diff --git a/.devops/cann.Dockerfile b/.devops/cann.Dockerfile
index db221b0b81..97ee3eedb6 100644
--- a/.devops/cann.Dockerfile
+++ b/.devops/cann.Dockerfile
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ ARG CANN_BASE_IMAGE=quay.io/ascend/cann:8.3.rc2-${CHIP_TYPE}-openeuler24.03-py3.
 FROM ${CANN_BASE_IMAGE} AS build
 
 # -- Install build dependencies --
-RUN yum install -y gcc g++ cmake make git libcurl-devel python3 python3-pip && \
+RUN yum install -y gcc g++ cmake make git openssl-devel python3 python3-pip && \
     yum clean all && \
     rm -rf /var/cache/yum
 
diff --git a/.devops/cpu.Dockerfile b/.devops/cpu.Dockerfile
index b9e84ab986..c70a2de562 100644
--- a/.devops/cpu.Dockerfile
+++ b/.devops/cpu.Dockerfile
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ FROM ubuntu:$UBUNTU_VERSION AS build
 ARG TARGETARCH
 
 RUN apt-get update && \
-    apt-get install -y build-essential git cmake libcurl4-openssl-dev
+    apt-get install -y build-essential git cmake libssl-dev
 
 WORKDIR /app
 
diff --git a/.devops/cuda-new.Dockerfile b/.devops/cuda-new.Dockerfile
index 62443e17f2..98dc147d7e 100644
--- a/.devops/cuda-new.Dockerfile
+++ b/.devops/cuda-new.Dockerfile
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ FROM ${BASE_CUDA_DEV_CONTAINER} AS build
 ARG CUDA_DOCKER_ARCH=default
 
 RUN apt-get update && \
-    apt-get install -y build-essential cmake python3 python3-pip git libcurl4-openssl-dev libgomp1
+    apt-get install -y build-essential cmake python3 python3-pip git libssl-dev libgomp1
 
 WORKDIR /app
 
diff --git a/.devops/cuda.Dockerfile b/.devops/cuda.Dockerfile
index fed5863157..52f103bc31 100644
--- a/.devops/cuda.Dockerfile
+++ b/.devops/cuda.Dockerfile
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ FROM ${BASE_CUDA_DEV_CONTAINER} AS build
 ARG CUDA_DOCKER_ARCH=default
 
 RUN apt-get update && \
-    apt-get install -y build-essential cmake python3 python3-pip git libcurl4-openssl-dev libgomp1
+    apt-get install -y build-essential cmake python3 python3-pip git libssl-dev libgomp1
 
 WORKDIR /app
 
diff --git a/.devops/intel.Dockerfile b/.devops/intel.Dockerfile
index adebf08229..35ea4ade8e 100644
--- a/.devops/intel.Dockerfile
+++ b/.devops/intel.Dockerfile
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ FROM intel/deep-learning-essentials:$ONEAPI_VERSION AS build
 
 ARG GGML_SYCL_F16=OFF
 RUN apt-get update && \
-    apt-get install -y git libcurl4-openssl-dev
+    apt-get install -y git libssl-dev
 
 WORKDIR /app
 
diff --git a/.devops/llama-cli-cann.Dockerfile b/.devops/llama-cli-cann.Dockerfile
index 6581187f32..5bbc9ee43b 100644
--- a/.devops/llama-cli-cann.Dockerfile
+++ b/.devops/llama-cli-cann.Dockerfile
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ WORKDIR /app
 
 COPY . .
 
-RUN yum install -y gcc g++ cmake make libcurl-devel
+RUN yum install -y gcc g++ cmake make openssl-devel
 ENV ASCEND_TOOLKIT_HOME=/usr/local/Ascend/ascend-toolkit/latest
 ENV LIBRARY_PATH=${ASCEND_TOOLKIT_HOME}/lib64:$LIBRARY_PATH
 ENV LD_LIBRARY_PATH=${ASCEND_TOOLKIT_HOME}/lib64:${ASCEND_TOOLKIT_HOME}/lib64/plugin/opskernel:${ASCEND_TOOLKIT_HOME}/lib64/plugin/nnengine:${ASCEND_TOOLKIT_HOME}/opp/built-in/op_impl/ai_core/tbe/op_tiling:${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}
diff --git a/.devops/musa.Dockerfile b/.devops/musa.Dockerfile
index 34d6ad9f40..9eb4985204 100644
--- a/.devops/musa.Dockerfile
+++ b/.devops/musa.Dockerfile
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ RUN apt-get update && \
     python3 \
     python3-pip \
     git \
-    libcurl4-openssl-dev \
+    libssl-dev \
     libgomp1
 
 WORKDIR /app
diff --git a/.devops/nix/package.nix b/.devops/nix/package.nix
index a13996bd68..79a7270e5d 100644
--- a/.devops/nix/package.nix
+++ b/.devops/nix/package.nix
@@ -32,7 +32,6 @@
   useMpi ? false,
   useRocm ? config.rocmSupport,
   rocmGpuTargets ? builtins.concatStringsSep ";" rocmPackages.clr.gpuTargets,
-  enableCurl ? true,
   useVulkan ? false,
   useRpc ? false,
   llamaVersion ? "0.0.0", # Arbitrary version, substituted by the flake
@@ -160,15 +159,13 @@ effectiveStdenv.mkDerivation (finalAttrs: {
     ++ optionals useMpi [ mpi ]
     ++ optionals useRocm rocmBuildInputs
     ++ optionals useBlas [ blas ]
-    ++ optionals useVulkan vulkanBuildInputs
-    ++ optionals enableCurl [ curl ];
+    ++ optionals useVulkan vulkanBuildInputs;
 
   cmakeFlags =
     [
       (cmakeBool "LLAMA_BUILD_SERVER" true)
       (cmakeBool "BUILD_SHARED_LIBS" (!enableStatic))
       (cmakeBool "CMAKE_SKIP_BUILD_RPATH" true)
-      (cmakeBool "LLAMA_CURL" enableCurl)
       (cmakeBool "GGML_NATIVE" false)
       (cmakeBool "GGML_BLAS" useBlas)
       (cmakeBool "GGML_CUDA" useCuda)
diff --git a/.devops/rocm.Dockerfile b/.devops/rocm.Dockerfile
index 53c3ed8d88..14936f8e9c 100644
--- a/.devops/rocm.Dockerfile
+++ b/.devops/rocm.Dockerfile
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ RUN apt-get update \
     build-essential \
     cmake \
     git \
-    libcurl4-openssl-dev \
+    libssl-dev \
     curl \
     libgomp1
 
diff --git a/.devops/s390x.Dockerfile b/.devops/s390x.Dockerfile
index 1e66f061d5..757cd97cd4 100644
--- a/.devops/s390x.Dockerfile
+++ b/.devops/s390x.Dockerfile
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/var/cache/apt,sharing=locked \
     apt install -y --no-install-recommends \
         git cmake ccache ninja-build \
         # WARNING: Do not use libopenblas-openmp-dev. libopenblas-dev is faster.
-        libopenblas-dev libcurl4-openssl-dev && \
+        libopenblas-dev libssl-dev && \
     rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
 
 WORKDIR /app
diff --git a/.devops/vulkan.Dockerfile b/.devops/vulkan.Dockerfile
index 89831ed5c2..9797c5e0f3 100644
--- a/.devops/vulkan.Dockerfile
+++ b/.devops/vulkan.Dockerfile
@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@ FROM ubuntu:$UBUNTU_VERSION AS build
 # Install build tools
 RUN apt update && apt install -y git build-essential cmake wget xz-utils
 
-# Install cURL and Vulkan SDK dependencies
-RUN apt install -y libcurl4-openssl-dev curl \
+# Install SSL and Vulkan SDK dependencies
+RUN apt install -y libssl-dev curl \
     libxcb-xinput0 libxcb-xinerama0 libxcb-cursor-dev libvulkan-dev glslc
 
