wget – Non-Interactive Downloader

wget is a free utility for non-interactive download of files from the web. It supports HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP protocols, with features for recursive downloads and mirroring entire websites.

Key Features

• Recursive Download: Mirror websites
• Resume Support: Continue interrupted downloads
• Background Mode: Download while logged out
• Bandwidth Control: Limit download speed
• Proxy Support: Works through proxies

Installation

wget is typically pre-installed:

sudo apt install wget

Usage Examples

Common wget commands:

# Simple download
wget https://example.com/file.zip

# Resume download
wget -c https://example.com/large-file.iso

# Download in background
wget -b https://example.com/file.zip

# Mirror website
wget --mirror --convert-links --page-requisites https://example.com

# Limit bandwidth
wget --limit-rate=500k https://example.com/file.zip

# Download with authentication
wget --user=username --password=pass https://example.com/file

Benefits

wget excels at unattended downloads and website mirroring. Its robustness and resumption capability make it reliable for large file transfers.

Download wget