On August 7th, 2000, the first version of libcurl, version 7.1, was released. This marked the beginning of a journey for the library, which has become a cornerstone of internet connectivity across countless devices and applications.
As libcurl marks its 24th birthday today (August 7, 2024), it's time to reflect on the incredible journey of this multi-protocol file transfer library. From its humble beginnings in 2000 to its current status as a foundation of internet communication, libcurl has truly stood the test of time.
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The Birth of a Libcurl
The creation of libcurl was largely a solo effort by Daniel Stenberg, the founder and lead developer of cURL and libcurl.
Having already witnessed the success of the command line tool 'curl', which debuted in 1998, Stenberg envisioned a world where applications could seamlessly integrate internet transfer capabilities.
This led him to embark on a summer-long endeavour, refactoring the monolithic curl codebase into two distinct components: a library and a command-line tool that leverages the library's functionality.
Why Create libcurl?
Stenberg's decision to create libcurl stemmed from his understanding of shared libraries' power and their ability to offer functionality to applications. He believed that a library for Internet transfers could benefit other applications, though this was based on intuition rather than formal research.
Early Decisions and Design Principles
Right from its inception, some fundamental decisions shaped the development path of libcurl. The choice of C as the programming language was a given for Stenberg, who favoured its simplicity and power. The naming of the library itself reflected this straightforward approach – 'libcurl' it was.
Designing the API was a more nuanced challenge. Stenberg opted for a relatively low-level, protocol-agnostic approach, aiming for extensibility without frequent API changes. Inspired by functions like ioctl() and fcntl(), he introduced curl_easy_setopt(), a design choice that has had both positive and challenging implications.
Early Adoption and the PHP Connection
The impact of libcurl was felt almost immediately. The same month it debuted, the PHP project began integrating it. With the release of PHP 4.0.2, libcurl became an officially bundled extension, a move that proved instrumental in its early growth. This adoption by PHP exposed libcurl to a wide user base, bringing valuable feedback, testing and bug reports.
Evolution and Resilience
Over the years, libcurl has grown significantly, expanding from 17,000 lines of code in its first release to over 171,000 lines today. Remarkably, despite this growth and the ever-evolving landscape of internet protocols, much of the code written against the original API remains compatible with the latest versions.
The library's resilience is evident in its ability to accommodate major protocol shifts, such as the introduction of HTTP/2 with multiplexing and the transition from TCP to UDP with HTTP/3.
This adaptability is largely attributed to the foresight of keeping the API at a high enough abstraction level.
Impact and Success
libcurl's success is evident in its widespread adoption. It runs on at least 103 operating systems and 28 CPU architectures. Its success can be attributed to several factors:
- timely arrival during the internet's boom,
- a robust and flexible API,
- and most importantly, the contributihttps://curl.se/mail/archive-2000-08/0024.htmlons of countless developers worldwide.
Uncertain Future
Despite its success, the future remains uncertain. The internet landscape continues to evolve at a rapid pace, with new technologies and challenges emerging constantly. The rise of alternative native HTTP libraries within various programming languages presents a significant challenge.
However, libcurl's enduring legacy lies in its proven track record of stability, its vast user base and its unwavering commitment to supporting the evolving needs of internet communication. As long as these values remain at its core, libcurl is well-positioned to remain a important part of the internet's infrastructure for years to come.
A Message of Gratitude
To Daniel Stenberg and all contributors: Thank you for your tireless efforts in maintaining and improving libcurl. Your work has made the internet more accessible and functional for developers and users alike.
Happy 24th birthday, libcurl! Here's to many more years of successful internet transfers and continued innovation.
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