$ Linux Command

Network

axel

Download files using multiple connections.

downloadhttpftpacceleratornetwork

Additional Notes

axel is a command-line download accelerator. It can split a download across multiple connections, which may improve speed when a server and network allow it.

Use it for direct file URLs when wget or curl are too slow and resumable/multi-connection downloading is useful.

Syntax

axel [options] url

Parameters

  • url: HTTP, HTTPS, or FTP URL to download.
  • options: Connection count, output path, speed limit, and resume controls.

Common Options

  • -n NUM: Number of connections.
  • -o FILE: Output filename or directory.
  • -a: Alternate compact progress display.
  • -s SPEED: Limit download speed.
  • -q: Quiet mode.
  • -v: More verbose output.

Examples

axel https://example.com/file.iso

Download a file.

axel -n 8 https://example.com/file.iso

Use eight connections.

axel -o downloads/file.iso https://example.com/file.iso

Choose the output path.

Practical Notes

  • Multi-connection downloads can stress servers; use responsibly.
  • Some servers block or throttle segmented downloads.
  • For scripting APIs, curl is usually better; for simple downloads, wget is often enough.