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The Zen of GitHub in Your Terminal

Fetch a random design aphorism from GitHub's public API.

LinuxcurlnetworkapiLow risk
Run curl -s https://api.github.com/zen to print a random Zen line.

01Command

Command
$ curl -s https://api.github.com/zen

02What it does

The /zen endpoint returns one of GitHub's short design maxims. It is a tiny, stable example of calling a JSON-free API and a pleasant addition to a shell startup file, alongside fortune.

03Risk

RiskLow risk
Requirementscurl (preinstalled on most Linux distributions)
!Warning: Like all unauthenticated GitHub API calls it is rate-limited; cache or space out calls if you automate it.

04Undo

✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.

05Sources

Last verified: 2026-09-20 · Category: Network

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