How to install cURL on Ubuntu

Installing cURL from the standard Ubuntu repositories provides the command-line client used for HTTP requests, API checks, downloads, and scripted transfers. Keeping it under apt means security fixes and package updates follow the normal operating system maintenance path.

On current Ubuntu releases, installing the curl package places the binary at /usr/bin/curl and pulls in the runtime pieces it needs, including the packaged libcurl library and certificate bundle. That keeps TLS trust, protocol support, and future fixes aligned with the distro build instead of introducing a second installation method.

Commands below assume an Ubuntu host with working repositories and an account that can run sudo. If curl is already present, apt reports that the newest package is already installed; if the final HTTPS request fails, the package is present but outbound DNS, proxy policy, or certificate trust still needs attention.

1. Refresh the local apt package index before installing the package.

   $ sudo apt update
   Get:1 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu noble InRelease [256 kB]
   ##### snipped #####
   Reading package lists... Done

   apt update refreshes repository metadata so the install step can select the current curl package from the configured Ubuntu sources.

2. Install the distro-managed curl package.

   $ sudo apt install curl
   Reading package lists... Done
   Building dependency tree... Done
   Reading state information... Done
   The following NEW packages will be installed:
     curl
   ##### snipped #####
   Setting up curl (8.5.0-2ubuntu10.8) ...

   The omitted package lines cover dependencies such as the packaged libcurl runtime and certificate bundle. When curl is already installed, the same command reports that the newest package is already present instead of reinstalling it.

3. Check the installed package status and version.

   $ dpkg -s curl
   Package: curl
   Status: install ok installed
   Version: 8.5.0-2ubuntu10.8
   Architecture: arm64

   The exact version and architecture vary by Ubuntu release and hardware, but the installed status and package version confirm that apt registered the package correctly.

4. Send a simple HTTPS HEAD request to confirm curl can resolve names, negotiate TLS, and receive a response.

   $ curl --silent --show-error --head https://example.com/
   HTTP/2 200
   date: Tue, 21 Apr 2026 23:12:42 GMT
   content-type: text/html
   server: cloudflare
   last-modified: Sat, 18 Apr 2026 00:51:00 GMT
   allow: GET, HEAD
   accept-ranges: bytes

   --silent keeps the header check readable and --show-error still prints a failure reason if the request cannot complete. If this request fails, the package installation completed but outbound DNS, HTTPS inspection, proxy policy, or CA trust still needs correction before automation can rely on curl.