---
name: "nquire"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "ncbi-entrez-direct"
version: "24.0.20250523+dfsg-1+b1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/nquire"
---

# nquire(1)

query NCBI Entrez Utilities, other parameter-based web services, or FTP

## NAME

nquire - query NCBI Entrez Utilities, other parameter-based web services, or FTP

## SYNOPSIS

**nquire** \[**-help**\] \[**-ftp** *host* *dir* \[*file*\]\] \[**-url** *URL*\] \[**-get** \[*URL*\]\] \[**-len** *URL*\] \[**-lst** *host* *dir*\] \[**-dir** *host* *dir*\] \[**-eutils** *name*\] \[**-dwn** *host* *dir* \[*file*\]\] \[**-asp** *host* *dir* \[*file*\]\] \[**-ncbi**\|**-eutils**\|**-pubchem**\|**-pugrest**\|**-pugview**\|**-datasets**\] \[*component* ...\] \[**-***tag* *value* ...\] \[**-examples**\] \[**-version**\]

## DESCRIPTION

**nquire** performs raw HTTP(S) queries against web services such as NCBI E-Utilities that take **GET** or **POST** parameters, or downloads or listings from FTP and Aspera servers. (Aspera support requires installing proprietary client software.)

## OPTIONS

### Documentation

- **-help**

  Print usage information, complete with a few examples, some additionally illustrating the use of [**xtract**(1)](/xtract/1.md).

### Query Commands

- **-ftp** *host* *dir* \[*file*\]

  Use FTP instead of HTTP. The shell implementation accepts a filename on the command line only when invoked from a (pseudo)terminal, and otherwise reads filenames from standard input.

- **-url** *URL*

  Base URL for external search.

- **-get** \[*URL*\]

  Use HTTP(S) **GET** instead of **POST**.

- **-len** *URL*

  Content length of HTTP file.

- **-lst** *host* *dir*

  Lists contents of FTP site.

- **-dir** *host* *dir*

  FTP listing with file sizes.

### File Downloads

- **-dwn** *host* *dir* \[*file*\]

  Like **-ftp**, but saves contents to correspondingly named files in the current directory.

- **-asp** *host* *dir* \[*file*\]

  Like **-dwn**, but uses Aspera's proprietary client if installed.

### -url Shortcuts

- **-ncbi**

  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

- **-eutils**

  https://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils

- **-pubchem**

  https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

- **-pugrest**

  https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/rest/pug

- **-pugview**

  https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/rest/pug\_view

- **-datasets**

  https://api.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/datasets/v2alpha

### URL Additions

- *component*

  Add **/***component* to the base URL. (Must precede any tag/value pairs.)

- **-***tag* *value* ...

  Add **&tag=***value*,... to the base URL. (Must follow any simple components.)

### Miscellaneous

- **-examples**

  Examples of advanced queries.

- **-version**

  Print version number.

## SEE ALSO

[**archive-nihocc**(1)](/archive-nihocc/1.md), [**archive-nlmnlp**(1)](/archive-nlmnlp/1.md), [**archive-nmcds**(1)](/archive-nmcds/1.md), [**archive-pids**(1)](/archive-pids/1.md), [**archive-pmc**(1)](/archive-pmc/1.md), [**archive-pubmed**(1)](/archive-pubmed/1.md), [**archive-taxonomy**(1)](/archive-taxonomy/1.md), [**cit2pmid**(1)](/cit2pmid/1.md), [**curl**(1)](/curl/1.md), [**download-flatfile**(1)](/download-flatfile/1.md), [**download-ncbi-data**(1)](/download-ncbi-data/1.md), [**download-ncbi-software**(1)](/download-ncbi-software/1.md), [**download-pmc**(1)](/download-pmc/1.md), [**download-pubmed**(1)](/download-pubmed/1.md), [**ecollect**(1)](/ecollect/1.md), [**edict**(1)](/edict/1.md), [**efetch**(1)](/efetch/1.md), [**efilter**(1)](/efilter/1.md), [**einfo**(1)](/einfo/1.md), [**elink**(1)](/elink/1.md), [**epost**(1)](/epost/1.md), [**esearch**(1)](/esearch/1.md), [**refseq-nm-cds**(1)](/refseq-nm-cds/1.md), [**skip-if-file-exists**(1)](/skip-if-file-exists/1.md), [**wget**(1)](/wget/1.md), [**xtract**(1)](/xtract/1.md).