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2 minute read - Tips

How to install cURL on Windows

Mar 29, 2018

TLDR; cURL requires an install on Windows, but it isn’t always easy unless you use a one-click installer or Chocolatey.

I remember cURL being easier to install than it currently seems to be. I’ve had a few questions from people working through my book “Automating and Testing a REST API” on who were experiencing difficulties installing cURL on Windows. I documented a few different approaches.

In order of easiness:

  • install it using Chocolatey
  • install it with a one click installer
  • using official cURL binaries

Install it using Chocolatey

Assuming you have Chocolatey installed.

Then use choco install curl

Install it with a one click installer

If you prefer graphical installers then the one click installer from confused by code seemed to work well.

http://www.confusedbycode.com/curl/

This installs everything and adds curl to your path, I’ve used this before for setting up my machines for training courses.

During the installation process it might prompt you to install the VC++ redistributables, but there is a link in the installer that takes you to the download, then download and install then click continue in the cURL install to continue.

Then cURL should be on your path.

Official Installs from cURL

I found these the hardest to work with. It was not easy to see which were binary packages and which were not.

I went to curl.haxx.se/dlwiz

and looked at the window compiled versions

I found the following that worked relatively easily:

  • the SSL enabled cab file 7.59.0 from Stefan Kanthak
    • but you have to be able to extract cab files properly
  • the 7.59 MinGW version from Viktor Szakats. curl.exe is in the \bin folder and if I can run curl from this folder or add it to the path.
    • MinGW is a set of libraries that can be used to compile Unix applications for running on windows so they are often self-contained executables.

Other Options

I haven’t tried these for a while, but they might offer useful research opportunities.

Supporting Videos

You can also find all the videos on the “Automating and Testing a REST API Book Support Page

Install Using Chocolatey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJnKObvgy2c

Confused By Code Installer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQl2vyRYvqE

Official Installs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgAo7oXeV0M