curl-config - Linux

Overview

curl-config is a command-line tool that provides information about the installed libcurl library. It is primarily used for configuring and compiling applications that depend on libcurl.

Syntax

curl-config [options]

Options/Flags

–cflags: Outputs the C compiler flags required to build applications against libcurl.
–libs: Outputs the linker flags required to link applications with libcurl.
–prefix: Specifies the installation prefix of libcurl. Defaults to /usr/local.
–includedir: Specifies the directory containing the libcurl header files. Defaults to ${prefix}/include.
–libdir: Specifies the directory containing the libcurl libraries. Defaults to ${prefix}/lib.
–version: Outputs the libcurl version.
–help: Outputs the help message.

Examples

Get the C compiler flags for building with libcurl:

curl-config --cflags

Get the linker flags for linking with libcurl:

curl-config --libs

Get the installation prefix of libcurl:

curl-config --prefix

Common Issues

Missing installation prefix: If libcurl was installed using a package manager, the installation prefix might not be set correctly. This can be resolved by re-installing libcurl with the --prefix option.
Conflicting libcurl versions: If multiple versions of libcurl are installed, the correct version might not be selected. This can be resolved by setting the LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable to point to the desired libcurl version.

Integration

curl-config can be integrated with other tools to automate tasks related to libcurl. For example, it can be used with pkg-config to generate build scripts or with make to compile and link applications.