---
c: Copyright (C) Daniel Stenberg, <daniel@haxx.se>, et al.
SPDX-License-Identifier: curl
Title: CURLOPT_COOKIEJAR
Section: 3
Source: libcurl
See-also:
  - CURLOPT_COOKIE (3)
  - CURLOPT_COOKIEFILE (3)
  - CURLOPT_COOKIELIST (3)
Protocol:
  - HTTP
Added-in: 7.9
---

# NAME

CURLOPT_COOKIEJAR - filename to store cookies to

# SYNOPSIS

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

CURLcode curl_easy_setopt(CURL *handle, CURLOPT_COOKIEJAR, char *filename);
~~~

# DESCRIPTION

Pass a *filename* as a char *, null-terminated. This makes libcurl write
all internally known cookies to the specified file when
curl_easy_cleanup(3) is called. If no cookies are kept in memory at that
time, no file is created. Specify "-" as filename to instead have the cookies
written to stdout. Using this option also enables cookies for this session, so
if you for example follow a redirect it makes matching cookies get sent
accordingly.

Note that libcurl does not read any cookies from the cookie jar specified with
this option. To read cookies from a file, use CURLOPT_COOKIEFILE(3).

If the cookie jar file cannot be created or written to (when the
curl_easy_cleanup(3) is called), libcurl does not and cannot report an
error for this. Using CURLOPT_VERBOSE(3) or
CURLOPT_DEBUGFUNCTION(3) displays a warning, but that is the only
visible feedback you get about this possibly lethal situation.

Cookies are imported in the Set-Cookie format without a domain name are not
exported by this option.

The application does not have to keep the string around after setting this
option.

# DEFAULT

NULL

# %PROTOCOLS%

# EXAMPLE

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

    /* export cookies to this file when closing the handle */
    curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_COOKIEJAR, "/tmp/cookies.txt");

    res = curl_easy_perform(curl);

    /* close the handle, write the cookies! */
    curl_easy_cleanup(curl);
  }
}
~~~

# %AVAILABILITY%

# RETURN VALUE

Returns CURLE_OK if HTTP is supported, CURLE_UNKNOWN_OPTION if not, or
CURLE_OUT_OF_MEMORY if there was insufficient heap space.
