Three decades of curl - Daniel Stenberg - NDC Security 2026

Value of the Information & Strength of the Argument

The talk provides valuable insights into the long-term maintenance of a critical open source project. Stenberg’s argumentation is grounded in his personal experience and concrete examples, such as the project’s growth metrics and security practices. He effectively communicates the importance of reliability, backward compatibility, and community involvement. The narrative is compelling and well-structured, moving from historical context to technical decisions and security considerations.

Scientific Rigor, Source Quality, Title Accuracy

The talk is based on the speaker’s direct involvement in curl, making it a primary source. While no external sources are cited, the information aligns with publicly available documentation and the project’s history. The title accurately reflects the content. The talk does not include formal citations, but the speaker’s authority and the project’s transparency lend credibility. The audience’s questions or comments are not provided, so no analysis of public reception is possible.

The title accurately reflects the content: a retrospective of curl's 30-year history, presented by its creator.

8/10

The talk is given by the founder and lead developer of curl, providing first-hand, authoritative insights into the project's history, technical decisions, and security practices. The information is consistent with publicly known facts about curl and open source development. However, some claims (e.g., 30 billion installations) are estimates and not independently verified.

Markers derived by PSI from the transcript: the creator did not define chapters.

• 02:00Introduction: Daniel Stenberg introduces himself and the topic of curl.
• 05:00Origin story: How curl started as an IRC bot helper and the creation of HTTP get.
• 10:00Evolution: Renaming to curl, adding protocols, and the growth of the codebase.
• 15:00Scale: The number of installations, contributors, and the project's reach.
• 20:00Why curl is everywhere: Features, portability, reliability, and being free.
• 25:00Open source philosophy: The importance of being open and the community's role.
• 30:00Security practices: Code style, banning unsafe functions, and complexity reduction.
• 35:00Handling security reports and learning from mistakes.
• 40:00Anecdotes: Curl in TV shows, billboards, and unexpected places.
• 45:00Conclusion: The future of curl and the importance of community.

• NDC Security Conference — The conference where the talk was recorded.
• NDC Conferences — The organizer of the conference.

• curl official documentation — Provides detailed information about curl's features and history, consistent with the talk.