Wget Command in Linux with Examples

In this tutorial, we will show you learn wget command in Linux with our comprehensive guide! In the realm of Linux system administration and development, the wget command stands out as an indispensable tool for downloading files from the internet. This article delves deep into the intricacies of the wget command, providing a detailed exploration of its features, usage, and practical applications. From basic downloads to advanced mirroring techniques, you’ll gain a solid understanding of how to leverage wget for efficient file management in your Linux environment.

Understanding Wget

What is Wget?

Wget, short for “Web Get,” is a free and open-source command-line utility used for retrieving content from web servers. It supports HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP protocols, making it versatile for various download tasks. Unlike graphical download managers, wget operates in a non-interactive mode, ideal for scripting and automation. Think of it as your automated downloader, tirelessly fetching files without needing constant supervision.

While other tools like curl and ftp can also download files, wget distinguishes itself with its robustness and ability to handle unstable network connections. Curl is excellent for transferring data, but wget excels at downloading files and entire websites recursively. Ftp, while a reliable protocol, is often less secure than HTTPS, which wget fully supports.

Key Features of Wget

• Non-Interactive Download Capability: Wget can operate without user intervention, making it perfect for scripts and automated tasks. Set it up, and let it run!
• Protocol Support: Supporting HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP, wget can handle a wide variety of download sources. Versatility is its strength.
• Resilience to Network Interruptions: Wget can resume interrupted downloads, saving time and bandwidth. Network glitch? No problem for wget.
• Recursive Downloads: Download entire websites or directories with ease using recursive downloading. Grab everything you need in one go.
• Bandwidth Throttling: Limit the download speed to avoid overwhelming the network. Be a considerate network user.

Installation of Wget

Before diving into usage, ensure wget is installed on your system. Most Linux distributions come with wget pre-installed. To check, open your terminal and type:

wget --version

If wget is installed, the version information will be displayed. If not, follow the instructions below for your specific distribution.

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install wget

CentOS/RHEL/Fedora/Rocky Linux/AlmaLinux:

sudo yum install wget

Or, using dnf:

sudo dnf install wget

Arch Linux:

sudo pacman -S wget

After installation, verify by running wget --version again.

Basic Usage of Wget

Basic Syntax

The fundamental syntax of the wget command is straightforward:

wget [options] [url]

• wget: The command itself.
• [options]: Optional flags to modify the download behavior.
• [url]: The URL of the file to download.

Downloading a Single File

To download a single file, simply provide the URL:

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

This command downloads file.txt from example.com and saves it in the current directory. The output in the terminal will show the download progress, speed, and file size.

Example Output:

--2025-14-02 10:00:00--  https://example.com/file.txt
 Resolving example.com (example.com)... 93.184.216.34, 2606:2800:220:1:com:8:81b:e50d
 Connecting to example.com (example.com)|93.184.216.34|:443... connected.
 HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 200 OK
 Length: 12345 (12K) [text/plain]
 Saving to: ‘file.txt’
 

 100%[======================================>] 12,345      --.-KB/s   in 0.01s
 

 2025-14-02 10:00:00 (1.02 MB/s) - ‘file.txt’ saved [12345/12345]

The output provides valuable information:

• Resolving example.com: The DNS lookup process.
• Connecting to example.com: Establishing a connection to the server.
• HTTP request sent, awaiting response: The request being sent and the server’s response code (200 OK indicates success).
• Length: 12345 (12K): The size of the file.
• Saving to: ‘file.txt’: The name the file will be saved as.
• 100%[…]: The download progress bar.
• (1.02 MB/s): The download speed.
• ‘file.txt’ saved: Confirmation that the download is complete.

Downloading Files to a Specific Directory

To save the downloaded file to a specific directory, use the -P option (or --directory-prefix):

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

Replace /path/to/directory with the actual path to the desired directory. For example:

wget -P /home/user/downloads https://example.com/file.txt

This saves file.txt to the /home/user/downloads directory.

Renaming Files During Download

The -O option (or --output-document) allows you to rename the file as it’s being downloaded:

wget -O new_file_name.txt https://example.com/file.txt

This downloads file.txt but saves it as new_file_name.txt in the current directory.

Advanced Wget Options

Downloading Multiple Files

Wget can download multiple files using the -i option (or --input-file). Create a text file (e.g., urls.txt) with each URL on a new line:

https://example.com/file1.txt
 https://example.com/file2.txt
 https://example.com/file3.txt

Then, use the command:

wget -i urls.txt

Wget will download each file listed in urls.txt.

Recursive Downloads

The -r option (or --recursive) enables recursive downloading, allowing you to download entire websites or directories. Be cautious when using this option, as it can consume significant bandwidth and storage.

