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⬇️ Downloading Files (wget, curl)
Downloading Files
Sometimes you just need to grab files from the internet directly to your Linux system — like grabbing a PDF, script, or dataset. Two popular tools for this are wget and curl.
Sometimes you just need to grab files from the internet directly to your Linux system — like grabbing a PDF, script, or dataset. Two popular tools for this are wget and curl.
Using wget
wget
wget https://example.com/file.txt
This command downloads the file from the web and saves it in the current directory. By default, wget keeps retrying if the connection drops.
Useful options:
- -O filename → save as a specific filename
wget -O myfile.txt https://example.com/file.txt
- -q → quiet mode (no progress messages)
- -c → continue partially downloaded files
Using curl
curl -O
curl -O https://example.com/file.txt
This command downloads the file from the web. The -O option preserves the original filename.
Useful options:
- -o filename → save as a custom filename
curl -o myfile.txt https://example.com/file.txt
- -L → follow redirects (if the link redirects somewhere else)
Key Difference Between wget and curl
- wget → great for simple downloads and recursive downloading (entire directories).
- curl → more flexible for scripting, uploading files, or interacting with APIs.
Pro tip
To test if your internet connection works while downloading, try:
wget https://www.google.com
or
curl -I https://www.google.com
The -I in curl fetches headers only, not the full page — a quick connectivity check.
Real-life analogy
Think of wget like sending a courier to fetch a package from a friend's house — it keeps trying until it successfully delivers. curl is like asking a friend for the file via email — they send it straight to you, and you can choose what name to save it as.
