How to send a POST Request with PHP ?

Last Updated : 24 Apr, 2025

In web development, sending POST requests is a common practice for interacting with servers and exchanging data. PHP, a versatile server-side scripting language, provides various approaches to accomplish this task. This article will explore different methods to send POST requests using PHP.

Table of Content

Using file_get_contents() and stream_context_create() Functions

This approach involves creating a stream context to configure the request and then using file_get_contents() function to perform the POST request. It is a basic method suitable for simple scenarios.

Example:

PHP

<?php    // Define the URL and data $url = 'https://example.com/'; $data = ['key' => 'value'];  // Prepare POST data $options = [     'http' => [         'method'  => 'POST',         'header'  => 'Content-type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded',         'content' => http_build_query($data),     ], ];  // Create stream context $context  = stream_context_create($options);  // Perform POST request $response = file_get_contents($url, false, $context);  // Display the response echo $response;  ?>

Here, define the target URL and the data to be sent. Create a stream context with the appropriate POST headers and data. Use file_get_contents with the created context to perform the POST request. Display the received response.

Output:

wdw

Leveraging the cURL Library

The cURL library is a powerful tool for making HTTP requests. PHP provides a curl_init() function to initialize a cURL session, allowing you to configure and execute POST requests with fine-grained control.

Example:

PHP

<?php  // Specify the URL and data $url = 'https://example.com/'; $data = ['key' => 'value'];  // Initialize cURL session $ch = curl_init();  // Set cURL options curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $url); curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, 1); curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, http_build_query($data)); curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);  // Execute cURL session $response = curl_exec($ch);  // Check for cURL errors if ($response === false) {     die('Error occurred while fetching the data: '          . curl_error($ch)); }  // Close cURL session curl_close($ch);  // Display the response echo $response;  ?>

Define the target URL and the data to be sent. Initialize a cURL session using curl_init() function. Set cURL options, including the POST method, POST data, and return transfer option. Execute the cURL session using curl_exec() function. Close the cURL session with curl_close() function. Display the received response.

Output:

wdw

Utilizing the HTTP_Request2 Class

For advanced scenarios, the HTTP_Request2 class from the PEAR package offers a convenient object-oriented approach. It provides features like handling redirects, cookies, and custom headers.

Example:

PHP

<?php  // Install PEAR's HTTP_Request2 package // using Composer // composer require pear/http_request2  // Include Composer autoload require_once 'vendor/autoload.php';  // Specify the URL and data $url = 'https://example.com/'; $data = ['key' => 'value'];  // Create HTTP_Request2 object $request = new HTTP_Request2($url, HTTP_Request2::METHOD_GET); $request->addPostParameter($data);  // Send the request and get the response try {     $response = $request->send()->getBody();        // Display the response     echo $response; } catch (HTTP_Request2_Exception $e) {     die('Error occurred while fetching the data: '          . $e->getMessage()); }  ?>

Install the HTTP_Request2 package using Composer. Include the Composer autoload file. Define the target URL and the data to be sent. Create an HTTP_Request2 object with the POST method and parameters. Send the request using send() and retrieve the response with getBody() Function. Display the received response.

Output:

wdw

How to Use Postman for Sending POST Requests?

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Article Tags :

How to send a POST Request with PHP ?

Using file_get_contents() and stream_context_create() Functions

Leveraging the cURL Library

Utilizing the HTTP_Request2 Class

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