 # Build it
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-cmake-pkg.yml b/.github/workflows/build-cmake-pkg.yml
index fee2ab96bd..510352a5cc 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build-cmake-pkg.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-cmake-pkg.yml
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           PREFIX="$(pwd)"/inst
           cmake -S . -B build -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="$PREFIX" \
-                -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF -DLLAMA_BUILD_TESTS=OFF -DLLAMA_BUILD_TOOLS=OFF \
+                -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=OFF -DLLAMA_BUILD_TESTS=OFF -DLLAMA_BUILD_TOOLS=OFF \
                 -DLLAMA_BUILD_EXAMPLES=OFF -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
           cmake --build build --config Release
           cmake --install build --prefix "$PREFIX" --config Release
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-linux-cross.yml b/.github/workflows/build-linux-cross.yml
index c2c6ea12ae..4d3b687a51 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build-linux-cross.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-linux-cross.yml
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ jobs:
 
   #     - name: Build
   #       run: |
-  #         cmake -B build -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
+  #         cmake -B build -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=OFF \
   #                        -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
   #                        -DGGML_OPENMP=OFF \
   #                        -DLLAMA_BUILD_EXAMPLES=ON \
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ jobs:
 
   #     - name: Build
   #       run: |
-  #         cmake -B build -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
+  #         cmake -B build -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=OFF \
   #                        -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
   #                        -DGGML_VULKAN=ON \
   #                        -DGGML_OPENMP=OFF \
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ jobs:
 
   #     - name: Build
   #       run: |
-  #         cmake -B build -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
+  #         cmake -B build -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=OFF \
   #                        -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
   #                        -DGGML_VULKAN=ON \
   #                        -DGGML_OPENMP=OFF \
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Build
         run: |
-          cmake -B build -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
+          cmake -B build -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=OFF \
                          -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
                          -DGGML_OPENMP=OFF \
                          -DLLAMA_BUILD_EXAMPLES=ON \
@@ -235,7 +235,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Build
         run: |
-          cmake -B build -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
+          cmake -B build -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=OFF \
                          -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
                          -DGGML_VULKAN=ON \
                          -DGGML_OPENMP=OFF \
@@ -281,7 +281,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Build
         run: |
           export RISCV_ROOT_PATH=${PWD}/spacemit_toolchain
-          cmake -B build -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
+          cmake -B build -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=OFF \
                          -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
                          -DGGML_OPENMP=OFF \
                          -DLLAMA_BUILD_EXAMPLES=ON \
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index e2573fecf8..e3b120fcda 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -79,7 +79,6 @@ jobs:
           cmake -B build \
             -DCMAKE_BUILD_RPATH="@loader_path" \
             -DLLAMA_FATAL_WARNINGS=ON \
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
             -DLLAMA_BUILD_BORINGSSL=ON \
             -DGGML_METAL_USE_BF16=ON \
             -DGGML_METAL_EMBED_LIBRARY=OFF \
@@ -118,7 +117,6 @@ jobs:
           cmake -B build \
             -DCMAKE_BUILD_RPATH="@loader_path" \
             -DLLAMA_FATAL_WARNINGS=ON \
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
             -DLLAMA_BUILD_BORINGSSL=ON \
             -DGGML_METAL=OFF \
             -DGGML_RPC=ON \
@@ -227,8 +225,6 @@ jobs:
         id: cmake_build
         run: |
           cmake -B build \
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
-            -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=ON \
             -DLLAMA_FATAL_WARNINGS=ON \
             -DGGML_RPC=ON
           cmake --build build --config Release -j $(nproc)
@@ -293,8 +289,6 @@ jobs:
         if: ${{ matrix.sanitizer != 'THREAD' }}
         run: |
           cmake -B build \
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
-            -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=ON \
             -DLLAMA_FATAL_WARNINGS=ON \
             -DLLAMA_SANITIZE_${{ matrix.sanitizer }}=ON \
             -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=${{ matrix.build_type }}
@@ -305,8 +299,6 @@ jobs:
         if: ${{ matrix.sanitizer == 'THREAD' }}
         run: |
           cmake -B build \
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
-            -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=ON \
             -DLLAMA_FATAL_WARNINGS=ON \
             -DLLAMA_SANITIZE_${{ matrix.sanitizer }}=ON \
             -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=${{ matrix.build_type }} \
@@ -336,14 +328,10 @@ jobs:
       - name: Build
         id: cmake_build
         run: |
-          mkdir build
-          cd build
-          cmake .. \
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
-            -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=ON \
+          cmake -B build \
             -DLLAMA_FATAL_WARNINGS=ON \
             -DLLAMA_LLGUIDANCE=ON
-          cmake --build . --config Release -j $(nproc)
+          cmake --build build --config Release -j $(nproc)
 
       - name: Test
         id: cmake_test
@@ -377,8 +365,6 @@ jobs:
         id: cmake_build
         run: |
           cmake -B build \
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
-            -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=ON \
             -DGGML_RPC=ON
           cmake --build build --config Release -j $(nproc)
 
@@ -412,8 +398,6 @@ jobs:
         id: cmake_configure
         run: |
           cmake -B build \
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
-            -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=ON \
             -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=RelWithDebInfo \
             -DGGML_BACKEND_DL=ON \
             -DGGML_CPU_ALL_VARIANTS=ON \
@@ -470,8 +454,6 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           source ./vulkan_sdk/setup-env.sh
           cmake -B build \
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
-            -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=ON \
             -DGGML_VULKAN=ON
           cmake --build build --config Release -j $(nproc)
 
@@ -545,8 +527,6 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           export Dawn_DIR=dawn/lib64/cmake/Dawn
           cmake -B build \
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
-            -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=ON \
             -DGGML_WEBGPU=ON
           cmake --build build --config Release -j $(nproc)
 
@@ -593,7 +573,7 @@ jobs:
           source emsdk/emsdk_env.sh
           emcmake cmake -B build-wasm \
             -DGGML_WEBGPU=ON \
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
+            -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=OFF \
             -DEMDAWNWEBGPU_DIR=emdawnwebgpu_pkg
 
           cmake --build build-wasm --target test-backend-ops -j $(nproc)
@@ -624,8 +604,6 @@ jobs:
         id: cmake_build
         run: |
           cmake -B build -S . \
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
-            -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=ON \
             -DCMAKE_HIP_COMPILER="$(hipconfig -l)/clang" \
             -DGGML_HIP_ROCWMMA_FATTN=ON \
             -DGGML_HIP=ON
@@ -657,8 +635,6 @@ jobs:
         id: cmake_build
         run: |
           cmake -B build -S . \
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
-            -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=ON \
             -DGGML_MUSA=ON
           cmake --build build --config Release -j $(nproc)
 
@@ -706,8 +682,6 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           source /opt/intel/oneapi/setvars.sh
           cmake -B build \
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
-            -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=ON \
             -DGGML_SYCL=ON \
             -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=icx \
             -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=icpx
@@ -757,8 +731,6 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           source /opt/intel/oneapi/setvars.sh
           cmake -B build \
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
-            -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=ON \
             -DGGML_SYCL=ON \
             -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=icx \
             -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=icpx \
@@ -893,7 +865,7 @@ jobs:
           cmake -B build -G Xcode \
             -DGGML_METAL_USE_BF16=ON \
             -DGGML_METAL_EMBED_LIBRARY=ON \
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
+            -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=OFF \
             -DLLAMA_BUILD_EXAMPLES=OFF \
             -DLLAMA_BUILD_TOOLS=OFF \
             -DLLAMA_BUILD_TESTS=OFF \
@@ -1043,7 +1015,7 @@ jobs:
         id: cmake_build
         run: |
           cmake -S . -B build ${{ matrix.defines }} `
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF -DLLAMA_BUILD_BORINGSSL=ON
+            -DLLAMA_BUILD_BORINGSSL=ON
           cmake --build build --config Release -j ${env:NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS}
 
