libcurl-easy(3) Library Functions Manual libcurl-easy(3)
NAME
libcurl-easy - easy interface overview
DESCRIPTION
When using libcurl's "easy" interface you init your session and get a
handle (often referred to as an "easy handle"), which you use as input
to the easy interface functions you use. Use curl_easy_init(3) to get
the handle.
You continue by setting all the options you want in the upcoming
transfer, the most important among them is the URL itself (you cannot
transfer anything without a specified URL). You might want to set some
callbacks as well that are called from the library when data is
available etc. For example CURLOPT_WRITEFUNCTION(3).
curl_easy_setopt(3) is used for all this.
CURLOPT_URL(3) is the only option you really must set, as otherwise
there can be no transfer. Another commonly used option is
CURLOPT_VERBOSE(3) that helps you see what libcurl is doing under the
hood, which is useful when debugging for example. The
curl_easy_setopt(3) man page has a full index of the over 300 available
options.
If you at any point would like to factory-reset all previously set
options for a single easy handle, you can call curl_easy_reset(3). You
can also make a clone of an easy handle (with all its set options)
using curl_easy_duphandle(3).
When all necessary options have been set on the handle, you tell
libcurl to perform the transfer with curl_easy_perform(3). It performs
the entire transfer operation and does not return until it is done
(successfully or not).
After the transfer has been made, you can set new options and make
another transfer, or if you are done, cleanup the session by calling
curl_easy_cleanup(3). If you want persistent connections, you do not
cleanup immediately, but instead run ahead and perform other transfers
using the same easy handle.
SEE ALSO
curl_easy_cleanup(3), curl_easy_init(3), curl_easy_setopt(3),
libcurl(3), libcurl-errors(3), libcurl-multi(3)
libcurl 2026-07-05 libcurl-easy(3)
curl 8.21.0 - Generated Mon Jul 6 10:52:41 CDT 2026