path: root/docs/FEATURES.md

# Features -- what curl can do

## curl tool

 - config file support
 - multiple URLs in a single command line
 - range "globbing" support: [0-13], {one,two,three}
 - multiple file upload on a single command line
 - custom maximum transfer rate
 - redirectable stderr
 - parallel transfers

## libcurl

 - full URL syntax with no length limit
 - custom maximum download time
 - custom least download speed acceptable
 - custom output result after completion
 - guesses protocol from host name unless specified
 - uses .netrc
 - progress bar with time statistics while downloading
 - "standard" proxy environment variables support
 - compiles on win32 (reported builds on 70+ operating systems)
 - selectable network interface for outgoing traffic
 - IPv6 support on unix and Windows
 - happy eyeballs dual-stack connects
 - persistent connections
 - SOCKS 4 + 5 support, with or without local name resolving
 - supports user name and password in proxy environment variables
 - operations through HTTP proxy "tunnel" (using CONNECT)
 - replaceable memory functions (malloc, free, realloc, etc)
 - asynchronous name resolving (6)
 - both a push and a pull style interface
 - international domain names (11)

## HTTP

 - HTTP/0.9 responses are optionally accepted
 - HTTP/1.0
 - HTTP/1.1
 - HTTP/2, including multiplexing and server push (5)
 - GET
 - PUT
 - HEAD
 - POST
 - multipart formpost (RFC1867-style)
 - authentication: Basic, Digest, NTLM (9) and Negotiate (SPNEGO) (3)
   to server and proxy
 - resume (both GET and PUT)
 - follow redirects
 - maximum amount of redirects to follow
 - custom HTTP request
 - cookie get/send fully parsed
 - reads/writes the netscape cookie file format
 - custom headers (replace/remove internally generated headers)
 - custom user-agent string
 - custom referrer string
 - range
 - proxy authentication
 - time conditions
 - via HTTP proxy, HTTPS proxy or SOCKS proxy
 - retrieve file modification date
 - Content-Encoding support for deflate and gzip
 - "Transfer-Encoding: chunked" support in uploads
 - automatic data compression (12)

## HTTPS (1)

 - (all the HTTP features)
 - HTTP/3 experimental support
 - using client certificates
 - verify server certificate
 - via HTTP proxy, HTTPS proxy or SOCKS proxy
 - select desired encryption
 - select usage of a specific SSL version

## FTP

 - download
 - authentication
 - Kerberos 5 (13)
 - active/passive using PORT, EPRT, PASV or EPSV
 - single file size information (compare to HTTP HEAD)
 - 'type=' URL support
 - dir listing
 - dir listing names-only
 - upload
 - upload append
 - upload via http-proxy as HTTP PUT
 - download resume
 - upload resume
 - custom ftp commands (before and/or after the transfer)
 - simple "range" support
 - via HTTP proxy, HTTPS proxy or SOCKS proxy
 - all operations can be tunneled through proxy
 - customizable to retrieve file modification date
 - no dir depth limit

## FTPS (1)

 - implicit `ftps://` support that use SSL on both connections
 - explicit "AUTH TLS" and "AUTH SSL" usage to "upgrade" plain `ftp://`
   connection to use SSL for both or one of the connections

## SCP (8)

 - both password and public key auth

## SFTP (7)

 - both password and public key auth
 - with custom commands sent before/after the transfer

## TFTP

 - download
 - upload

## TELNET

 - connection negotiation
 - custom telnet options
 - stdin/stdout I/O

## LDAP (2)

 - full LDAP URL support

## DICT

 - extended DICT URL support

## FILE

 - URL support
 - upload
 - resume

## SMB

 - SMBv1 over TCP and SSL
 - download
 - upload
 - authentication with NTLMv1

## SMTP

 - authentication: Plain, Login, CRAM-MD5, Digest-MD5, NTLM (9), Kerberos 5
   (4) and External.
 - send e-mails
 - mail from support
 - mail size support
 - mail auth support for trusted server-to-server relaying
 - multiple recipients
 - via http-proxy

## SMTPS (1)

 - implicit `smtps://` support
 - explicit "STARTTLS" usage to "upgrade" plain `smtp://` connections to use SSL
 - via http-proxy

## POP3

 - authentication: Clear Text, APOP and SASL
 - SASL based authentication: Plain, Login, CRAM-MD5, Digest-MD5, NTLM (9),
   Kerberos 5 (4) and External.
 - list e-mails
 - retrieve e-mails
 - enhanced command support for: CAPA, DELE, TOP, STAT, UIDL and NOOP via
   custom requests
 - via http-proxy

## POP3S (1)

 - implicit `pop3s://` support
 - explicit "STLS" usage to "upgrade" plain `pop3://` connections to use SSL
 - via http-proxy

## IMAP

 - authentication: Clear Text and SASL
 - SASL based authentication: Plain, Login, CRAM-MD5, Digest-MD5, NTLM (9),
   Kerberos 5 (4) and External.
 - list the folders of a mailbox
 - select a mailbox with support for verifying the UIDVALIDITY
 - fetch e-mails with support for specifying the UID and SECTION
 - upload e-mails via the append command
 - enhanced command support for: EXAMINE, CREATE, DELETE, RENAME, STATUS,
   STORE, COPY and UID via custom requests
 - via http-proxy

## IMAPS (1)

 - implicit `imaps://` support
 - explicit "STARTTLS" usage to "upgrade" plain `imap://` connections to use SSL
 - via http-proxy

## MQTT

 - Subscribe to and publish topics using url scheme `mqtt://broker/topic`

## Footnotes

  1. requires a TLS library
  2. requires OpenLDAP or WinLDAP
  3. requires a GSS-API implementation (such as Heimdal or MIT Kerberos) or
     SSPI (native Windows)
  4. requires a GSS-API implementation, however, only Windows SSPI is
     currently supported
  5. requires nghttp2
  6. requires c-ares
  7. requires libssh2, libssh or wolfSSH
  8. requires libssh2 or libssh
  9. requires OpenSSL, GnuTLS, mbedTLS, NSS, yassl, Secure Transport or SSPI
     (native Windows)
  10. -
  11. requires libidn2 or Windows
  12. requires libz, brotli and/or zstd
  13. requires a GSS-API implementation (such as Heimdal or MIT Kerberos)