wget Command

What is Linux wget Command?#

wget is a free GNU command-line utility for downloading files from the web. The name stands for “World Wide Web” and “get”. It retrieves files using HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP protocols and is designed to work robustly in slow or unstable network connections. wget is non-interactive, meaning it can work in the background while you’re not logged in. This makes it perfect for downloading large files, mirroring websites, and automating download tasks through scripts. From the man page:

GNU Wget is a free utility for non-interactive download of files from the Web. It supports HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP protocols, as well as retrieval through HTTP proxies.

Key Features#

• Protocol support: HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP downloads
• Resume capability: Continue interrupted downloads
• Recursive downloading: Download entire websites
• Rate limiting: Control download speed
• Authentication: Support for various authentication methods
• Proxy support: Work through HTTP and HTTPS proxies
• Background operation: Run downloads in the background
• Robust networking: Handle unstable connections gracefully

wget Syntax#

wget [options] [URL]

Basic usage patterns:

• wget URL - Download single file
• wget -O filename URL - Save with custom name
• wget -c URL - Resume interrupted download
• wget -r URL - Recursive download

Installation#

Most Linux Distributions#

wget comes pre-installed on most Linux distributions. If not available:

Ubuntu/Debian#

sudo apt update && sudo apt install wget

CentOS/RHEL/Fedora#

sudo yum install wget # CentOS/RHEL
sudo dnf install wget # Fedora

Arch Linux#

sudo pacman -S wget

macOS#

Using Homebrew#

brew install wget

Using MacPorts#

sudo port install wget

Windows#

Download from GNU Wget official website or use Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).

Basic wget Examples#

Simple File Download#

Download a single file:

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

Download with Custom Filename#

Save file with a different name:

wget -O myfile.zip https://example.com/file.zip

Download to Specific Directory#

Download file to a specific location:

wget -P /downloads/ https://example.com/file.zip

Download Multiple Files#

Download multiple files by listing URLs:

wget https://example.com/file1.zip https://example.com/file2.zip

Download from URL list in file:

wget -i urls.txt

Essential wget Options#

Resume Interrupted Downloads (-c)#

Continue a partially downloaded file:

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

Background Downloads (-b)#

Run download in background:

wget -b https://example.com/largefile.zip

Check background download progress:

tail -f wget-log

Limit Download Rate (–limit-rate)#

Limit download speed to prevent network saturation:

wget --limit-rate=100k https://example.com/largefile.zip

Recursive Download (-r)#

Download an entire website recursively:

wget -r https://example.com/

Accept/Reject File Types (–accept, –reject)#

Download only specific file types:

wget -r --accept=pdf https://example.com/documents/

Reject specific file types:

wget -r --reject=jpg,png https://example.com/gallery/

User-Agent (–user-agent)#

Set a custom User-Agent string:

wget --user-agent="MyCustomBrowser/1.0" https://example.com/

Ignore Certificate Warnings (–no-check-certificate)#

Bypass SSL certificate validation (use with caution):

wget --no-check-certificate https://self-signed.com/

wget Command Manual / Help#

We can use man and info command to see the manual page of wget command. wget command also have --help option to show list of options.

To open man page for wget command we can use command below. To exit man or info page you can press q.

man wget

To open info page for wget command we can use command below.

info wget

To open help page from wget command we can run command below.

wget --help

wget Command Source Code#

You can find wget command source code from the following repositories:

• GNU Wget Official Website
• wget Project Page
• wget Manual
• wget Mirror on GitHub

Related Linux Commands#

You can read tutorials of related Linux commands below:

• curl Command
• rsync Command
• scp Command

Summary#

In this comprehensive tutorial, we’ve covered the essential aspects of using wget for downloading files from the web. wget is a powerful and reliable tool for automated downloads, website mirroring, and file retrieval tasks.

Key takeaways:

• wget excels at downloading files over HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP protocols
• Resume capability makes it perfect for large files and unstable connections
• Recursive downloading enables complete website mirroring
• Extensive options provide fine control over download behavior
• Built-in retry mechanisms handle network issues gracefully
• Configuration files and scripting enable automation
• Essential tool for system administrators and power users

Visit our Linux Commands guide to learn more about using command line interface in Linux.