pycurl
PycURL -- A Python Interface To The cURL library
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you need low-level control over HTTP/file transfer operations or are integrating into an event-driven I/O loop. The compiled dependency on libcurl and medium install friction make it less suitable for simple use cases where requests or urllib would suffice. Verify that libcurl 7.19.0+ is available on your target systems and that the dual LGPL/MIT license aligns with your project before committing.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- libcurl 7.19.0 or better must be installed on the system; Python 3.10 or later is required.
- Medium install friction due to compiled C bindings to libcurl; prebuilt wheels are available for Python 3.10–3.14 on Windows, macOS, and Linux, but the package requires libcurl 7.19.0 or better to be present on the system.
- Last release was 46 days ago and the repository is actively maintained.
License · maintenance · safety
LGPL-2.1-only OR MIT (unclear) — Dual licensed under LGPL-2.1-only and MIT; license treatment is marked unclear, so review the COPYING-LGPL and COPYING-MIT files in the source distribution to confirm compliance with your project's license policy.
last release 2026-06-29 (46 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-14 · 1,166 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 5,823,032 downloads/mo, #2,031 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
import pycurl
from io import BytesIO
buffer = BytesIO()
curl = pycurl.Curl()
curl.setopt(pycurl.URL, 'http://example.com')
curl.setopt(pycurl.WRITEDATA, buffer)
curl.perform()
curl.close()- Whether the performance advantage over requests (mentioned in the description) remains significant in current versions.
- Specific guidance on when to choose PycURL's Multi/share interfaces versus simpler alternatives for concurrent operations.
What it is and what it does
PycURL is a thin Python wrapper around libcurl, the multiprotocol file transfer library. It exposes most of libcurl's functionality to Python, allowing you to fetch URLs and transfer files with fine-grained control over SSL, authentication, proxies, and network behavior. Unlike higher-level libraries, PycURL gives you direct access to libcurl's callbacks and socket interfaces, making it suitable for integration into custom I/O loops and applications that need low-level network control.
The package is production-stable and actively maintained, supporting Python 3.10 through 3.14. It requires libcurl 7.19.0 or better on the system and has no Python runtime dependencies. Prebuilt wheels are available for common platforms, though the compiled C bindings mean installation requires a working C compiler or prebuilt binary for your platform.
Use it for
- High-performance HTTP and file transfer operations where speed is critical and you need direct control over protocol details.
- Integrating network operations into event-driven applications (e.g., Tornado) via PycURL's socket interface and Multi interface.
- Implementing complex authentication, SSL certificate handling, and proxy configurations that require libcurl's full feature set.
- Building applications that need simultaneous downloads or uploads using libcurl's Multi interface for concurrent transfers.
- Scenarios requiring callback-based request/response handling or custom I/O loop integration.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you need low-level control over HTTP/file transfer operations or are integrating into an event-driven I/O loop.
The compiled dependency on libcurl and medium install friction make it less suitable for simple use cases where requests or urllib would suffice. Verify that libcurl 7.19.0+ is available on your target systems and that the dual LGPL/MIT license aligns with your project before committing.
Install
pycurl on PyPI
Before you install
Medium install friction due to compiled C bindings to libcurl; prebuilt wheels are available for Python 3.10–3.14 on Windows, macOS, and Linux, but the package requires libcurl 7.19.0 or better to be present on the system. Last release was 46 days ago and the repository is actively maintained.
libcurl 7.19.0 or better must be installed on the system; Python 3.10 or later is required.
License in practice
Dual licensed under LGPL-2.1-only and MIT; license treatment is marked unclear, so review the COPYING-LGPL and COPYING-MIT files in the source distribution to confirm compliance with your project's license policy.
Quickstart
import pycurl
from io import BytesIO
buffer = BytesIO()
curl = pycurl.Curl()
curl.setopt(pycurl.URL, 'http://example.com')
curl.setopt(pycurl.WRITEDATA, buffer)
curl.perform()
curl.close()Verify before relying
- Whether the performance advantage over requests (mentioned in the description) remains significant in current versions.
- Specific guidance on when to choose PycURL's Multi/share interfaces versus simpler alternatives for concurrent operations.
Package facts
| License | LGPL-2.1-only OR MIT unclear |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.10 |
| Install friction | Medium. Platform-specific wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 46 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 5,823,032 / month, #2,031 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableEnvironment :: Web EnvironmentIntended Audience :: DevelopersOperating System :: Microsoft :: WindowsOperating System :: POSIXProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Programming Language :: Python :: Free Threading :: 1 - UnstableTopic :: Internet :: File Transfer Protocol (FTP)Topic :: Internet :: WWW/HTTP |
Evidence: pycurl-7.47.0-cp310-cp310-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl; pycurl-7.47.0-cp310-cp310-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; pycurl-7.47.0-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_28_aarch64.whl; pycurl-7.47.0-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl; pycurl-7.47.0-cp310-cp310-win_amd64.whl; pycurl-7.47.0-cp310-cp310-win_arm64.whl; pycurl-7.47.0-cp311-cp311-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl; pycurl-7.47.0-cp311-cp311-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; pycurl-7.47.0-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_28_aarch64.whl; pycurl-7.47.0-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl; pycurl-7.47.0-cp311-cp311-win_amd64.whl; pycurl-7.47.0-cp311-cp311-win_arm64.whl; pycurl-7.47.0-cp312-cp312-macosx_10_13_x86_64.whl; pycurl-7.47.0-cp312-cp312-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; pycurl-7.47.0-cp312-cp312-manylinux_2_28_aarch64.whl; pycurl-7.47.0-cp312-cp312-manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl; pycurl-7.47.0-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl; pycurl-7.47.0-cp312-cp312-win_arm64.whl; pycurl-7.47.0-cp313-cp313-macosx_10_13_x86_64.whl; pycurl-7.47.0-cp313-cp313-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl
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See also dbs3-pycurl · curl-cffi · urllib3 · types-pycurl · PySocks · opentelemetry-instrumentation-urllib · genie.libs.filetransferutils · ndg-httpsclient · multiurl · ftputil