Useful wget Snippets

The wget utility is a powerful tool for downloading files and interacting with web resources from the command line. Here are some practical snippets to make your workflow more efficient.

1. Download a Single File 

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

This downloads file.zip from the specified URL into the current directory.

2. Save File to a Specific Location 

wget -P /path/to/directory https://example.com/file.zip

The -P option specifies the directory where the downloaded file will be saved.

3. Save with a Custom Filename 

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

The -O option lets you define a custom name for the downloaded file.

4. Download Multiple Files

From a List in a File 

wget -i file_list.txt

The -i option specifies a file (file_list.txt) containing URLs, each on a new line.

From Multiple URLs 

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

Simply list multiple URLs as arguments.

5. Resume a Download 

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

The -c option resumes a partially downloaded file. Useful for large downloads interrupted mid-way.

6. Download Entire Websites 

wget --mirror --convert-links --adjust-extension --page-requisites --no-parent https://example.com/

This creates a local copy of a website with:

  • --mirror: Enables mirroring mode.
  • --convert-links: Converts links for local viewing.
  • --adjust-extension: Adds the proper file extension.
  • --page-requisites: Downloads all necessary files like CSS, JS, and images.
  • --no-parent: Prevents traversing to parent directories.

7. Set a User-Agent String 

wget --user-agent="Mozilla/5.0" https://example.com/file.zip

The --user-agent option sets the User-Agent header, useful for bypassing restrictions on default wget headers.

8. Limit Download Speed 

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

The --limit-rate option limits download speed. For example, 500k limits the download speed to 500 KB/s.

9. Set Retry Attempts 

wget --tries=10 https://example.com/file.zip

The --tries option specifies the number of retry attempts in case of failure.

10. Skip SSL Certificate Checks 

wget --no-check-certificate https://example.com/file.zip

The --no-check-certificate option ignores SSL/TLS certificate verification. Use with caution, especially for sensitive downloads.

11. Download in Background 

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

The -b option downloads the file in the background. Check the progress in the wget-log file.

12. Use Authentication

Basic Authentication 

wget --user=username --password=password https://example.com/securefile.zip

Using .netrc File

Store credentials in ~/.netrc and use:

wget --auth-no-challenge https://example.com/securefile.zip

13. Recursive Download 

wget -r https://example.com/directory/

The -r option enables recursive downloads, retrieving files and subdirectories up to a certain depth.

14. Specify a Download Depth 

wget -r -l 2 https://example.com/

The -l (level) option limits the depth of the recursive download. For example, -l 2 downloads up to 2 levels deep.

15. Use a Proxy

HTTP Proxy 

wget -e use_proxy=yes -e http_proxy=http://proxyserver:port https://example.com/file.zip

SOCKS Proxy 

wget -e use_proxy=yes -e socks_proxy=socks://proxyserver:port https://example.com/file.zip

These snippets should cover most use cases for wget. Experiment with combining options to suit your specific requirements!