       - name: Add libopenblas.dll
@@ -1101,8 +1073,6 @@ jobs:
           # TODO: Remove GGML_CUDA_CUB_3DOT2 flag once CCCL 3.2 is bundled within CTK and that CTK version is used in this project
           run: |
             cmake -S . -B build -G Ninja \
-              -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
-              -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=ON \
               -DLLAMA_FATAL_WARNINGS=ON \
               -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
               -DCMAKE_CUDA_ARCHITECTURES=89-real \
@@ -1150,7 +1120,6 @@ jobs:
           call "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Enterprise\VC\Auxiliary\Build\vcvarsall.bat" x64
           cmake -S . -B build -G "Ninja Multi-Config" ^
             -DLLAMA_BUILD_SERVER=ON ^
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF ^
             -DLLAMA_BUILD_BORINGSSL=ON ^
             -DGGML_NATIVE=OFF ^
             -DGGML_BACKEND_DL=ON ^
@@ -1258,7 +1227,6 @@ jobs:
             -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER="${env:HIP_PATH}\bin\clang++.exe" `
             -DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS="-I$($PWD.Path.Replace('\', '/'))/opt/rocm-${{ env.ROCM_VERSION }}/include/" `
             -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release `
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF `
             -DLLAMA_BUILD_BORINGSSL=ON `
             -DROCM_DIR="${env:HIP_PATH}" `
             -DGGML_HIP=ON `
@@ -1285,7 +1253,7 @@ jobs:
           cmake -B build -G Xcode \
             -DGGML_METAL_USE_BF16=ON \
             -DGGML_METAL_EMBED_LIBRARY=ON \
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
+            -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=OFF \
             -DLLAMA_BUILD_EXAMPLES=OFF \
             -DLLAMA_BUILD_TOOLS=OFF \
             -DLLAMA_BUILD_TESTS=OFF \
@@ -1352,7 +1320,7 @@ jobs:
       matrix:
         include:
           - build: 'arm64-cpu'
-            defines: '-D ANDROID_ABI=arm64-v8a -D ANDROID_PLATFORM=android-31 -D CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=${ANDROID_NDK_ROOT}/build/cmake/android.toolchain.cmake -D GGML_NATIVE=OFF -DGGML_CPU_ARM_ARCH=armv8.5-a+fp16+i8mm -G Ninja -D LLAMA_CURL=OFF -D GGML_OPENMP=OFF'
+            defines: '-D ANDROID_ABI=arm64-v8a -D ANDROID_PLATFORM=android-31 -D CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=${ANDROID_NDK_ROOT}/build/cmake/android.toolchain.cmake -D GGML_NATIVE=OFF -DGGML_CPU_ARM_ARCH=armv8.5-a+fp16+i8mm -G Ninja -D LLAMA_OPENSSL=OFF -D GGML_OPENMP=OFF'
           - build: 'arm64-snapdragon'
             defines: '--preset arm64-android-snapdragon-release'
 
@@ -1469,8 +1437,6 @@ jobs:
               export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=${ASCEND_TOOLKIT_HOME}/lib64:${ASCEND_TOOLKIT_HOME}/$(uname -m)-linux/devlib/:${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}
               cmake -S . -B build \
                   -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=${BUILD_TYPE} \
-                  -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
-                  -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=ON \
                   -DGGML_CANN=on \
                   -DSOC_TYPE=${SOC_TYPE}
               cmake --build build -j $(nproc)
@@ -1834,8 +1800,6 @@ jobs:
         id: cmake_build
         run: |
           cmake -B build \
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
-            -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=ON \
             -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
             -DGGML_OPENMP=OFF \
             -DLLAMA_BUILD_EXAMPLES=ON \
@@ -1928,7 +1892,7 @@ jobs:
         if: ${{ matrix.sanitizer != 'THREAD' }}
         run: |
           cmake -B build \
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
+            -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=OFF \
             -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=${{ matrix.build_type }} \
             -DGGML_OPENMP=ON \
             -DLLAMA_BUILD_EXAMPLES=ON \
@@ -1947,7 +1911,7 @@ jobs:
         if: ${{ matrix.sanitizer == 'THREAD' }}
         run: |
           cmake -B build \
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
+            -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=OFF \
             -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=${{ matrix.build_type }} \
             -DGGML_OPENMP=OFF \
             -DLLAMA_BUILD_EXAMPLES=ON \
@@ -2018,7 +1982,7 @@ jobs:
         id: cmake_build
         run: |
           cmake -B build \
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
+            -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=OFF \
             -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
             -DGGML_OPENMP=OFF \
             -DLLAMA_BUILD_EXAMPLES=ON \
@@ -2092,8 +2056,6 @@ jobs:
         id: cmake_build
         run: |
           cmake -B build \
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
-            -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=ON \
             -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
             -DGGML_OPENMP=OFF \
             -DLLAMA_BUILD_EXAMPLES=ON \
diff --git a/.github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml b/.github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml
index 3645e30378..5f733e684e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ jobs:
         id: depends
         run: |
           sudo apt-get update
-          sudo apt-get install build-essential libcurl4-openssl-dev
+          sudo apt-get install build-essential libssl-dev
           # Install git-clang-format script for formatting only changed code
           wget -O /tmp/git-clang-format https://raw.githubusercontent.com/llvm/llvm-project/release/18.x/clang/tools/clang-format/git-clang-format
           sudo cp /tmp/git-clang-format /usr/local/bin/git-clang-format
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 35e1fae697..272701fb9e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -45,7 +45,6 @@ jobs:
             -DCMAKE_INSTALL_RPATH='@loader_path' \
             -DCMAKE_BUILD_WITH_INSTALL_RPATH=ON \
             -DLLAMA_FATAL_WARNINGS=ON \
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
             -DLLAMA_BUILD_BORINGSSL=ON \
             -DGGML_METAL_USE_BF16=ON \
             -DGGML_METAL_EMBED_LIBRARY=ON \
@@ -95,7 +94,6 @@ jobs:
             -DCMAKE_INSTALL_RPATH='@loader_path' \
             -DCMAKE_BUILD_WITH_INSTALL_RPATH=ON \
             -DLLAMA_FATAL_WARNINGS=ON \
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
             -DLLAMA_BUILD_BORINGSSL=ON \
             -DGGML_METAL=OFF \
             -DGGML_RPC=ON \
@@ -161,8 +159,6 @@ jobs:
             -DGGML_NATIVE=OFF \
             -DGGML_CPU_ALL_VARIANTS=ON \
             -DLLAMA_FATAL_WARNINGS=ON \
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
-            -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=ON \
             ${{ env.CMAKE_ARGS }}
           cmake --build build --config Release -j $(nproc)
 
@@ -212,8 +208,6 @@ jobs:
           cmake -B build \
             -DCMAKE_INSTALL_RPATH='$ORIGIN' \
             -DCMAKE_BUILD_WITH_INSTALL_RPATH=ON \
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
-            -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=ON \
             -DGGML_BACKEND_DL=ON \
             -DGGML_NATIVE=OFF \
             -DGGML_CPU_ALL_VARIANTS=ON \
@@ -269,7 +263,6 @@ jobs:
           call "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Enterprise\VC\Auxiliary\Build\vcvarsall.bat" ${{ matrix.arch == 'x64' && 'x64' || 'amd64_arm64' }}
           cmake -S . -B build -G "Ninja Multi-Config" ^
             -D CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=cmake/${{ matrix.arch }}-windows-llvm.cmake ^
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF ^
             -DLLAMA_BUILD_BORINGSSL=ON ^
             -DGGML_NATIVE=OFF ^
             -DGGML_BACKEND_DL=ON ^
@@ -358,7 +351,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Build
         id: cmake_build
         run: |
-          cmake -S . -B build ${{ matrix.defines }} -DGGML_NATIVE=OFF -DGGML_CPU=OFF -DGGML_BACKEND_DL=ON -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF
+          cmake -S . -B build ${{ matrix.defines }} -DGGML_NATIVE=OFF -DGGML_CPU=OFF -DGGML_BACKEND_DL=ON -DLLAMA_BUILD_BORINGSSL=ON
           cmake --build build --config Release --target ${{ matrix.target }}
 
