GNURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION(3)

✨ GNURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION(3) ✨

okay bestie, so this one lives in the gnurl curl_easy_setopt options family (yes, the whole squad of curl_easy_setopt pages) and it's literally the "chase the redirect" switch 💅

🎀 NAME 🎀

CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION — follow HTTP 3xx redirects. that's it, that's the whole vibe 🦋

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

#include <gnurl/curl.h>

CURLcode curl_easy_setopt(CURL *handle, CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION, long
enable);

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

so you pass a long parameter set to 1, and that tells the library to follow any Location: header the server sends as part of an HTTP header in a 3xx response. and like, the Location: header can specify a relative or an absolute URL to follow — both slay, no cap. ✨

libcurl will issue another request for the new URL and follow new Location: headers all the way until no more such headers are returned. infinite vibes? nope — CURLOPT_MAXREDIRS(3) can be used to limit the number of redirects libcurl will follow. thank u, boundaries 🫶

libcurl limits what protocols it automatically follows to. the accepted protocols are set with CURLOPT_REDIR_PROTOCOLS(3). by default libcurl will allow HTTP, HTTPS, FTP and FTPS on redirect (7.65.2). older versions of libcurl allowed all protocols on redirect except those disabled for security reasons: since 7.19.4 FILE and SCP are disabled, and since 7.40.0 SMB and SMBS are also disabled. history lesson courtesy of ur girl 💀

when following a Location:, the 3xx response code that redirected it also dictates which request method it will use in the subsequent request: for 301, 302 and 303 responses libcurl will switch method from POST to GET unless CURLOPT_POSTREDIR(3) instructs libcurl otherwise. all other 3xx codes will make libcurl send the same method again. consistency icon 👑

for users who think the existing location following is too naive, too simple or just lacks features, it is very easy to instead implement your own redirect follow logic with the use of curl_easy_getinfo(3)'s CURLINFO_REDIRECT_URL(3) option instead of using CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION(3). main character energy only, build ur own 🧚

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⭐ DEFAULT ⭐

0, disabled. yeah she's off by default, u gotta turn her on 🙈

🌈 PROTOCOLS 🌈

HTTP(S) — that's the set, periodt.

🍓 EXAMPLE 🍓

CURL *curl = curl_easy_init();
if(curl) {
  curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_URL, "http://example.com");

  /* example.com is redirected, so we tell libcurl to follow redirection */
  curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION, 1L);

  curl_easy_perform(curl);
}

💜 AVAILABILITY 💜

along with HTTP 🦋

🔥 RETURN VALUE 🔥

returns CURLE_OK if HTTP is supported, and CURLE_UNKNOWN_OPTION if not. read ur return codes, bestie, it's giving responsible 😭

👑 SEE ALSO 👑

• CURLOPT_REDIR_PROTOCOLS(3)
• CURLOPT_PROTOCOLS(3)
• CURLOPT_POSTREDIR(3)
• CURLINFO_REDIRECT_URL(3)
• CURLINFO_REDIRECT_COUNT(3)

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and that's the page!! brought to u by libcurl 7.37.0, dated 17 Jun 2014 — vintage but still iconic, mwah 💋✨🎀