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

This command downloads the /directory/ and all its contents, including subdirectories and files. To limit the depth of recursion, use the -l option (or --level):

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

This limits the recursion depth to 2 levels.

To convert the links in the downloaded files to point to local files (for offline browsing), use the -k option (or --convert-links) and the -p option (or --page-requisites):

wget -r -k -p https://example.com/

This downloads the website and adjusts the links for local viewing.

Limiting Download Speed

To prevent wget from consuming all available bandwidth, use the --limit-rate option. Specify the desired rate in kilobytes per second (k) or megabytes per second (m):

wget --limit-rate=200k https://example.com/large_file.zip

This limits the download speed to 200 KB/s.

Resuming Interrupted Downloads

The -c option (or --continue) allows wget to resume an interrupted download. This is particularly useful for large files or unstable network connections.

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

If the download is interrupted, running the same command again with the -c option will resume the download from where it left off.

Creating a Mirror of a Website

The --mirror option combines several options to create a local mirror of a website. It’s equivalent to using -r -N -l inf --no-remove-listing.

wget --mirror https://example.com/

• -r: Recursive download.
• -N: Only download files newer than the local versions.
• -l inf: Infinite recursion depth.
• --no-remove-listing: Keep the server’s directory listing files.

To make the mirror suitable for offline browsing, add the -k and -p options:

wget --mirror -k -p https://example.com/

Practical Examples of Wget

Example Scenarios

Downloading Images from a Website:

Suppose you want to download all the images from a specific webpage. You can use wget in conjunction with other command-line tools like grep and sed.

wget -q -O - https://example.com/gallery.html | grep -o 'img src="[^"]*"' | sed 's/img src="//' | xargs -n 1 wget

This command does the following:

• wget -q -O - https://example.com/gallery.html: Downloads the HTML content of the page and outputs it to standard output.
• grep -o 'img src="[^"]*"': Extracts all img src attributes from the HTML.
• sed 's/img src="//': Removes the img src=" prefix, leaving only the image URLs.
• xargs -n 1 wget: Passes each image URL to wget for downloading.

Bulk Downloading Software Packages:

Imagine you have a list of software packages to download. Create a file named packages.txt with the URLs of the packages:

https://example.com/package1.deb
 https://example.com/package2.rpm
 https://example.com/package3.tar.gz

Then, use wget to download all the packages:

wget -i packages.txt

Using Wget in Scripts

Wget‘s non-interactive nature makes it ideal for use in scripts. Here’s an example script demonstrating automated downloads:

#!/bin/bash
 

 # Script to download files from a list of URLs
 

 URLS_FILE="urls.txt"
 DOWNLOAD_DIR="/home/user/downloads"
 

 # Check if the URLs file exists
 if [ ! -f "$URLS_FILE" ]; then
  echo "Error: $URLS_FILE not found."
  exit 1
 fi
 

 # Create the download directory if it doesn't exist
 mkdir -p "$DOWNLOAD_DIR"
 

 # Loop through the URLs in the file
 while read URL; do
  # Download the file
  wget -P "$DOWNLOAD_DIR" "$URL"
 

  # Check the exit status of wget
  if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
  echo "Successfully downloaded: $URL"
  else
  echo "Failed to download: $URL"
  fi
 done < "$URLS_FILE"
 

 echo "Download process completed."

Save this script to a file (e.g., download_script.sh), make it executable:

chmod +x download_script.sh

And then run it:

./download_script.sh

This script reads URLs from urls.txt, downloads each file to the /home/user/downloads directory, and provides feedback on the success or failure of each download.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Common Errors and Solutions

Handling ‘404 Not Found’ Errors:

A ‘404 Not Found’ error indicates that the requested file does not exist on the server. Double-check the URL for typos or broken links. The file might have been moved or deleted.

Dealing with Connection Timeouts:

Connection timeouts occur when wget cannot establish a connection with the server within a certain time. This could be due to network issues or a server that is down or overloaded. Try increasing the timeout value using the --timeout option:

wget --timeout=60 https://example.com/file.txt

This sets the timeout to 60 seconds. If the issue persists, check your network connection or try again later.

Ensuring Successful Downloads:

• Verify the URL: Ensure the URL is correct and accessible.
• Check Disk Space: Make sure you have enough free disk space to store the downloaded files.
• Firewall Settings: Firewall rules might be blocking wget‘s access to the internet. Adjust your firewall settings if necessary.
• Proxy Settings: If you are behind a proxy server, configure wget to use the proxy. Use the --proxy option:

  wget --proxy=on -e use_proxy=yes -e http_proxy=http://your_proxy_address:port https://example.com/file.txt