For using libcurl (with OpenSSL support) in Visual Studio, vcpkg is easy and recommended

When you want to handle HTTP communication in C++, libcurl is often used. However, adjusting builds and dependencies can be unexpectedly troublesome, right?

In such cases, the Microsoft-made C++ library management tool “vcpkg” is very useful. This time, we will introduce the steps from introducing libcurl (with OpenSSL support) using vcpkg to making it smooth to use in Visual Studio.

Installing vcpkg (Only for those who haven’t installed it yet)

First, let’s install vcpkg. Please run the following steps in PowerShell.

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git clone https://github.com/microsoft/vcpkg
cd vcpkg
.\bootstrap-vcpkg.bat

• If Git is not installed yet, please install it from the Git official website.

Installing libcurl (with OpenSSL support)

Next, we will use vcpkg to install libcurl. To specify the 64bit version with OpenSSL support, run the following command.

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vcpkg install curl[ssl] --triplet x64-windows

When this command is run, necessary dependencies (such as OpenSSL) are also set up automatically.

Integration settings with Visual Studio

To easily use the library introduced by vcpkg from a Visual Studio project, configure the integration setting with the following command.

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vcpkg integrate install

By doing this setting, #include <curl/curl.h> can be automatically used in Visual Studio projects, eliminating the need to manually set up library paths and linker settings.

Conclusion

With this, the preparation to introduce libcurl (with OpenSSL support) into Visual Studio is complete.

• With vcpkg, troublesome dependencies can be managed all at once.
• Easily introduce libcurl with vcpkg install curl[ssl] --triplet x64-windows
• Automatic integration with Visual Studio is possible with vcpkg integrate install

After this, just include the header in your project and start developing using the libcurl API. Please utilize the convenient vcpkg and dramatically increase your development efficiency.