---
name: "CURLOPT_TRANSFER_ENCODING"
section: "3"
platform: "linux"
package: "curl"
version: "8.23.0-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux", "macos"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/CURLOPT_TRANSFER_ENCODING"
---

# CURLOPT\_TRANSFER\_ENCODING(3)

ask for HTTP Transfer Encoding

## NAME

CURLOPT\_TRANSFER\_ENCODING - ask for HTTP Transfer Encoding

## SYNOPSIS

```
#include <curl/curl.h>
CURLcode curl_easy_setopt(CURL *handle, CURLOPT_TRANSFER_ENCODING,
                          long enable);
```

## DESCRIPTION

Pass a long set to 1L to *enable* or 0 to disable.

Adds a request for compressed Transfer Encoding in the outgoing HTTP request. If the server supports this and so desires, it can respond with the HTTP response sent using a compressed Transfer-Encoding that is automatically uncompressed by libcurl on reception.

Transfer-Encoding differs slightly from the Content-Encoding you ask for with *[CURLOPT\_ACCEPT\_ENCODING(3)](/CURLOPT_ACCEPT_ENCODING/3.md)* in that a Transfer-Encoding is strictly meant to be for the transfer and thus must be decoded before the data arrives in the client. Traditionally, Transfer-Encoding has been much less used and supported by both HTTP clients and HTTP servers.

## DEFAULT

0

## PROTOCOLS

This functionality affects http only

## EXAMPLE

```
int main(void)
{
  CURL *curl = curl_easy_init();
  if(curl) {
    CURLcode result;
    curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_URL, "https://example.com");
    curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_TRANSFER_ENCODING, 1L);
    result = curl_easy_perform(curl);
    curl_easy_cleanup(curl);
  }
}
```

## AVAILABILITY

Added in curl 7.21.6

## RETURN VALUE

*[curl\_easy\_setopt(3)](/curl_easy_setopt/3.md)* returns a CURLcode indicating success or error.

CURLE\_OK (0) means everything was OK, non-zero means an error occurred, see *[libcurl-errors(3)](/libcurl-errors/3.md)*.

## SEE ALSO

[**CURLOPT\_ACCEPT\_ENCODING**(3)](/CURLOPT_ACCEPT_ENCODING/3.md), [**CURLOPT\_HTTP\_TRANSFER\_DECODING**(3)](/CURLOPT_HTTP_TRANSFER_DECODING/3.md)