Building with Visual C++, prerequises ===================================== This document describes how to compile, build and install curl and libcurl from sources using the Visual C++ build tool. To build with VC++, you will of course have to first install VC++. The minimum required version of VC is 6 (part of Visual Studio 6). However using a more recent version like 2008 (vc9) is strongly recommended. VC++ is also part of the Windows Platform SDK. You do not have to install the full Visual Studio or Visual C++ if all you want is to build curl. The Platform SDK can be fetched here, freely: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/bb980924 If you wish to support zlib, openssl, ssh2, you will have to download them separately and copy them to the deps directory as shown below: somedirectory\ |_curl-src | |_winbuild | |_deps |_ lib |_ include |_ bin It is also possible to create the deps directory in some other random places and tell the Makefile its location using the WITH_DEVEL option. Building with Visual C++ ======================== Open a Visual Studio Command prompt or the SDK CMD shell. Using the CMD Shell: choose the right environment via the setenv command (see setenv /?) for the full list of options. setenv /xp /x86 /release for example. Using the Visual Studio command prompt Shell: Everything is already pre-configured by calling one of the command prompt. Once you are in the console, go to the winbuild directory in the Curl sources: cd curl-src\winbuild Then you can call nmake /f makefile with the desired options (see below). The builds will be in the top src directory, builds\ directory, in a directory named using the options given to the nmake call. nmake /f makefile.vc mode= where is one or many of: VC=<6,7,8,9,10> - VC versions WITH_DEVEL= - Paths for the development files (SSL, zlib, etc.) Default to sibbling directory deps: ../deps Libraries can be fetched at http://pecl2.php.net/downloads/php-windows-builds/ Uncompress them into the deps folder. WITH_SSL= - Enable OpenSSL support, DLL or static WITH_ZLIB= - Enable ZLib support, DLL or static WITH_SSH2= - Enable LIbSSH2 support, DLL or static USE_SSSPI= - Enable SSPI support, default to yes USE_IPV6= - Enable IPV6, default to yes DEBUG= - Debug builds USE_IDN= - Wheter or not to use IDN Windows APIs. Requires Windows Vista or later. or to install http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=AD6158D7-DDBA-416A-9109-07607425A815 GEN_PDB= - Generate Program Database (debug symbols release build)