---
name: "curl_easy_escape"
section: "3"
platform: "macos"
package: "curl"
version: "166.0.0.0.1"
release: "macOS 26.5"
platforms: ["linux", "macos"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/curl_easy_escape"
---

# curl\_easy\_escape(3)

URL encodes the given string

## NAME

curl\_easy\_escape - URL encodes the given string

## SYNOPSIS

```
#include <curl/curl.h>
char *curl_easy_escape(CURL *curl, const char *string, int length);
```

## DESCRIPTION

This function converts the given input *string* to a URL encoded string and returns that as a new allocated string. All input characters that are not a-z, A-Z, 0-9, '-', '.', '\_' or '~' are converted to their "URL escaped" version (**%NN** where **NN** is a two-digit hexadecimal number).

If *length* is set to 0 (zero), *[curl\_easy\_escape(3)](/curl_easy_escape/3.md)* uses strlen() on the input *string* to find out the size. This function does not accept input strings longer than **CURL\_MAX\_INPUT\_LENGTH** (8 MB).

Since 7.82.0, the **curl** parameter is ignored. Prior to that there was per-handle character conversion support for some old operating systems such as TPF, but it was otherwise ignored.

You must *[curl\_free(3)](/curl_free/3.md)* the returned string when you are done with it.

## ENCODING

libcurl is typically not aware of, nor does it care about, character encodings. *[curl\_easy\_escape(3)](/curl_easy_escape/3.md)* encodes the data byte-by-byte into the URL encoded version without knowledge or care for what particular character encoding the application or the receiving server may assume that the data uses.

The caller of *[curl\_easy\_escape(3)](/curl_easy_escape/3.md)* must make sure that the data passed in to the function is encoded correctly.

## EXAMPLE

```
int main(void)
{
  CURL *curl = curl_easy_init();
  if(curl) {
    char *output = curl_easy_escape(curl, "data to convert", 15);
    if(output) {
      printf("Encoded: %s\n", output);
      curl_free(output);
    }
    curl_easy_cleanup(curl);
  }
}
```

## AVAILABILITY

Added in 7.15.4 and replaces the old *[curl\_escape(3)](/curl_escape/3.md)* function.

## RETURN VALUE

A pointer to a null-terminated string or NULL if it failed.

## SEE ALSO

[**curl\_easy\_unescape**(3)](/curl_easy_unescape/3.md), [**curl\_free**(3)](/curl_free/3.md)