       - name: Pack artifacts
@@ -412,7 +405,7 @@ jobs:
             -DGGML_NATIVE=OFF ^
             -DGGML_CPU=OFF ^
             -DGGML_CUDA=ON ^
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF ^
+            -DLLAMA_BUILD_BORINGSSL=ON ^
             -DGGML_CUDA_CUB_3DOT2=ON
           set /A NINJA_JOBS=%NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS%-1
           cmake --build build --config Release -j %NINJA_JOBS% --target ggml-cuda
@@ -481,7 +474,7 @@ jobs:
             -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release ^
             -DGGML_BACKEND_DL=ON -DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=ON ^
             -DGGML_CPU=OFF -DGGML_SYCL=ON ^
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF
+            -DLLAMA_BUILD_BORINGSSL=ON
           cmake --build build --target ggml-sycl -j
 
       - name: Build the release package
@@ -608,7 +601,7 @@ jobs:
             -DAMDGPU_TARGETS="${{ matrix.gpu_targets }}" `
             -DGGML_HIP_ROCWMMA_FATTN=ON `
             -DGGML_HIP=ON `
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF
+            -DLLAMA_BUILD_BORINGSSL=ON
           cmake --build build --target ggml-hip -j ${env:NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS}
           md "build\bin\rocblas\library\"
           md "build\bin\hipblaslt\library"
@@ -649,7 +642,7 @@ jobs:
           cmake -B build -G Xcode \
             -DGGML_METAL_USE_BF16=ON \
             -DGGML_METAL_EMBED_LIBRARY=ON \
-            -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
+            -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=OFF \
             -DLLAMA_BUILD_EXAMPLES=OFF \
             -DLLAMA_BUILD_TOOLS=OFF \
             -DLLAMA_BUILD_TESTS=OFF \
@@ -734,8 +727,6 @@ jobs:
               export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=${ASCEND_TOOLKIT_HOME}/lib64:${ASCEND_TOOLKIT_HOME}/$(uname -m)-linux/devlib/:${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}
               cmake -S . -B build \
                   -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=${BUILD_TYPE} \
-                  -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
-                  -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=ON \
                   -DGGML_CANN=on \
                   -DSOC_TYPE=${SOC_TYPE}
               cmake --build build -j $(nproc)
diff --git a/.github/workflows/server-webui.yml b/.github/workflows/server-webui.yml
index 544c4ad408..318003c5cc 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/server-webui.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/server-webui.yml
@@ -168,8 +168,6 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           cmake -B build \
               -DGGML_NATIVE=OFF \
-              -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
-              -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=ON \
               -DLLAMA_BUILD_SERVER=ON \
               -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=${{ matrix.build_type }} \
               -DLLAMA_SANITIZE_${{ matrix.sanitizer }}=ON \
@@ -182,8 +180,6 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           cmake -B build \
               -DGGML_NATIVE=OFF \
-              -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
-              -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=ON \
               -DLLAMA_BUILD_SERVER=ON \
               -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=${{ matrix.build_type }} \
               -DLLAMA_SANITIZE_${{ matrix.sanitizer }}=ON ;
@@ -195,8 +191,6 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           cmake -B build \
               -DGGML_NATIVE=OFF \
-              -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
-              -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=ON \
               -DLLAMA_BUILD_SERVER=ON \
               -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=${{ matrix.build_type }} ;
           cmake --build build --config ${{ matrix.build_type }} -j $(nproc) --target llama-server
diff --git a/.github/workflows/server.yml b/.github/workflows/server.yml
index 5694feb2c9..ab7c520e11 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/server.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/server.yml
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Build
         id: cmake_build
         run: |
-          cmake -B build -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF -DLLAMA_BUILD_BORINGSSL=ON
+          cmake -B build -DLLAMA_BUILD_BORINGSSL=ON
           cmake --build build --config ${{ matrix.build_type }} -j ${env:NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS} --target llama-server
 
       - name: Python setup
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Build
         id: cmake_build
         run: |
-          cmake -B build -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF -DLLAMA_BUILD_BORINGSSL=ON
+          cmake -B build -DLLAMA_BUILD_BORINGSSL=ON
           cmake --build build --config Release -j ${env:NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS} --target llama-server
 
       - name: Python setup
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 44c2166210..d24fa080ae 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -111,11 +111,16 @@ option(LLAMA_BUILD_SERVER   "llama: build server example" ${LLAMA_STANDALONE})
 option(LLAMA_TOOLS_INSTALL  "llama: install tools"        ${LLAMA_TOOLS_INSTALL_DEFAULT})
 
 # 3rd party libs
-option(LLAMA_CURL       "llama: use libcurl to download model from an URL" ON)
-option(LLAMA_HTTPLIB    "llama: if libcurl is disabled, use httplib to download model from an URL" ON)
-option(LLAMA_OPENSSL    "llama: use openssl to support HTTPS" OFF)
+option(LLAMA_HTTPLIB    "llama: httplib for downloading functionality" ON)
+option(LLAMA_OPENSSL    "llama: use openssl to support HTTPS" ON)
 option(LLAMA_LLGUIDANCE "llama-common: include LLGuidance library for structured output in common utils" OFF)
 
+# deprecated
+option(LLAMA_CURL "llama: use libcurl to download model from an URL" OFF)
+if (LLAMA_CURL)
+    message(WARNING "LLAMA_CURL option is deprecated and will be ignored")
+endif()
+
 # Required for relocatable CMake package
 include(${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake/build-info.cmake)
 include(${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake/common.cmake)
@@ -212,11 +217,6 @@ add_subdirectory(src)
 # utils, programs, examples and tests
 #
 
-if (NOT LLAMA_BUILD_COMMON)
-    message(STATUS "LLAMA_BUILD_COMMON is OFF, disabling LLAMA_CURL")
-    set(LLAMA_CURL OFF)
-endif()
-
 if (LLAMA_BUILD_COMMON)
     add_subdirectory(common)
     if (LLAMA_HTTPLIB)
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 0d9d1ef6b4..42b1432a99 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -586,6 +586,5 @@ $ echo "source ~/.llama-completion.bash" >> ~/.bashrc
 - [stb-image](https://github.com/nothings/stb) - Single-header image format decoder, used by multimodal subsystem - Public domain
 - [nlohmann/json](https://github.com/nlohmann/json) - Single-header JSON library, used by various tools/examples - MIT License
 - [minja](https://github.com/google/minja) - Minimal Jinja parser in C++, used by various tools/examples - MIT License
-- [curl](https://curl.se/) - Client-side URL transfer library, used by various tools/examples - [CURL License](https://curl.se/docs/copyright.html)
 - [miniaudio.h](https://github.com/mackron/miniaudio) - Single-header audio format decoder, used by multimodal subsystem - Public domain
 - [subprocess.h](https://github.com/sheredom/subprocess.h) - Single-header process launching solution for C and C++ - Public domain
diff --git a/build-xcframework.sh b/build-xcframework.sh
index 81280f7497..0eec871139 100755
--- a/build-xcframework.sh
+++ b/build-xcframework.sh
@@ -414,7 +414,7 @@ cmake -B build-ios-sim -G Xcode \
     -DCMAKE_XCODE_ATTRIBUTE_SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS=iphonesimulator \
     -DCMAKE_C_FLAGS="${COMMON_C_FLAGS}" \
     -DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS="${COMMON_CXX_FLAGS}" \
-    -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
+    -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=OFF \
     -S .
 cmake --build build-ios-sim --config Release -- -quiet
 
