Bash’s built-in /dev/tcp redirection can send simple HTTP requests when curl or wget are unavailable

The article shows how to use Bash’s /dev/tcp redirection to open a socket and manually send an HTTP GET request, useful in minimal containers without curl or wget. It explains adding headers like Authorization and notes that /dev/tcp is not a real filesystem path but a Bash feature.

This is a practical reminder that stripped-down container images often remove familiar debugging tools, making shell-native techniques valuable for quick connectivity checks. As teams optimize images for size and security, lightweight diagnostics using built-in capabilities can reduce friction without adding extra packages.