wget

Additional Notes

wget downloads files from URLs. It is commonly used for direct downloads, scripts, recursive downloads, and simple mirroring.

It is less focused on API testing than curl, but it is very convenient for saving files.

Syntax

wget [options] URL

Parameters

• options: Flags that change how wget behaves.
• URL: The URL of the file to download.

Common Options

• -O FILE: Save as a specific filename.
• -P DIR: Save into a directory.
• -c: Continue a partial download.
• -q: Quiet mode.
• --show-progress: Show progress in quiet-friendly output.
• -r: Recursive download.
• -np: Do not ascend to parent directories during recursive download.
• -N: Timestamping; download only if remote is newer.
• --limit-rate=RATE: Limit download speed.
• --user-agent=TEXT: Set user agent.

Examples

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

Download a file.

wget -O ubuntu.iso https://example.com/download

Save with a chosen filename.

wget -P ~/Downloads https://example.com/file.zip

Save into ~/Downloads.

wget -c https://example.com/big.iso

Continue a partial download.

wget --limit-rate=1M https://example.com/big.iso

Limit download speed.

wget -r -np -N https://example.com/docs/

Recursively mirror a documentation path without going to parent directories.

Practical Notes

• Use wget -c for unreliable connections or large files.
• Be respectful with recursive downloads; they can stress servers.
• wget saves files by default, while curl prints responses by default.
• For APIs and custom HTTP headers, curl is usually better.
• Check file hashes after downloading security-sensitive files.