diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 766bc06b61..369548f127 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -1001,7 +1001,7 @@ if capng_dep.found()
   conf.set('WITH_CAPNG', 1)
 endif
 
-curl_version = '7.18.0'
+curl_version = '7.19.1'
 curl_dep = dependency('libcurl', version: '>=' + curl_version, required: get_option('curl'))
 if curl_dep.found()
   # XXX as of libcurl-devel-7.20.1-3.fc13.x86_64, curl ships a version
diff --git a/src/esx/esx_stream.c b/src/esx/esx_stream.c
index 131fbc100b..e4e67a01bb 100644
--- a/src/esx/esx_stream.c
+++ b/src/esx/esx_stream.c
@@ -396,7 +396,6 @@ esxStreamOpen(virStreamPtr stream, esxPrivate *priv, const char *url,
     int result = -1;
     esxStreamPrivate *streamPriv;
     g_autofree char *range = NULL;
-    g_autofree char *userpwd = NULL;
     esxVI_MultiCURL *multi = NULL;
 
     /* FIXME: Although there is already some code in place to deal with
@@ -438,17 +437,10 @@ esxStreamOpen(virStreamPtr stream, esxPrivate *priv, const char *url,
     curl_easy_setopt(streamPriv->curl->handle, CURLOPT_URL, url);
     curl_easy_setopt(streamPriv->curl->handle, CURLOPT_RANGE, range);
 
-#if LIBCURL_VERSION_NUM >= 0x071301 /* 7.19.1 */
     curl_easy_setopt(streamPriv->curl->handle, CURLOPT_USERNAME,
                      priv->primary->username);
     curl_easy_setopt(streamPriv->curl->handle, CURLOPT_PASSWORD,
                      priv->primary->password);
-#else
-    userpwd = g_strdup_printf("%s:%s", priv->primary->username,
-                              priv->primary->password);
-
-    curl_easy_setopt(streamPriv->curl->handle, CURLOPT_USERPWD, userpwd);
-#endif
 
     if (esxVI_MultiCURL_Alloc(&multi) < 0 ||
         esxVI_MultiCURL_Add(multi, streamPriv->curl) < 0)
diff --git a/src/esx/esx_vi.c b/src/esx/esx_vi.c
index e1c1a15ab6..e535b28484 100644
--- a/src/esx/esx_vi.c
+++ b/src/esx/esx_vi.c
@@ -230,9 +230,7 @@ esxVI_CURL_Perform(esxVI_CURL *curl, const char *url)
 {
     CURLcode errorCode;
     long responseCode = 0;
-#if LIBCURL_VERSION_NUM >= 0x071202 /* 7.18.2 */
     const char *redirectUrl = NULL;
-#endif
 
     errorCode = curl_easy_perform(curl->handle);
 
@@ -262,7 +260,6 @@ esxVI_CURL_Perform(esxVI_CURL *curl, const char *url)
     }
 
     if (responseCode == 301) {
-#if LIBCURL_VERSION_NUM >= 0x071202 /* 7.18.2 */
         errorCode = curl_easy_getinfo(curl->handle, CURLINFO_REDIRECT_URL,
                                       &redirectUrl);
 
@@ -277,10 +274,6 @@ esxVI_CURL_Perform(esxVI_CURL *curl, const char *url)
                            _("The server redirects from '%s' to '%s'"), url,
                            redirectUrl);
         }
-#else
-        virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
-                       _("The server redirects from '%s'"), url);
-#endif
 
         return -1;
     }