@@ -428,7 +428,7 @@ cmake -B build-ios-device -G Xcode \
     -DCMAKE_XCODE_ATTRIBUTE_SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS=iphoneos \
     -DCMAKE_C_FLAGS="${COMMON_C_FLAGS}" \
     -DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS="${COMMON_CXX_FLAGS}" \
-    -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
+    -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=OFF \
     -S .
 cmake --build build-ios-device --config Release -- -quiet
 
@@ -439,7 +439,7 @@ cmake -B build-macos -G Xcode \
     -DCMAKE_OSX_ARCHITECTURES="arm64;x86_64" \
     -DCMAKE_C_FLAGS="${COMMON_C_FLAGS}" \
     -DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS="${COMMON_CXX_FLAGS}" \
-    -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
+    -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=OFF \
     -S .
 cmake --build build-macos --config Release -- -quiet
 
@@ -453,7 +453,7 @@ cmake -B build-visionos -G Xcode \
     -DCMAKE_XCODE_ATTRIBUTE_SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS=xros \
     -DCMAKE_C_FLAGS="-D_XOPEN_SOURCE=700 ${COMMON_C_FLAGS}" \
     -DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS="-D_XOPEN_SOURCE=700 ${COMMON_CXX_FLAGS}" \
-    -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
+    -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=OFF \
     -DLLAMA_HTTPLIB=OFF \
     -DLLAMA_BUILD_SERVER=OFF \
     -S .
@@ -469,7 +469,7 @@ cmake -B build-visionos-sim -G Xcode \
     -DCMAKE_XCODE_ATTRIBUTE_SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS=xrsimulator \
     -DCMAKE_C_FLAGS="-D_XOPEN_SOURCE=700 ${COMMON_C_FLAGS}" \
     -DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS="-D_XOPEN_SOURCE=700 ${COMMON_CXX_FLAGS}" \
-    -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
+    -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=OFF \
     -DLLAMA_HTTPLIB=OFF \
     -DLLAMA_BUILD_SERVER=OFF \
     -S .
@@ -487,7 +487,7 @@ cmake -B build-tvos-sim -G Xcode \
     -DCMAKE_XCODE_ATTRIBUTE_SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS=appletvsimulator \
     -DCMAKE_C_FLAGS="${COMMON_C_FLAGS}" \
     -DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS="${COMMON_CXX_FLAGS}" \
-    -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
+    -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=OFF \
     -S .
 cmake --build build-tvos-sim --config Release -- -quiet
 
@@ -502,7 +502,7 @@ cmake -B build-tvos-device -G Xcode \
     -DCMAKE_XCODE_ATTRIBUTE_SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS=appletvos \
     -DCMAKE_C_FLAGS="${COMMON_C_FLAGS}" \
     -DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS="${COMMON_CXX_FLAGS}" \
-    -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
+    -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=OFF \
     -S .
 cmake --build build-tvos-device --config Release -- -quiet
 
diff --git a/ci/run.sh b/ci/run.sh
index d4ce6c9196..6ca6ea5669 100755
--- a/ci/run.sh
+++ b/ci/run.sh
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ sd=`dirname $0`
 cd $sd/../
 SRC=`pwd`
 
-CMAKE_EXTRA="-DLLAMA_FATAL_WARNINGS=${LLAMA_FATAL_WARNINGS:-ON} -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF -DGGML_SCHED_NO_REALLOC=ON"
+CMAKE_EXTRA="-DLLAMA_FATAL_WARNINGS=${LLAMA_FATAL_WARNINGS:-ON} -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=OFF -DGGML_SCHED_NO_REALLOC=ON"
 
 if [ ! -z ${GG_BUILD_METAL} ]; then
     CMAKE_EXTRA="${CMAKE_EXTRA} -DGGML_METAL=ON"
diff --git a/common/CMakeLists.txt b/common/CMakeLists.txt
index 55222bdf61..3451a311d0 100644
--- a/common/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/common/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -95,17 +95,7 @@ endif()
 # TODO: use list(APPEND LLAMA_COMMON_EXTRA_LIBS ...)
 set(LLAMA_COMMON_EXTRA_LIBS build_info)
 
-if (LLAMA_CURL)
-    # Use curl to download model url
-    find_package(CURL)
-    if (NOT CURL_FOUND)
-        message(FATAL_ERROR "Could NOT find CURL. Hint: to disable this feature, set -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF")
-    endif()
-    target_compile_definitions(${TARGET} PUBLIC LLAMA_USE_CURL)
-    include_directories(${CURL_INCLUDE_DIRS})
-    set(LLAMA_COMMON_EXTRA_LIBS ${LLAMA_COMMON_EXTRA_LIBS} ${CURL_LIBRARIES})
-elseif (LLAMA_HTTPLIB)
-    # otherwise, use cpp-httplib
+if (LLAMA_HTTPLIB)
     target_compile_definitions(${TARGET} PUBLIC LLAMA_USE_HTTPLIB)
     set(LLAMA_COMMON_EXTRA_LIBS ${LLAMA_COMMON_EXTRA_LIBS} cpp-httplib)
 endif()
diff --git a/common/arg.cpp b/common/arg.cpp
index 4b96c312f3..ceb4d74111 100644
--- a/common/arg.cpp
+++ b/common/arg.cpp
@@ -341,7 +341,7 @@ static handle_model_result common_params_handle_model(
                 if (model.path.empty()) {
                     auto auto_detected = common_get_hf_file(model.hf_repo, bearer_token, offline);
                     if (auto_detected.repo.empty() || auto_detected.ggufFile.empty()) {
-                        exit(1); // built without CURL, error message already printed
+                        exit(1); // error message already printed
                     }
                     model.name    = model.hf_repo;      // repo name with tag
                     model.hf_repo = auto_detected.repo; // repo name without tag
diff --git a/common/download.cpp b/common/download.cpp
index dc7d5c8478..a37780421a 100644
--- a/common/download.cpp
+++ b/common/download.cpp
@@ -19,10 +19,7 @@
 #include <thread>
 #include <vector>
 
-#if defined(LLAMA_USE_CURL)
-#include <curl/curl.h>
-#include <curl/easy.h>
-#elif defined(LLAMA_USE_HTTPLIB)
+#if defined(LLAMA_USE_HTTPLIB)
 #include "http.h"
 #endif
 
@@ -171,336 +168,7 @@ std::pair<std::string, std::string> common_download_split_repo_tag(const std::st
     return {hf_repo, tag};
 }
 
