libcurl-multi(3) Library Functions Manual libcurl-multi(3)
NAME
libcurl-multi - how to use the multi interface
DESCRIPTION
This is an overview on how to use the libcurl multi interface in your C
programs. There are specific man pages for each function mentioned in
here. There is also the libcurl-tutorial(3) man page for a complete tu-
torial to programming with libcurl and the libcurl-easy(3) man page for
an overview of the libcurl easy interface.
All functions in the multi interface are prefixed with curl_multi.
OBJECTIVES
The multi interface offers several abilities that the easy interface
does not. They are mainly:
1. Enable a "pull" interface. The application that uses libcurl decides
where and when to ask libcurl to get/send data.
2. Enable multiple simultaneous transfers in the same thread without
making it complicated for the application.
3. Enable the application to wait for action on its own file descriptors
and curl's file descriptors simultaneously.
4. Enable event-based handling and scaling transfers up to and beyond
thousands of parallel connections.
ONE MULTI HANDLE MANY EASY HANDLES
To use the multi interface, you must first create a 'multi handle' with
curl_multi_init(3). This handle is then used as input to all further
curl_multi_* functions.
With a multi handle and the multi interface you can do several simulta-
neous transfers in parallel. Each single transfer is built up around an
easy handle. You create all the easy handles you need, and setup the ap-
propriate options for each easy handle using curl_easy_setopt(3).
There are two flavors of the multi interface, the select() oriented one
and the event based one we call multi_socket. You benefit from reading
through the description of both versions to fully understand how they
work and differentiate. We start out with the select() oriented version.
When an easy handle is setup and ready for transfer, then instead of us-
ing curl_easy_perform(3) like when using the easy interface for trans-
fers, you should add the easy handle to the multi handle with
curl_multi_add_handle(3). You can add more easy handles to a multi han-
dle at any point, even if other transfers are already running.
Should you change your mind, the easy handle is again removed from the
multi stack using curl_multi_remove_handle(3). Once removed from the
multi handle, you can again use other easy interface functions like
curl_easy_perform(3) on the handle or whatever you think is necessary.
You can remove handles at any point during transfers.
Adding the easy handle to the multi handle does not start the transfer.
Remember that one of the main ideas with this interface is to let your
application drive. You drive the transfers by invoking curl_multi_per-
form(3). libcurl then transfers data if there is anything available to
transfer. It uses the callbacks and everything else you have setup in
the individual easy handles. It transfers data on all current transfers
in the multi stack that are ready to transfer anything. It may be all,
it may be none. When there is nothing more to do for now, it returns
back to the calling application.
Your application extracts info from libcurl about when it would like to
get invoked to transfer data or do other work. The most convenient way
is to use curl_multi_poll(3) that helps you wait until the application
should call libcurl again. The older API to accomplish the same thing is
curl_multi_fdset(3) that extracts fd_sets from libcurl to use in se-
lect() or poll() calls in order to get to know when the transfers in the
multi stack might need attention. Both these APIs allow for your program
to wait for input on your own private file descriptors at the same time.
curl_multi_timeout(3) also helps you with providing a suitable timeout
period for your select() calls.
curl_multi_perform(3) stores the number of still running transfers in
one of its input arguments, and by reading that you can figure out when
all the transfers in the multi handles are done. 'done' does not mean
successful. One or more of the transfers may have failed.
To get information about completed transfers, to figure out success or
not and similar, curl_multi_info_read(3) should be called. It can return
a message about a current or previous transfer. Repeated invokes of the
function get more messages until the message queue is empty. The infor-
mation you receive there includes an easy handle pointer which you may
use to identify which easy handle the information regards.
When a single transfer is completed, the easy handle is still left added
to the multi stack. You need to first remove the easy handle with
curl_multi_remove_handle(3) and then close it with curl_easy_cleanup(3),
or possibly set new options to it and add it again with
curl_multi_add_handle(3) to start another transfer.
When all transfers in the multi stack are done, close the multi handle
with curl_multi_cleanup(3). Be careful and please note that you MUST in-
voke separate curl_easy_cleanup(3) calls for every single easy handle to
clean them up properly.
If you want to reuse an easy handle that was added to the multi handle
for transfer, you must first remove it from the multi stack and then
re-add it again (possibly after having altered some options at your own
choice).
MULTI_SOCKET
curl_multi_socket_action(3) function offers a way for applications to
not only avoid being forced to use select(), but it also offers a much
more high-performance API that makes a significant difference for appli-
cations using large numbers of simultaneous connections.
curl_multi_socket_action(3) is then used instead of curl_multi_per-
form(3).
When using this API, you add easy handles to the multi handle just as
with the normal multi interface. Then you also set two callbacks with
the CURLMOPT_SOCKETFUNCTION(3) and CURLMOPT_TIMERFUNCTION(3) options to
curl_multi_setopt(3). They are two callback functions that libcurl calls
with information about what sockets to wait for, and for what activity,
and what the current timeout time is - if that expires libcurl should be
notified.
The multi_socket API is designed to inform your application about which
sockets libcurl is currently using and for what activities (read and/or
write) on those sockets your application is expected to wait for.
Your application must make sure to receive all sockets informed about in
the CURLMOPT_SOCKETFUNCTION(3) callback and make sure it reacts on the
given activity on them. When a socket has the given activity, you call
curl_multi_socket_action(3) specifying which socket and action there
are.
The CURLMOPT_TIMERFUNCTION(3) callback is called to set a timeout. When
that timeout expires, your application should call the
curl_multi_socket_action(3) function saying it was due to a timeout.
This API is typically used with an event-driven underlying functionality
(like libevent, libev, kqueue, epoll or similar) with which the applica-
tion "subscribes" on socket changes. This allows applications and
libcurl to much better scale upward and beyond thousands of simultaneous
transfers without losing performance.
When you have added your initial set of handles, you call
curl_multi_socket_action(3) with CURL_SOCKET_TIMEOUT set in the sockfd
argument, and you get callbacks invoked that set you up and you then
continue to call curl_multi_socket_action(3) accordingly when you get
activity on the sockets you have been asked to wait on, or if the time-
out timer expires.
You can poll curl_multi_info_read(3) to see if any transfer has com-
pleted, as it then has a message saying so.
BLOCKING
A few areas in the code are still using blocking code, even when used
from the multi interface. While we certainly want and intend for these
to get fixed in the future, you should be aware of the following current
restrictions:
- Name resolves unless the c-ares or threaded-resolver backends are used
- file:// transfers
- TELNET transfers
SEE ALSO
libcurl(3), libcurl-easy(3), libcurl-errors(3)
libcurl 2026-07-12 libcurl-multi(3)
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