daniel.haxx.se

The curl project is removing support for the OpenSSL-QUIC backend in version 8.19.0, consolidating HTTP/3 support to just two backends: nghttp2+nghttp3 and quiche (experimental). OpenSSL-QUIC never graduated from experimental status due to three critical issues: an inadequate API lacking necessary controls, extremely poor performance (up to 3x slower than ngtcp2), and excessive memory usage (up to 20x more than alternatives). This decision follows a history where OpenSSL rejected implementing the BoringSSL QUIC API in 2021, instead creating their own QUIC stack that shipped broken in 2023 and only became decent by 2025.

More HTTP/3 focus, one backend less

<p>Not surprising in the slightest. quiche, written in Rust, has consistently been one of the most solid QUIC implementations available, benefiting from Rust’s memory safety guarantees and Cloudflare’s production-driven development. On top of that, the nghttp3 which is in C is already mature, stable, and widely trusted for HTTP/3 and HTTP/2. Compared to that combination, OpenSSL-QUIC always felt like it was playing catch-up.</p>