-#ifdef LLAMA_USE_CURL
-
-//
-// CURL utils
-//
-
-using curl_ptr = std::unique_ptr<CURL, decltype(&curl_easy_cleanup)>;
-
-// cannot use unique_ptr for curl_slist, because we cannot update without destroying the old one
-struct curl_slist_ptr {
-    struct curl_slist * ptr = nullptr;
-    ~curl_slist_ptr() {
-        if (ptr) {
-            curl_slist_free_all(ptr);
-        }
-    }
-};
-
-static CURLcode common_curl_perf(CURL * curl) {
-    CURLcode res = curl_easy_perform(curl);
-    if (res != CURLE_OK) {
-        LOG_ERR("%s: curl_easy_perform() failed\n", __func__);
-    }
-
-    return res;
-}
-
-// Send a HEAD request to retrieve the etag and last-modified headers
-struct common_load_model_from_url_headers {
-    std::string etag;
-    std::string last_modified;
-    std::string accept_ranges;
-};
-
-struct FILE_deleter {
-    void operator()(FILE * f) const { fclose(f); }
-};
-
-static size_t common_header_callback(char * buffer, size_t, size_t n_items, void * userdata) {
-    common_load_model_from_url_headers * headers = (common_load_model_from_url_headers *) userdata;
-    static std::regex                    header_regex("([^:]+): (.*)\r\n");
-    static std::regex                    etag_regex("ETag", std::regex_constants::icase);
-    static std::regex                    last_modified_regex("Last-Modified", std::regex_constants::icase);
-    static std::regex                    accept_ranges_regex("Accept-Ranges", std::regex_constants::icase);
-    std::string                          header(buffer, n_items);
-    std::smatch                          match;
-    if (std::regex_match(header, match, header_regex)) {
-        const std::string & key   = match[1];
-        const std::string & value = match[2];
-        if (std::regex_match(key, match, etag_regex)) {
-            headers->etag = value;
-        } else if (std::regex_match(key, match, last_modified_regex)) {
-            headers->last_modified = value;
-        } else if (std::regex_match(key, match, accept_ranges_regex)) {
-            headers->accept_ranges = value;
-        }
-    }
-
-    return n_items;
-}
-
-static size_t common_write_callback(void * data, size_t size, size_t nmemb, void * fd) {
-    return std::fwrite(data, size, nmemb, static_cast<FILE *>(fd));
-}
-
-// helper function to hide password in URL
-static std::string llama_download_hide_password_in_url(const std::string & url) {
-    // Use regex to match and replace the user[:password]@ pattern in URLs
-    // Pattern: scheme://[user[:password]@]host[...]
-    static const std::regex url_regex(R"(^(?:[A-Za-z][A-Za-z0-9+.-]://)(?:[^/@]+@)?.$)");
-    std::smatch             match;
-
-    if (std::regex_match(url, match, url_regex)) {
-        // match[1] = scheme (e.g., "https://")
-        // match[2] = user[:password]@ part
-        // match[3] = rest of URL (host and path)
-        return match[1].str() + "********@" + match[3].str();
-    }
-
-    return url;  // No credentials found or malformed URL
-}
-
-static void common_curl_easy_setopt_head(CURL * curl, const std::string & url) {
-    // Set the URL, allow to follow http redirection
-    curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_URL, url.c_str());
-    curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION, 1L);
-
-#    if defined(_WIN32)
-    // CURLSSLOPT_NATIVE_CA tells libcurl to use standard certificate store of
-    //   operating system. Currently implemented under MS-Windows.
-    curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_SSL_OPTIONS, CURLSSLOPT_NATIVE_CA);
-#    endif
-
-    curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_NOBODY, 1L);      // will trigger the HEAD verb
-    curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_NOPROGRESS, 1L);  // hide head request progress
-    curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_HEADERFUNCTION, common_header_callback);
-}
-
-static void common_curl_easy_setopt_get(CURL * curl) {
-    curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_NOBODY, 0L);
-    curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_WRITEFUNCTION, common_write_callback);
-
-    //  display download progress
-    curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_NOPROGRESS, 0L);
-}
-
-static bool common_pull_file(CURL * curl, const std::string & path_temporary) {
-    if (std::filesystem::exists(path_temporary)) {
-        const std::string partial_size = std::to_string(std::filesystem::file_size(path_temporary));
-        LOG_INF("%s: server supports range requests, resuming download from byte %s\n", __func__, partial_size.c_str());
-        const std::string range_str = partial_size + "-";
-        curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_RANGE, range_str.c_str());
-    }
-
-    // Always open file in append mode could be resuming
-    std::unique_ptr<FILE, FILE_deleter> outfile(fopen(path_temporary.c_str(), "ab"));
-    if (!outfile) {
-        LOG_ERR("%s: error opening local file for writing: %s\n", __func__, path_temporary.c_str());
-        return false;
-    }
-
-    common_curl_easy_setopt_get(curl);
-    curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_WRITEDATA, outfile.get());
-
-    return common_curl_perf(curl) == CURLE_OK;
-}
-
-static bool common_download_head(CURL *              curl,
-                                 curl_slist_ptr &    http_headers,
-                                 const std::string & url,
-                                 const std::string & bearer_token) {
-    if (!curl) {
-        LOG_ERR("%s: error initializing libcurl\n", __func__);
-        return false;
-    }
-
-    http_headers.ptr = curl_slist_append(http_headers.ptr, "User-Agent: llama-cpp");
-    // Check if hf-token or bearer-token was specified
-    if (!bearer_token.empty()) {
-        std::string auth_header = "Authorization: Bearer " + bearer_token;
-        http_headers.ptr        = curl_slist_append(http_headers.ptr, auth_header.c_str());
-    }
-
-    curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, http_headers.ptr);
-    common_curl_easy_setopt_head(curl, url);
-    return common_curl_perf(curl) == CURLE_OK;
-}
-
-// download one single file from remote URL to local path
-// returns status code or -1 on error
-static int common_download_file_single_online(const std::string & url,
-                                               const std::string & path,
-                                               const std::string & bearer_token,
-                                               const common_header_list & custom_headers) {
-    static const int max_attempts        = 3;
-    static const int retry_delay_seconds = 2;
-
-    for (int i = 0; i < max_attempts; ++i) {
-        std::string etag;
-
-        // Check if the file already exists locally
-        const auto file_exists = std::filesystem::exists(path);
-        if (file_exists) {
-            etag = read_etag(path);
-        } else {
-            LOG_INF("%s: no previous model file found %s\n", __func__, path.c_str());
-        }
-
-        bool head_request_ok = false;
-        bool should_download = !file_exists;  // by default, we should download if the file does not exist
-
-        // Initialize libcurl
-        curl_ptr curl(curl_easy_init(), &curl_easy_cleanup);
-        common_load_model_from_url_headers headers;
-        curl_easy_setopt(curl.get(), CURLOPT_HEADERDATA, &headers);
-        curl_slist_ptr http_headers;
-
-        for (const auto & h : custom_headers) {
-             std::string s = h.first + ": " + h.second;
-             http_headers.ptr = curl_slist_append(http_headers.ptr, s.c_str());
-        }
-        const bool     was_perform_successful = common_download_head(curl.get(), http_headers, url, bearer_token);
-        if (!was_perform_successful) {
-            head_request_ok = false;
-        }
-
-        long http_code = 0;
-        curl_easy_getinfo(curl.get(), CURLINFO_RESPONSE_CODE, &http_code);
-        if (http_code == 200) {
-            head_request_ok = true;
-        } else {
-            LOG_WRN("%s: HEAD invalid http status code received: %ld\n", __func__, http_code);
-            head_request_ok = false;
-        }
-
-        // if head_request_ok is false, we don't have the etag or last-modified headers
-        // we leave should_download as-is, which is true if the file does not exist
-        bool should_download_from_scratch = false;
-        if (head_request_ok) {
-            // check if ETag or Last-Modified headers are different
-            // if it is, we need to download the file again
-            if (!etag.empty() && etag != headers.etag) {
-                LOG_WRN("%s: ETag header is different (%s != %s): triggering a new download\n", __func__, etag.c_str(),
-                        headers.etag.c_str());
-                should_download              = true;
-                should_download_from_scratch = true;
-            }
-        }
-
-        const bool accept_ranges_supported = !headers.accept_ranges.empty() && headers.accept_ranges != "none";
-        if (should_download) {
-            if (file_exists &&
-                !accept_ranges_supported) {  // Resumable downloads not supported, delete and start again.
-                LOG_WRN("%s: deleting previous downloaded file: %s\n", __func__, path.c_str());
-                if (remove(path.c_str()) != 0) {
-                    LOG_ERR("%s: unable to delete file: %s\n", __func__, path.c_str());
-                    return -1;
-                }
-            }
-
-            const std::string path_temporary = path + ".downloadInProgress";
-            if (should_download_from_scratch) {
-                if (std::filesystem::exists(path_temporary)) {
-                    if (remove(path_temporary.c_str()) != 0) {
-                        LOG_ERR("%s: unable to delete file: %s\n", __func__, path_temporary.c_str());
-                        return -1;
-                    }
-                }
-
-                if (std::filesystem::exists(path)) {
-                    if (remove(path.c_str()) != 0) {
-                        LOG_ERR("%s: unable to delete file: %s\n", __func__, path.c_str());
-                        return -1;
-                    }
-                }
-            }
-            if (head_request_ok) {
-                write_etag(path, headers.etag);
-            }
-
-            // start the download
-            LOG_INF("%s: trying to download model from %s to %s (server_etag:%s, server_last_modified:%s)...\n",
-                    __func__, llama_download_hide_password_in_url(url).c_str(), path_temporary.c_str(),
-                    headers.etag.c_str(), headers.last_modified.c_str());
-            const bool was_pull_successful = common_pull_file(curl.get(), path_temporary);
-            if (!was_pull_successful) {
-                if (i + 1 < max_attempts) {
-                    const int exponential_backoff_delay = std::pow(retry_delay_seconds, i) * 1000;
-                    LOG_WRN("%s: retrying after %d milliseconds...\n", __func__, exponential_backoff_delay);
-                    std::this_thread::sleep_for(std::chrono::milliseconds(exponential_backoff_delay));
-                } else {
-                    LOG_ERR("%s: curl_easy_perform() failed after %d attempts\n", __func__, max_attempts);
-                }
-
-                continue;
-            }
-
-            long http_code = 0;
-            curl_easy_getinfo(curl.get(), CURLINFO_RESPONSE_CODE, &http_code);
-
-            int status = static_cast<int>(http_code);
-            if (!is_http_status_ok(http_code)) {
-                LOG_ERR("%s: invalid http status code received: %ld\n", __func__, http_code);
-                return status; // TODO: maybe only return on certain codes
-            }
-
-            if (rename(path_temporary.c_str(), path.c_str()) != 0) {
-                LOG_ERR("%s: unable to rename file: %s to %s\n", __func__, path_temporary.c_str(), path.c_str());
-                return -1;
-            }
-
-            return static_cast<int>(http_code);
-        } else {
-            LOG_INF("%s: using cached file: %s\n", __func__, path.c_str());
-
-            return 304; // Not Modified - fake cached response
-        }
-    }
-
-    return -1; // max attempts reached
-}
-
-std::pair<long, std::vector<char>> common_remote_get_content(const std::string & url, const common_remote_params & params) {
-    curl_ptr       curl(curl_easy_init(), &curl_easy_cleanup);
-    curl_slist_ptr http_headers;
-    std::vector<char> res_buffer;
-
-    curl_easy_setopt(curl.get(), CURLOPT_URL, url.c_str());
-    curl_easy_setopt(curl.get(), CURLOPT_NOPROGRESS, 1L);
-    curl_easy_setopt(curl.get(), CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION, 1L);
-    curl_easy_setopt(curl.get(), CURLOPT_VERBOSE, 0L);
-    typedef size_t(*CURLOPT_WRITEFUNCTION_PTR)(void * ptr, size_t size, size_t nmemb, void * data);
-    auto write_callback = [](void * ptr, size_t size, size_t nmemb, void * data) -> size_t {
-        auto data_vec = static_cast<std::vector<char> *>(data);
-        data_vec->insert(data_vec->end(), (char *)ptr, (char *)ptr + size * nmemb);
-        return size * nmemb;
-    };
-    curl_easy_setopt(curl.get(), CURLOPT_WRITEFUNCTION, static_cast<CURLOPT_WRITEFUNCTION_PTR>(write_callback));
-    curl_easy_setopt(curl.get(), CURLOPT_WRITEDATA, &res_buffer);
-#if defined(_WIN32)
-    curl_easy_setopt(curl.get(), CURLOPT_SSL_OPTIONS, CURLSSLOPT_NATIVE_CA);
-#endif
-    if (params.timeout > 0) {
-        curl_easy_setopt(curl.get(), CURLOPT_TIMEOUT, params.timeout);
-    }
-    if (params.max_size > 0) {
-        curl_easy_setopt(curl.get(), CURLOPT_MAXFILESIZE, params.max_size);
-    }
-    http_headers.ptr = curl_slist_append(http_headers.ptr, "User-Agent: llama-cpp");
-
-    for (const auto & header : params.headers) {
-        std::string header_ = header.first + ": " + header.second;
-        http_headers.ptr = curl_slist_append(http_headers.ptr, header_.c_str());
-    }
-    curl_easy_setopt(curl.get(), CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, http_headers.ptr);
-
-    CURLcode res = curl_easy_perform(curl.get());
-
-    if (res != CURLE_OK) {
-        std::string error_msg = curl_easy_strerror(res);
-        throw std::runtime_error("error: cannot make GET request: " + error_msg);
-    }
-
-    long res_code;
-    curl_easy_getinfo(curl.get(), CURLINFO_RESPONSE_CODE, &res_code);
-
-    return { res_code, std::move(res_buffer) };
-}
-
-#elif defined(LLAMA_USE_HTTPLIB)
+#if defined(LLAMA_USE_HTTPLIB)
 
