curl 8.20.0, the latest version of a software tool used everywhere on the internet, arrived on April 29, 2026. curl helps computers send and receive data across networks — it's built into billions of devices and used by countless programs you rely on every day, often without knowing it.

The new version itself is routine. But curl's developers have announced that they plan to remove a security feature called TLS-SRP by August 2026. TLS-SRP was designed to let a computer prove it knows a password without sending that password over the network. It sounded useful when it was created in 2007, but almost nobody actually uses it. The few organizations that do are typically in specialized enterprise or embedded systems roles.

If you are not using TLS-SRP, this change does not affect you. The feature only works if both your computer and the server you connect to have explicitly turned it on. That is rare. If you do use it, August 2026 is when you need to move to a different approach. curl's documentation for developers explains the timeline.

The developers are also removing curl's support for SMB, a file-sharing protocol used in some corporate networks. curl's version of SMB was never very complete — dedicated tools designed just for file sharing do that job better. Removing it makes the code simpler and easier to maintain.

When software gets this old and widely used, every feature takes effort to support. The team has to test it, fix security problems in it, and make sure it still works when the underlying cryptography libraries change. Removing features that almost nobody uses allows the team to focus on the parts that matter.

Removing TLS-SRP also has a security benefit. As the cryptography world gradually shifts toward stronger methods to protect against future quantum computers, old features like TLS-SRP can become a weak point. Taking it out entirely is simpler than trying to patch around its limitations.

curl 8.20.0 is a small reminder that the software running the internet is constantly being updated quietly behind the scenes. Version numbers change, but the steady work of removing outdated pieces is what keeps tools like curl reliable for the next decade.