Setting Up Your Client Application

The Bulk API uses HTTP GET and HTTP POST methods to send and receive CSV and XML content, so it's very simple to build client applications using the tool or the language of your choice. This quick start uses a command-line tool called cURL to simplify sending and receiving HTTP requests and responses.

cURL is pre-installed on many Linux and Mac systems. Windows users can download a version at curl.haxx.se/. When using HTTPS on Windows, ensure that your system meets the cURL requirements for SSL.

Escaping the Session ID or Using Single Quotes on Mac and Linux Systems

When running the cURL examples for the REST resources, you may get an error on Mac and Linux systems due to the presence of the exclamation mark special character in the session ID argument. To avoid getting this error, do one of the following:

• Escape the exclamation mark (!) special character in the session ID by inserting a backslash before it (\!) when the session ID is enclosed within double quotes. For example, the session ID string in this cURL command has the exclamation mark (!) escaped:
  1curl https://instance_name.salesforce.com/services/data/v35.0/ 
  2-H "Authorization: Bearer 00D50000000IehZ\!AQcAQH0dMHZfz972Szmpkb58urFRkgeBGsxL_QJWwYMfAbUeeG7c1E6
  3LYUfiDUkWe6H34r1AAwOR8B8fLEz6n04NPGRrq0FM"

• Enclose the session ID within single quotes. For example:
  1curl https://instance_name.salesforce.com/services/data/v35.0/ 
  2-H 'Authorization: Bearer sessionID'