libcurl.3
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- ." $Id: libcurl.3,v 1.14 2008-12-22 13:07:14 bagder Exp $
- ."
- .TH libcurl 3 "19 March 2002" "libcurl 7.9.6" "libcurl overview"
- .SH NAME
- libcurl - client-side URL transfers
- .SH DESCRIPTION
- This is a short overview on how to use libcurl in your C programs. There are
- specific man pages for each function mentioned in here. There are also the
- fIlibcurl-easy(3)fP man page, the fIlibcurl-multi(3)fP man page, the
- fIlibcurl-share(3)fP man page and the fIlibcurl-tutorial(3)fP man page for
- in-depth understanding on how to program with libcurl.
- There are more than thirty custom bindings available that bring libcurl access
- to your favourite language. Look elsewhere for documentation on those.
- libcurl has a global constant environment that you must set up and
- maintain while using libcurl. This essentially means you call
- fIcurl_global_init(3)fP at the start of your program and
- fIcurl_global_cleanup(3)fP at the end. See GLOBAL CONSTANTS below
- for details.
- To transfer files, you always set up an "easy handle" using
- fIcurl_easy_init(3)fP, but when you want the file(s) transferred you have
- the option of using the "easy" interface, or the "multi" interface.
- The easy interface is a synchronous interface with which you call
- fIcurl_easy_perform(3)fP and let it perform the transfer. When it is
- completed, the function returns and you can continue. More details are found in
- the fIlibcurl-easy(3)fP man page.
- The multi interface on the other hand is an asynchronous interface, that you
- call and that performs only a little piece of the transfer on each invoke. It
- is perfect if you want to do things while the transfer is in progress, or
- similar. The multi interface allows you to select() on libcurl action, and
- even to easily download multiple files simultaneously using a single thread. See further details in the fIlibcurl-multi(3)fP man page.
- You can have multiple easy handles share certain data, even if they are used
- in different threads. This magic is setup using the share interface, as
- described in the fIlibcurl-share(3)fP man page.
- There is also a series of other helpful functions to use, including these:
- .RS
- .IP curl_version_info()
- gets detailed libcurl (and other used libraries) version info
- .IP curl_getdate()
- converts a date string to time_t
- .IP curl_easy_getinfo()
- get information about a performed transfer
- .IP curl_formadd()
- helps building an HTTP form POST
- .IP curl_formfree()
- free a list built with fIcurl_formadd(3)fP
- .IP curl_slist_append()
- builds a linked list
- .IP curl_slist_free_all()
- frees a whole curl_slist
- .RE
- .SH "LINKING WITH LIBCURL"
- On unix-like machines, there's a tool named curl-config that gets installed
- with the rest of the curl stuff when 'make install' is performed.
- curl-config is added to make it easier for applications to link with libcurl
- and developers to learn about libcurl and how to use it.
- Run 'curl-config --libs' to get the (additional) linker options you need to
- link with the particular version of libcurl you've installed. See the
- fIcurl-config(1)fP man page for further details.
- Unix-like operating system that ship libcurl as part of their distributions
- often don't provide the curl-config tool, but simply install the library and
- headers in the common path for this purpose.
- .SH "LIBCURL SYMBOL NAMES"
- All public functions in the libcurl interface are prefixed with 'curl_' (with
- a lowercase c). You can find other functions in the library source code, but
- other prefixes indicate that the functions are private and may change without
- further notice in the next release.
- Only use documented functions and functionality!
- .SH "PORTABILITY"
- libcurl works
- .B exactly
- the same, on any of the platforms it compiles and builds on.
- .SH "THREADS"
- Never ever call curl-functions simultaneously using the same handle from
- several threads. libcurl is thread-safe and can be used in any number of
- threads, but you must use separate curl handles if you want to use libcurl in
- more than one thread simultaneously.
- The global environment functions are not thread-safe. See GLOBAL CONSTANTS
- below for details.
- .SH "PERSISTENT CONNECTIONS"
- Persistent connections means that libcurl can re-use the same connection for
- several transfers, if the conditions are right.
- libcurl will fBalwaysfP attempt to use persistent connections. Whenever you
- use fIcurl_easy_perform(3)fP or fIcurl_multi_perform(3)fP, libcurl will
- attempt to use an existing connection to do the transfer, and if none exists
- it'll open a new one that will be subject for re-use on a possible following
- call to fIcurl_easy_perform(3)fP or fIcurl_multi_perform(3)fP.
