diff --git a/lib/curlx/strparse.c b/lib/curlx/strparse.c
index d501d56d57..b8b2a14d3c 100644
--- a/lib/curlx/strparse.c
+++ b/lib/curlx/strparse.c
@@ -232,13 +232,15 @@ int curlx_str_newline(const char **linep)
   return STRE_NEWLINE;
 }
 
-/* case insensitive compare that the parsed string matches the
-   given string. Returns non-zero on match. */
+#ifndef WITHOUT_LIBCURL
+/* case insensitive compare that the parsed string matches the given string.
+   Returns non-zero on match. */
 int curlx_str_casecompare(struct Curl_str *str, const char *check)
 {
   size_t clen = check ? strlen(check) : 0;
   return ((str->len == clen) && strncasecompare(str->str, check, clen));
 }
+#endif
 
 /* case sensitive string compare. Returns non-zero on match. */
 int curlx_str_cmp(struct Curl_str *str, const char *check)
diff --git a/tests/server/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/server/CMakeLists.txt
index 8ff5c65c3a..17bf633000 100644
--- a/tests/server/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tests/server/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ foreach(_target IN LISTS SERVERPROGS)
   if(ENABLE_SERVER_DEBUG)
     set_property(TARGET ${_target_name} APPEND PROPERTY COMPILE_DEFINITIONS "${CURL_DEBUG_MACROS}")
   endif()
+  set_property(TARGET ${_target_name} APPEND PROPERTY COMPILE_DEFINITIONS "WITHOUT_LIBCURL")
   # Test servers simply are standalone programs that do not use libcurl
   # library.  For convenience and to ease portability of these servers,
   # some source code files from the libcurl subdirectory are also used
diff --git a/tests/server/Makefile.am b/tests/server/Makefile.am
index a99f14c835..3b3e6a80e0 100644
--- a/tests/server/Makefile.am
+++ b/tests/server/Makefile.am
@@ -57,6 +57,8 @@ AM_CPPFLAGS += -DCURLDEBUG
 endif
 endif
 
+AM_CPPFLAGS += -DWITHOUT_LIBCURL
+
 # Makefile.inc provides neat definitions
 include Makefile.inc
 
diff --git a/tests/server/Makefile.inc b/tests/server/Makefile.inc
index 00cc9a71c1..f80d4eab56 100644
--- a/tests/server/Makefile.inc
+++ b/tests/server/Makefile.inc
@@ -31,11 +31,9 @@ MEMDEBUG = \
 CURLX_SRCS = \
   ../../lib/curlx/nonblock.c \
   ../../lib/curlx/strparse.c \
-  ../../lib/strequal.c \
   ../../lib/curlx/warnless.c \
   ../../lib/curlx/timediff.c \
   ../../lib/curlx/timeval.c \
-  ../../lib/strcase.c \
   ../../lib/curlx/multibyte.c \
   ../../lib/curlx/version_win32.c
 
@@ -43,11 +41,9 @@ CURLX_HDRS = \
   ../../lib/curlx/curlx.h \
   ../../lib/curl_ctype.h \
   ../../lib/curlx/nonblock.h \
-  ../../lib/strcase.h \
   ../../lib/curlx/warnless.h \
   ../../lib/curlx/timediff.h \
   ../../lib/curlx/timeval.h \
-  ../../lib/strcase.h \
   ../../lib/curlx/multibyte.h \
   ../../lib/curlx/version_win32.h
 
diff --git a/tests/server/rtspd.c b/tests/server/rtspd.c
index 8e26168a2d..fd99458922 100644
--- a/tests/server/rtspd.c
+++ b/tests/server/rtspd.c
@@ -425,7 +425,7 @@ static int rtspd_ProcessRequest(struct rtspd_httprequest *req)
     if(got_exit_signal)
       return 1; /* done */
 
-    if((req->cl == 0) && curl_strnequal("Content-Length:", line, 15)) {
+    if((req->cl == 0) && !CURL_STRNICMP("Content-Length:", line, 15)) {
       /* If we don't ignore content-length, we read it and we read the whole
          request including the body before we return. If we've been told to
          ignore the content-length, we will return as soon as all headers
@@ -445,8 +445,8 @@ static int rtspd_ProcessRequest(struct rtspd_httprequest *req)
         logmsg("... but will abort after %zu bytes", req->cl);
       break;
     }
-    else if(curl_strnequal("Transfer-Encoding: chunked", line,
-                            strlen("Transfer-Encoding: chunked"))) {
+    else if(!CURL_STRNICMP("Transfer-Encoding: chunked", line,
+                           strlen("Transfer-Encoding: chunked"))) {
       /* chunked data coming in */
       chunked = TRUE;
     }
diff --git a/tests/server/sws.c b/tests/server/sws.c
index c33b99c044..67a01cfdc0 100644
--- a/tests/server/sws.c
+++ b/tests/server/sws.c
@@ -573,7 +573,7 @@ static int sws_ProcessRequest(struct sws_httprequest *req)
     if(got_exit_signal)
       return 1; /* done */
 
-    if((req->cl == 0) && curl_strnequal("Content-Length:", line, 15)) {
+    if((req->cl == 0) && !CURL_STRNICMP("Content-Length:", line, 15)) {
       /* If we don't ignore content-length, we read it and we read the whole
          request including the body before we return. If we've been told to
          ignore the content-length, we will return as soon as all headers
@@ -595,14 +595,13 @@ static int sws_ProcessRequest(struct sws_httprequest *req)
       if(req->skip)
         logmsg("... but will abort after %zu bytes", req->cl);
     }
-    else if(curl_strnequal("Transfer-Encoding: chunked", line,
-                            strlen("Transfer-Encoding: chunked"))) {
+    else if(!CURL_STRNICMP("Transfer-Encoding: chunked", line,
+                           strlen("Transfer-Encoding: chunked"))) {
       /* chunked data coming in */
       chunked = TRUE;
     }
-    else if(req->noexpect &&
-            curl_strnequal("Expect: 100-continue", line,
-                            strlen("Expect: 100-continue"))) {
+    else if(req->noexpect && !CURL_STRNICMP("Expect: 100-continue", line,
+                                            strlen("Expect: 100-continue"))) {
       if(req->cl)
         req->cl = 0;
       req->skipall = TRUE;
diff --git a/tests/server/util.h b/tests/server/util.h
index 3420006f7e..da84e4f5db 100644
--- a/tests/server/util.h
+++ b/tests/server/util.h
@@ -32,6 +32,21 @@
 #  endif
 #endif
 
+#ifdef _WIN32
+#  define CURL_STRNICMP(p1, p2, n) _strnicmp(p1, p2, n)
+#elif defined(HAVE_STRCASECMP)
+#  ifdef HAVE_STRINGS_H
+#    include <strings.h>
+#  endif
+#  define CURL_STRNICMP(p1, p2, n) strncasecmp(p1, p2, n)
+#elif defined(HAVE_STRCMPI)
+#  define CURL_STRNICMP(p1, p2, n) strncmpi(p1, p2, n)
+#elif defined(HAVE_STRICMP)
+#  define CURL_STRNICMP(p1, p2, n) strnicmp(p1, p2, n)
+#else
+#  error "missing case insensitive comparison function"
+#endif
+
 enum {
   DOCNUMBER_NOTHING    = -7,
   DOCNUMBER_QUIT       = -6,