Imagine you’re driving down the highway, music playing, GPS guiding you, everything working without a hitch. Hidden deep inside your car's systems is a small piece of code quietly doing its job—something you’ve probably used on your own computer.
It’s not built by a car company. It's not a billion-dollar proprietary platform. This is curl, a tiny open-source command-line tool that can transfer data over the internet.
According to its developer, curl is now built into hundreds of millions of cars, including vehicles made by the world's top 47 car brands.
In this post, we'll discuss what curl is, and why it's so widely used in the automotive industry.
Table of Contents
What is Curl?
Curl is an open-source tool and library that helps computers send and receive data over the internet. It lets you transfer data using many different internet protocols, such as HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, and more.
Curl is super powerful, and its core engine, called libcurl, is the real star behind the scenes. It works on almost every operating system, from Linux and Windows to macOS and embedded devices.
Think about all the things your car's infotainment system or navigation needs to do. It might download map updates, stream music, grab firmware upgrades, or even send usage statistics back to the manufacturer. All these tasks involve transferring data, and that’s precisely what libcurl excels at.
Its portability, reliability, and small size make it perfect for use in constrained environments like vehicle control units.
Daniel Stenberg, a dedicated developer, created and leads the development of this amazing open-source project.
Is Curl Really in MY Car?
Chances are, yes! It's a fun hobby of Daniel Stenberg to track where Curl is used, and cars are a big part of that.
He often finds proof in car manuals, which sometimes list all the open-source software used. You might even spot it yourself on your car's infotainment screen, under an "open source license" section.
Back in 2018, Daniel estimated that around 40 million cars sold in 2017 alone had Curl inside them. That's a huge number!
At that time, Curl was already found in vehicles from 8 of the top 10 car brands in the world, including the top 3.
Fast forward to today, and the list has grown even more! Now, 47 different car brands are known to use Curl. This means that Curl now runs in hundreds of millions of cars globally.
Top Car Brands that Use Curl
Here are just some of the big names using Curl:
- Audi
- BMW
- Ford
- Honda
- Hyundai
- Kia
- Mazda
- Mercedes
- Nissan
- Subaru
- Suzuki
- Tesla
- Toyota
- Volkswagen
- Volvo
And that’s just a selection of the full list of 47! You can read the full list in the Daneil's blog post.
This widespread use shows how trusted and reliable libcurl has become in the automotive world.
The next time you run curl on your computer, remember: the very same tool could be at work in your car right now.
Why the Automotive Industry Trusts Curl
There are a few reasons why curl has become an industry standard in connected vehicles:
- Proven reliability: Used in countless devices for over two decades.
- Cross-platform compatibility: Runs on virtually any operating system.
- Flexible and modular: Can be built with only the needed features.
- Open-source transparency: Code can be audited for security and compliance.
This combination makes curl a safe, efficient choice for automotive software engineers.
How Small is Curl, Really?
One of curl's biggest strengths is its tiny footprint. While full automotive software systems can be gigabytes in size, curl’s compiled binary is often under 1 MB.
- Minimal build (HTTP only): ~113 KB
- Typical installed size on Linux: 400–600 KB
- Full source archive: ~2.5 MB (includes documentation and tests)
For embedded systems like those in cars, this small size means it can be included without adding noticeable storage or memory overhead.
Check curl's Installed Size on Your System
You can find out exactly how big curl is on your Linux system with these commands:
Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint
dpkg -s curl | grep Installed-Size
Example output:
Installed-Size: 489
This means curl takes up 489 KB on this system.
Fedora, RHEL, CentOS
rpm -qi curl | grep Size
Arch Linux, Manjaro
pacman -Qi curl | grep Installed
The Unsung Hero: Open Source and Car Manufacturers
Despite Curl being used in practically every new modern car, Daniel Stenberg notes a surprising fact: not a single car company or their software provider sponsors or pays for Curl’s support. They are completely allowed to do this because of Curl's very open license.
As you already know, Curl is free and open-source software. This means anyone can use it without paying a penny, and there's no rule saying companies have to pay for its use.
However, it does make me wonder about the future of such important open-source projects. Daniel hopes that the project can continue to thrive financially even without direct payments from these giant corporations.
So, the next time you're in your car, remember the quiet, powerful software working tirelessly beneath the surface.
Linux in Cars and Beyond
Curl is just one example of open-source software shaping modern technology. Linux itself is even more widespread!
Linux powers all of the world’s top 500 supercomputers, runs on billions of devices, and holds a 5.03% share of the desktop operating system market in the United States.
That same open-source ecosystem fuels not just servers and desktops, but also smart TVs, routers, phones, and now even the cars we drive.
Curl Keeps Cars Rolling!
The fact that a tool as small as curl is running inside hundreds of millions of vehicles shows how far open-source software has come.
Curl is a perfect example of the incredible impact open-source development can have. What began as a spare-time project by one person is now part of the hidden infrastructure that keeps the modern automotive industry running smoothly.
It's pretty incredible to think that a project started as a spare-time effort by one person is now so vital to modern cars. And in the automotive world, one thing is certain: curl keeps cars rolling.
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