- To allow libcurl to take full advantage of persistent connections, you should
- do as many of your file transfers as possible using the same curl handle. When
- you call fIcurl_easy_cleanup(3)fP, all the possibly open connections held by
- libcurl will be closed and forgotten.
- Note that the options set with fIcurl_easy_setopt(3)fP will be used on
- every repeated fIcurl_easy_perform(3)fP call.
- .SH "GLOBAL CONSTANTS"
- There are a variety of constants that libcurl uses, mainly through its
- internal use of other libraries, which are too complicated for the
- library loader to set up. Therefore, a program must call a library
- function after the program is loaded and running to finish setting up
- the library code. For example, when libcurl is built for SSL
- capability via the GNU TLS library, there is an elaborate tree inside
- that library that describes the SSL protocol.
- fIcurl_global_init()fP is the function that you must call. This may
- allocate resources (e.g. the memory for the GNU TLS tree mentioned
- above), so the companion function fIcurl_global_cleanup()fP releases
- them.
- The basic rule for constructing a program that uses libcurl is this:
- Call fIcurl_global_init()fP, with a fICURL_GLOBAL_ALLfP argument,
- immediately after the program starts, while it is still only one
- thread and before it uses libcurl at all. Call
- fIcurl_global_cleanup()fP immediately before the program exits, when
- the program is again only one thread and after its last use of
- libcurl.
- You can call both of these multiple times, as long as all calls meet
- these requirements and the number of calls to each is the same.
- It isn't actually required that the functions be called at the beginning
- and end of the program -- that's just usually the easiest way to do it.
- It fIisfP required that the functions be called when no other thread
- in the program is running.
- These global constant functions are fInot thread safefP, so you must
- not call them when any other thread in the program is running. It
- isn't good enough that no other thread is using libcurl at the time,
- because these functions internally call similar functions of other
- libraries, and those functions are similarly thread-unsafe. You can't
- generally know what these libraries are, or whether other threads are
- using them.
- The global constant situation merits special consideration when the
- code you are writing to use libcurl is not the main program, but rather
- a modular piece of a program, e.g. another library. As a module,
- your code doesn't know about other parts of the program -- it doesn't
- know whether they use libcurl or not. And its code doesn't necessarily
- run at the start and end of the whole program.
- A module like this must have global constant functions of its own,
- just like fIcurl_global_init()fP and fIcurl_global_cleanup()fP.
- The module thus has control at the beginning and end of the program
- and has a place to call the libcurl functions. Note that if multiple
- modules in the program use libcurl, they all will separately call the
- libcurl functions, and that's OK because only the first
- fIcurl_global_init()fP and the last fIcurl_global_cleanup()fP in a
- program change anything. (libcurl uses a reference count in static
- memory).
- In a C++ module, it is common to deal with the global constant
- situation by defining a special class that represents the global
- constant environment of the module. A program always has exactly one
- object of the class, in static storage. That way, the program
- automatically calls the constructor of the object as the program
- starts up and the destructor as it terminates. As the author of this
- libcurl-using module, you can make the constructor call
- fIcurl_global_init()fP and the destructor call
- fIcurl_global_cleanup()fP and satisfy libcurl's requirements without
- your user having to think about it.
- fIcurl_global_init()fP has an argument that tells what particular
- parts of the global constant environment to set up. In order to
- successfully use any value except fICURL_GLOBAL_ALLfP (which says to
- set up the whole thing), you must have specific knowledge of internal
- workings of libcurl and all other parts of the program of which it is
- part.
- A special part of the global constant environment is the identity of
- the memory allocator. fIcurl_global_init()fP selects the system
- default memory allocator, but you can use fIcurl_global_init_mem()fP
- to supply one of your own. However, there is no way to use
- fIcurl_global_init_mem()fP in a modular program -- all modules in
- the program that might use libcurl would have to agree on one
- allocator.
- There is a failsafe in libcurl that makes it usable in simple
- situations without you having to worry about the global constant
- environment at all: fIcurl_easy_init()fP sets up the environment
- itself if it hasn't been done yet. The resources it acquires to do so
- get released by the operating system automatically when the program
- exits.
- This failsafe feature exists mainly for backward compatibility because
- there was a time when the global functions didn't exist. Because it
- is sufficient only in the simplest of programs, it is not recommended
- for any program to rely on it.