Difference Between wp_remote_get() and cURL in WordPress

Table of Contents

1. What is wp_remote_get() in WordPress?
2. What is cURL in WordPress?
3. Key Differences: wp_remote_get() vs. cURL
4. When to Use wp_remote_get()
5. When to Use cURL
6. Code Examples
7. Conclusion
8. FAQs

Making HTTP requests in WordPress can be done using different methods. The two most popular ways are wp_remote_get() and cURL. But which one should you use? In this blog post, we’ll explain both in simple terms.

What is wp_remote_get() in WordPress?

wp_remote_get() is a built-in WordPress function used to send GET requests to a URL.

Features:

• Simple and easy to use
• Automatically uses the best available transport (like cURL or Streams)
• Handles errors and response parsing
• Works well with WordPress environment

Example:

$response = wp_remote_get('https://api.example.com/data');

if (!is_wp_error($response)) {
    $body = wp_remote_retrieve_body($response);
    echo $body;
}

What is cURL in WordPress?

cURL is a PHP library used to make HTTP requests manually. It’s powerful but requires more code.

Features:

• Full control over request and response
• Supports many protocols
• Must check if enabled in server

Example:

$ch = curl_init('https://api.example.com/data');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
$response = curl_exec($ch);
curl_close($ch);
echo $response;

Key Differences: wp_remote_get() vs. cURL

When to Use wp_remote_get()

• You’re building plugins or themes for WordPress
• You want less code and better error handling
• You want compatibility across hosting servers

Best choice for most WordPress projects

When to Use cURL

• You need full control over the HTTP request
• You are working outside of WordPress
• You need to set custom headers, methods, or timeouts not supported by wp_remote_get()

Use with caution and only when needed

Code Examples

Using wp_remote_get()

$url = 'https://api.example.com/posts';
$response = wp_remote_get($url);

if (!is_wp_error($response)) {
    $data = wp_remote_retrieve_body($response);
    echo $data;
}

Using cURL

$url = 'https://api.example.com/posts';
$ch = curl_init($url);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
$response = curl_exec($ch);
curl_close($ch);
echo $response;

Conclusion

Both wp_remote_get() and cURL help make HTTP requests in WordPress.
If you’re developing in WordPress, always try wp_remote_get() first. It’s simple, secure, and follows WordPress standards. Use cURL only when you need advanced features or full control.

FAQs