\"}", MediaType.parse("application/json"));
    Request.Builder rb = new Request.Builder().url("https://api.example.com/graphql");
    rb.method("POST", body);
    rb.header("Content-Type", "application/json");
    try (Response response = client.newCall(rb.build()).execute()) {
      System.out.println(response.body().string());
    }
  }
}

Inspect

Example

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

curl input

curl -X POST https://api.example.com/graphql \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query":"{ viewer { id name } }"}'

Implementation notes

Content-Type is detected from -H headers first, then inferred from the body shape when the header is missing.
GraphQL payloads keep their { query, variables, operationName } shape so persisted-query servers keep matching.
Charset directives on Content-Type (e.g. application/json; charset=utf-8) survive the round trip.

Common mistakes

Setting Content-Type manually and then also using OkHttp's helper — you end up with duplicate headers or the wrong one wins.
Mixing form encoding with JSON headers — the server rejects with 400 and it's easy to miss in code review.
Trusting the browser DevTools "Copy as cURL" to preserve charset — it often drops it. Clean panel restores common defaults.

Common questions

How is GraphQL encoded in the generated Java?: GraphQL queries are treated as JSON payloads with the { query, variables } shape intact.
Does it preserve Content-Type?: Yes. The Content-Type header is honored and matched against the body so serialization stays consistent.
Is anything uploaded?: No. Parsing and generation happen entirely in your browser.

More payload types in Java

Java hub →

JSON in Java

/how-to/send-json-with-curl-in-java

form-urlencoded in Java

/how-to/send-form-with-curl-in-java

multipart form-data in Java

/how-to/send-multipart-with-curl-in-java

XML in Java

/how-to/send-xml-with-curl-in-java

The same guide in other languages

All guides →

In JavaScript

/how-to/send-graphql-with-curl-in-javascript

In Node.js

/how-to/send-graphql-with-curl-in-node

In Python

/how-to/send-graphql-with-curl-in-python

In Go

/how-to/send-graphql-with-curl-in-go

In PHP

/how-to/send-graphql-with-curl-in-php

In Ruby

/how-to/send-graphql-with-curl-in-ruby

In Rust

/how-to/send-graphql-with-curl-in-rust

In Kotlin

/how-to/send-graphql-with-curl-in-kotlin

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