 class ProgressBar {
     static inline std::mutex mutex;
@@ -797,10 +465,6 @@ std::pair<long, std::vector<char>> common_remote_get_content(const std::string
     return { res->status, std::move(buf) };
 }
 
-#endif // LLAMA_USE_CURL
-
-#if defined(LLAMA_USE_CURL) || defined(LLAMA_USE_HTTPLIB)
-
 int common_download_file_single(const std::string & url,
                                 const std::string & path,
                                 const std::string & bearer_token,
@@ -1151,7 +815,7 @@ int common_download_file_single(const std::string &,
     throw std::runtime_error("download functionality is not enabled in this build");
 }
 
-#endif // LLAMA_USE_CURL || LLAMA_USE_HTTPLIB
+#endif // defined(LLAMA_USE_HTTPLIB)
 
 std::vector<common_cached_model_info> common_list_cached_models() {
     std::vector<common_cached_model_info> models;
diff --git a/docs/backend/hexagon/CMakeUserPresets.json b/docs/backend/hexagon/CMakeUserPresets.json
index 98d7221b3a..a1d99018b1 100644
--- a/docs/backend/hexagon/CMakeUserPresets.json
+++ b/docs/backend/hexagon/CMakeUserPresets.json
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
             "GGML_OPENCL":      "ON",
             "GGML_HEXAGON":     "ON",
             "GGML_HEXAGON_FP32_QUANTIZE_GROUP_SIZE": "128",
-            "LLAMA_CURL":       "OFF"
+            "LLAMA_OPENSSL":    "OFF"
         }
     },
 
