curl_easy_init(3)

💅 curl_easy_init(3) 💅

okay bestie, this page is from the Library Functions Manual, and it's literally the “create an easy handle” girlie. main-character energy only ✨

🎀 NAME 🎀

curl_easy_init — create an easy handle 🫶

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

#include <curl/curl.h>

CURL *curl_easy_init();

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

This function allocates and returns an easy handle. Such a handle is used as input to other functions in the easy interface. This call must have a corresponding call to curl_easy_cleanup(3) when the operation is complete. no skipping the cleanup era, bestie 💅

The easy handle is used to hold and control a single network transfer. It is encouraged to reuse easy handles for repeated transfers. lowkey iconic behavior, honestly.

An alternative way to get a new easy handle is to duplicate an already existing one with curl_easy_duphandle(3), which has the upside that it gets all the options that were set in the source handle set in the new copy as well. copy-paste but make it legit 🎀

If you did not already call curl_global_init(3) before calling this function, curl_easy_init(3) does it automatically. This can be lethal in multi-threaded cases for platforms where curl_global_init(3) is not thread-safe, and it may then result in resource problems because there is no corresponding cleanup. not the cute kind of “lethal,” the actual scary kind 😭

You are strongly advised to not allow this automatic behavior, by calling curl_global_init(3) yourself properly. See the description in libcurl(3) of global environment requirements for details of how to use this function. please be the responsible main character here 🙈

🌈 PROTOCOLS 🌈

This functionality affects all supported protocols. yes, all of them, periodt 👑

🍓 EXAMPLE 🍓

int main(void)
{
  CURL *curl = curl_easy_init();
  if(curl) {
    CURLcode result;
    curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_URL, "https://example.com");
    result = curl_easy_perform(curl);
    curl_easy_cleanup(curl);
  }
}

⭐ AVAILABILITY ⭐

Added in curl 7.1 — vintage but still slaying 💖

🔥 RETURN VALUE 🔥

If this function returns NULL, something went wrong and you cannot use the other curl functions. like, at all. vibe check failed 💀

🧚 SEE ALSO 🧚

• curl_easy_cleanup(3)
• curl_easy_duphandle(3)
• curl_easy_perform(3)
• curl_easy_reset(3)
• curl_global_init(3)
• curl_multi_init(3)

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xoxo, your libcurl bestie 💜 — this one's from libcurl, dated 2026-10-12, and it's all about curl_easy_init(3) ✨