---
c: Copyright (C) Daniel Stenberg, <daniel@haxx.se>, et al.
SPDX-License-Identifier: curl
Title: CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION
Section: 3
Source: libcurl
See-also:
  - CURLINFO_REDIRECT_COUNT (3)
  - CURLINFO_REDIRECT_URL (3)
  - CURLOPT_POSTREDIR (3)
  - CURLOPT_PROTOCOLS_STR (3)
  - CURLOPT_REDIR_PROTOCOLS_STR (3)
  - CURLOPT_UNRESTRICTED_AUTH (3)
Protocol:
  - HTTP
Added-in: 7.1
---

# NAME

CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION - follow HTTP 3xx redirects

# SYNOPSIS

~~~c
#include <curl/curl.h>

CURLcode curl_easy_setopt(CURL *handle, CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION, long mode);
~~~

# DESCRIPTION

This option tells the library to follow `Location:` header redirects that an
HTTP server sends in a 30x response. The `Location:` header can specify a
relative or an absolute URL to follow. The long parameter *mode* instructs how
libcurl should act on subsequent requests.

*mode* only had a single value (1L) for a long time that enables redirect
following. Since 8.13.0, two additional modes are also supported. See below.

When following redirects, libcurl issues another request for the new URL and
follows subsequent new `Location:` redirects all the way until no more such
headers are returned or the maximum limit is reached. CURLOPT_MAXREDIRS(3) is
used to limit the number of redirects libcurl follows.

libcurl restricts what protocols it automatically follow redirects to. The
accepted target protocols are set with CURLOPT_REDIR_PROTOCOLS_STR(3). By
default libcurl allows HTTP, HTTPS, FTP and FTPS on redirects.

When following a redirect, the specific 30x response code also dictates which
request method libcurl uses in the subsequent request: For 301, 302 and 303
responses libcurl switches method from POST to GET unless CURLOPT_POSTREDIR(3)
instructs libcurl otherwise. All other redirect response codes make libcurl
use the same method again.

When libcurl switches method to GET, it then uses that method without sending
any request body. If it does not change the method, it sends the subsequent
request the same way as the previous one; including the request body if one
was provided.

For users who think the existing location following is too naive, too simple
or lacking features, it is easy to instead implement your own redirect follow
logic with the use of curl_easy_getinfo(3)'s CURLINFO_REDIRECT_URL(3) option
instead of using CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION(3).

By default, libcurl only sends `Authorization:` or explicitly set `Cookie:`
headers to the initial host given in the original URL, to avoid leaking
username + password to other sites. CURLOPT_UNRESTRICTED_AUTH(3) is provided
to change that behavior.

Due to the way HTTP works, almost any header can be made to contain data a
client may not want to pass on to other servers than the initially intended
host and for all other headers than the two mentioned above, there is no
protection from this happening when libcurl is told to follow redirects.

Pick one of the following modes:

## CURLFOLLOW_ALL (1)

Before 8.13.0 this bit had no name and 1L was the value to enable this option.
This makes a set custom method be used in all HTTP requests, even after
redirects.

## CURLFOLLOW_OBEYCODE (2)

When there is a custom request method set with CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST(3), that
set method replaces what libcurl would otherwise use. If a 301/302/303
response code is returned to signal a redirect, the method is changed from
POST to `GET`. For 307/308, the custom method remains set and used.

Note that only POST (or a custom post) is changed to GET on 301/302, its not
change PUT etc - and therefore also not when libcurl issues a custom PUT. A
303 response makes it switch to GET independently of the original method
(except for HEAD).

To control for which of the 301/302/303 status codes libcurl should *not*
switch back to GET for when doing a custom POST (a POST transfer using a
modified method), and instead keep the custom method, use
CURLOPT_POSTREDIR(3).

If you prefer a custom POST method to be reset to exactly the method `POST`,
use CURLFOLLOW_FIRSTONLY instead.

## CURLFOLLOW_FIRSTONLY (3)

When there is a custom request method set with CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST(3), that
set method replaces what libcurl would otherwise use in the first outgoing
request only. The second request is then done according to the redirect
response code.

If you prefer your custom method to remain in use after a 307/308 redirect,
use CURLFOLLOW_OBEYCODE instead.

##

# NOTE

Since libcurl changes method or not based on the specific HTTP response code,
setting CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST(3) while following redirects may change what
libcurl would otherwise do and if not that carefully may even make it
misbehave since CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST(3) overrides the method libcurl would
otherwise select internally.

Setting the CURLFOLLOW_OBEYCODE bit makes libcurl *not* use the custom set
method after redirects for 301, 302 and 303 responses. Unless the
CURLOPT_POSTREDIR(3) bits are set for those status codes.

# DEFAULT

0, disabled

# %PROTOCOLS%

# EXAMPLE

~~~c
int main(void)
{
  CURL *curl = curl_easy_init();
  if(curl) {
    CURLcode result;
    curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_URL, "https://example.com");

    /* example.com is redirected, so we tell libcurl to follow redirection */
    curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION, 1L);

    result = curl_easy_perform(curl);
    curl_easy_cleanup(curl);
  }
}
~~~

# %AVAILABILITY%

# RETURN VALUE

curl_easy_setopt(3) returns a CURLcode indicating success or error.

CURLE_OK (0) means everything was OK, non-zero means an error occurred, see
libcurl-errors(3).
