Automating Data Fetching with curl

In Conky customization, it's common to display real-time data such as weather information, the latest news, system status, or even custom API responses. One of the most powerful tools to retrieve data from the internet is curl. This command-line utility is essential for fetching external data that you can then process and display in your Conky theme.

What is curl?

curl, short for "Client URL," is a versatile and powerful command-line tool designed for transferring data between a client and a server. It supports a wide range of protocols including HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, FTPS, SCP, SFTP, LDAP, and many others—making it one of the most widely used tools in web development, system administration, and automation scripts.

Unlike graphical tools or web browsers, curl works entirely in the terminal, allowing you to make raw HTTP requests, upload or download files, interact with APIs, and test endpoints with precise control over headers, cookies, authentication, and more. Its simplicity and scriptability make it ideal for automating repetitive data-fetching tasks or integrating online data sources into other programs—like Conky.

Whether you're retrieving weather information, sending data to a REST API, monitoring server status, or downloading files, curl gives you the flexibility to work across many systems and use cases. Its ubiquity across Linux, macOS, and even Windows environments has made it a fundamental tool in any command-line toolkit.

Check If curl Is Installed

$ curl --version

If the version information is displayed, curl is installed. If not, you can install it using one of the methods below.

How to Install curl

Debian / Ubuntu / Linux Mint

$ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt install curl

Arch Linux / Manjaro

$ sudo pacman -S curl

Fedora

$ sudo dnf install curl

NixOS

$ nix-env -iA nixos.curl

macOS (Homebrew)

$ brew install curl

Example Use in Conky

Let’s say you want to display the current weather in your city using a public API. You can use curl like this in my Conky script:

${execpi 1800 ~/.config/conky/scripts/weather.sh}

And your weather.sh might look like this:

#!/bin/bash

# Get weather data (example with wttr.in)
curl -s 'https://wttr.in/?format=1'

The output of that script might be something like: ☀️ +29°C, which is simple and efficient for Conky display.

Screenshot Example

Weather output fetched using curl

Final Thoughts

curl is a fundamental tool that opens up the internet for your Conky theme. Whether you're displaying weather, song lyrics, cryptocurrency prices, or data from your smart home — it all starts with fetching it. Pair curl with tools like jq or awk for more advanced parsing, and you're ready for highly dynamic desktop widgets.

In future articles, we'll explore how to combine curl with jq to parse and style JSON API responses effectively in Conky.