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@
             "GGML_OPENCL":      "ON",
             "GGML_HEXAGON":     "ON",
             "GGML_HEXAGON_FP32_QUANTIZE_GROUP_SIZE": "128",
-            "LLAMA_CURL":       "OFF"
+            "LLAMA_OPENSSL":    "OFF"
         }
     },
 
diff --git a/docs/build-riscv64-spacemit.md b/docs/build-riscv64-spacemit.md
index 79bd4de63a..cd6bbe199d 100644
--- a/docs/build-riscv64-spacemit.md
+++ b/docs/build-riscv64-spacemit.md
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ Below is the build script: it requires utilizing RISC-V vector instructions for
 cmake -B build \
     -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
     -DGGML_CPU_RISCV64_SPACEMIT=ON \
-    -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF \
+    -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=OFF \
     -DGGML_RVV=ON \
     -DGGML_RV_ZFH=ON \
     -DGGML_RV_ZICBOP=ON \
diff --git a/docs/build.md b/docs/build.md
index 63fd8b4fcd..fce9361b2d 100644
--- a/docs/build.md
+++ b/docs/build.md
@@ -65,10 +65,10 @@ cmake --build build --config Release
       cmake --preset x64-windows-llvm-release
       cmake --build build-x64-windows-llvm-release
       ```
-- Curl usage is enabled by default and can be turned off with `-DLLAMA_CURL=OFF`. Otherwise you need to install development libraries for libcurl.
-  - **Debian / Ubuntu:** `sudo apt-get install libcurl4-openssl-dev`  # (or `libcurl4-gnutls-dev` if you prefer GnuTLS)
-  - **Fedora / RHEL / Rocky / Alma:** `sudo dnf install libcurl-devel`
-  - **Arch / Manjaro:** `sudo pacman -S curl`  # includes libcurl headers
+- If you want HTTPS/TLS features, you may install OpenSSL development libraries. If not installed, the project will build and run without SSL support.
+  - **Debian / Ubuntu:** `sudo apt-get install libssl-dev`
+  - **Fedora / RHEL / Rocky / Alma:** `sudo dnf install openssl-devel`
+  - **Arch / Manjaro:** `sudo pacman -S openssl`
 
 ## BLAS Build
 
diff --git a/examples/llama.android/lib/build.gradle.kts b/examples/llama.android/lib/build.gradle.kts
index 5255f0c17b..9b290d6d4a 100644
--- a/examples/llama.android/lib/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/examples/llama.android/lib/build.gradle.kts
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ android {
 
                 arguments += "-DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=ON"
                 arguments += "-DLLAMA_BUILD_COMMON=ON"
-                arguments += "-DLLAMA_CURL=OFF"
+                arguments += "-DLLAMA_OPENSSL=OFF"
 
                 arguments += "-DGGML_NATIVE=OFF"
                 arguments += "-DGGML_BACKEND_DL=ON"
diff --git a/examples/sycl/build.sh b/examples/sycl/build.sh
index 1993520ebd..635e74fe64 100755
--- a/examples/sycl/build.sh
+++ b/examples/sycl/build.sh
@@ -8,10 +8,10 @@ cd build
 source /opt/intel/oneapi/setvars.sh
 
 #for FP16
-#cmake .. -DGGML_SYCL=ON -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=icx -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=icpx -DGGML_SYCL_F16=ON -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF # faster for long-prompt inference
+#cmake .. -DGGML_SYCL=ON -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=icx -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=icpx -DGGML_SYCL_F16=ON -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=OFF # faster for long-prompt inference
 
 #for FP32
-cmake .. -DGGML_SYCL=ON -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=icx -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=icpx -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF
+cmake .. -DGGML_SYCL=ON -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=icx -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=icpx -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=OFF
 
 #build example/main
 #cmake --build . --config Release --target main
diff --git a/examples/sycl/win-build-sycl.bat b/examples/sycl/win-build-sycl.bat
index 862998e737..fc8b33bbc2 100644
--- a/examples/sycl/win-build-sycl.bat
+++ b/examples/sycl/win-build-sycl.bat
@@ -13,10 +13,10 @@ if %errorlevel% neq 0 goto ERROR
 
 ::  for FP16
 ::  faster for long-prompt inference
-::  cmake -G "MinGW Makefiles" .. -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF -DGGML_SYCL=ON -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=icx -DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=ON -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DGGML_SYCL_F16=ON
+::  cmake -G "MinGW Makefiles" .. -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=OFF -DGGML_SYCL=ON -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=icx -DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=ON -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DGGML_SYCL_F16=ON
 
 ::  for FP32
-cmake -G "Ninja" .. -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF -DGGML_SYCL=ON -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=cl -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=icx -DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=ON -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
+cmake -G "Ninja" .. -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=OFF -DGGML_SYCL=ON -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=cl -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=icx -DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=ON -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
 if %errorlevel% neq 0 goto ERROR
 
 ::  build all binary
diff --git a/licenses/LICENSE-curl b/licenses/LICENSE-curl
deleted file mode 100644
index 2f71d999a9..0000000000
--- a/licenses/LICENSE-curl
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,22 +0,0 @@
-COPYRIGHT AND PERMISSION NOTICE
-
-Copyright (c) 1996 - 2026, Daniel Stenberg, <daniel@haxx.se>, and many
-contributors, see the THANKS file.
-
-All rights reserved.
-
-Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software for any purpose
-with or without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above copyright
-notice and this permission notice appear in all copies.
-
-THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
-IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
-FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS. IN
-NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM,
-DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR
-OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE
-OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
-
-Except as contained in this notice, the name of a copyright holder shall not
-be used in advertising or otherwise to promote the sale, use or other dealings
-in this Software without prior written authorization of the copyright holder.
diff --git a/scripts/debug-test.sh b/scripts/debug-test.sh
index 7e9e8421b0..ead7ea15d1 100755
--- a/scripts/debug-test.sh
+++ b/scripts/debug-test.sh
@@ -109,8 +109,7 @@ rm -rf "$build_dir" && mkdir "$build_dir" || abort "Failed to make $build_dir"
 # Step 2: Setup Build Environment and Compile Test Binaries
 ###########################################################
 
-# Note: test-eval-callback requires -DLLAMA_CURL
-cmake -B "./$build_dir" -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug -DGGML_CUDA=1 -DLLAMA_CURL=1 || abort "Failed to build environment"
+cmake -B "./$build_dir" -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug -DGGML_CUDA=1 || abort "Failed to build environment"
 pushd "$build_dir"
 make -j || abort "Failed to compile"
 popd > /dev/null || exit 1
diff --git a/scripts/serve-static.js b/scripts/serve-static.js
index 8ddc04aad9..df4953e61e 100644
--- a/scripts/serve-static.js
+++ b/scripts/serve-static.js
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ const path = require('path');
 
 // This file is used for testing wasm build from emscripten
 // Example build command:
-// emcmake cmake -B build-wasm -DGGML_WEBGPU=ON -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF
+// emcmake cmake -B build-wasm -DGGML_WEBGPU=ON -DLLAMA_OPENSSL=OFF
 // cmake --build build-wasm --target test-backend-ops -j
 
 const PORT = 8080;
diff --git a/scripts/tool_bench.py b/scripts/tool_bench.py
index e1512a49fd..d9f5583d4a 100755
--- a/scripts/tool_bench.py
+++ b/scripts/tool_bench.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 
     Simple usage example:
 
-        cmake -B build -DLLAMA_CURL=1 && cmake --build build --config Release -j -t llama-server
+        cmake -B build && cmake --build build --config Release -j -t llama-server
 
         export LLAMA_SERVER_BIN_PATH=$PWD/build/bin/llama-server
         export LLAMA_CACHE=${LLAMA_CACHE:-$HOME/Library/Caches/llama.cpp}
diff --git a/tools/tts/README.md b/tools/tts/README.md
index 557014aebb..48302c070b 100644
--- a/tools/tts/README.md
+++ b/tools/tts/README.md
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ This example demonstrates the Text To Speech feature. It uses a
 [outeai](https://www.outeai.com/).
 
 ## Quickstart
-If you have built llama.cpp with `-DLLAMA_CURL=ON` you can simply run the
+If you have built llama.cpp with SSL support you can simply run the
 following command and the required models will be downloaded automatically:
 ```console
 $ build/bin/llama-tts --tts-oute-default -p "Hello world" && aplay output.wav