wget Command Linux: Complete Guide to Download Files from Internet

The wget command is one of the most powerful and versatile tools in Linux for downloading files from the internet. Whether you’re downloading a single file, mirroring an entire website, or automating download tasks, wget provides extensive functionality that makes it indispensable for system administrators, developers, and Linux users alike.

What is wget Command?

wget (World Wide Web get) is a free command-line utility for downloading files from web servers using HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP protocols. It’s a non-interactive downloader, meaning it can work in the background without requiring user interaction, making it perfect for scripts and automated tasks.

Installing wget

Most Linux distributions come with wget pre-installed. However, if it’s not available on your system, you can install it using your distribution’s package manager:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt update && sudo apt install wget

# CentOS/RHEL/Fedora
sudo yum install wget
# or for newer versions
sudo dnf install wget

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S wget

Basic wget Syntax

The basic syntax of wget is straightforward:

wget [OPTIONS] [URL]

Simple File Download Examples

Download a Single File

The simplest use case is downloading a single file:

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

Expected Output:

--2025-08-25 03:11:42--  https://example.com/file.zip
Resolving example.com (example.com)... 93.184.216.34
Connecting to example.com (example.com)|93.184.216.34|:443... connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 200 OK
Length: 1048576 (1.0M) [application/zip]
Saving to: 'file.zip'

file.zip           100%[===================>]   1.00M  2.50MB/s    in 0.4s    

2025-08-25 03:11:43 (2.50 MB/s) - 'file.zip' saved [1048576/1048576]

Download with Custom Filename

Use the -O option to specify a custom filename:

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

Download to Specific Directory

Use the -P option to specify the download directory:

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

Advanced Download Options

Resume Interrupted Downloads

One of wget’s most useful features is the ability to resume interrupted downloads:

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

The -c option continues partial downloads, saving time and bandwidth when downloading large files.

Limit Download Speed

Control bandwidth usage by limiting download speed:

# Limit to 200KB/s
wget --limit-rate=200k https://example.com/file.zip

# Limit to 1MB/s
wget --limit-rate=1m https://example.com/file.zip

Download Multiple Files

Download multiple files by listing URLs in a text file:

# Create a file with URLs
echo "https://example.com/file1.zip" > urls.txt
echo "https://example.com/file2.zip" >> urls.txt
echo "https://example.com/file3.zip" >> urls.txt

# Download all files
wget -i urls.txt

Background Downloads

Run wget in the background and log output to a file:

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

Check the progress by viewing the log file:

tail -f wget-log

Authentication and Headers

HTTP Authentication

For password-protected resources:

# Basic authentication
wget --user=username --password=password https://example.com/protected/file.zip

# Or use --ask-password for interactive password input
wget --user=username --ask-password https://example.com/protected/file.zip

Custom Headers

Add custom headers to your requests:

wget --header="User-Agent: Custom-Agent/1.0" https://example.com/file.zip
wget --header="Authorization: Bearer token123" https://api.example.com/file.zip

Website Mirroring and Recursive Downloads

Download Entire Website

Mirror a complete website for offline browsing:

wget -m -k -K -E https://example.com

Options explained:

• -m: Mirror (equivalent to -r -N -l inf –no-remove-listing)
• -k: Convert links for local viewing
• -K: Keep backup of original files
• -E: Adjust extension of HTML files

Recursive Download with Depth Limit

Download files recursively with a maximum depth:

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

The -l 2 option limits recursion to 2 levels deep.

Download Specific File Types

Download only specific file types from a website:

# Download only PDF files
wget -r -A "*.pdf" https://example.com

# Download images only
wget -r -A "*.jpg,*.png,*.gif" https://example.com

FTP Downloads

Anonymous FTP

wget ftp://ftp.example.com/path/to/file.zip

FTP with Authentication

wget --ftp-user=username --ftp-password=password ftp://ftp.example.com/file.zip

Advanced Configuration Options

Retry and Timeout Settings

# Set number of retries
wget --tries=5 https://example.com/file.zip

# Set timeout values
wget --timeout=30 --dns-timeout=10 --connect-timeout=15 https://example.com/file.zip

User Agent Customization

Some servers block requests from wget’s default user agent. Customize it:

wget --user-agent="Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64) AppleWebKit/537.36" https://example.com/file.zip

Cookie Handling

# Save cookies to file
wget --save-cookies cookies.txt https://example.com/login

# Load cookies from file
wget --load-cookies cookies.txt https://example.com/protected-area

Output and Logging Options

Quiet and Verbose Modes

# Quiet mode (minimal output)
wget -q https://example.com/file.zip

# Verbose mode (detailed output)
wget -v https://example.com/file.zip

# Debug mode (maximum detail)
wget -d https://example.com/file.zip

Custom Log Files

# Log to specific file
wget -o download.log https://example.com/file.zip

# Append to log file
wget -a download.log https://example.com/file.zip

Practical Use Cases and Scripts

Automated Backup Script

#!/bin/bash
# Daily backup download script

DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d)
LOG_FILE="/var/log/backup_download_$DATE.log"

wget -o $LOG_FILE \
     --timeout=300 \
     --tries=3 \
     -P /backup/daily \
     https://backup.example.com/daily/backup_$DATE.tar.gz

if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
    echo "Backup downloaded successfully" >> $LOG_FILE
else
    echo "Backup download failed" >> $LOG_FILE
    exit 1
fi

Bulk File Download with Progress

#!/bin/bash
# Download multiple files with progress tracking

urls=(
    "https://example.com/file1.zip"
    "https://example.com/file2.zip"
    "https://example.com/file3.zip"
)

total=${#urls[@]}
current=0

for url in "${urls[@]}"; do
    ((current++))
    echo "Downloading file $current of $total: $url"
    wget --progress=bar:force -P downloads "$url"
    echo "Completed $current/$total downloads"
done

Common wget Options Reference

Troubleshooting Common Issues

SSL Certificate Errors

For sites with SSL certificate issues:

# Skip certificate check (use cautiously)
wget --no-check-certificate https://example.com/file.zip

# Specify CA certificate bundle
wget --ca-certificate=/path/to/ca-bundle.crt https://example.com/file.zip

Connection Refused or Timeout

# Increase timeout and retry values
wget --timeout=60 --tries=10 --retry-connrefused https://example.com/file.zip

Server Blocking wget

# Use a different user agent
wget --user-agent="Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; Googlebot/2.1)" https://example.com/file.zip

Security Considerations

When using wget, keep these security aspects in mind:

• Avoid plaintext passwords: Use --ask-password instead of --password
• Validate certificates: Don’t use --no-check-certificate unless absolutely necessary
• Limit recursion: Always set depth limits when using recursive downloads
• Check file integrity: Verify checksums when available

Performance Optimization Tips

1. Use parallel downloads: Run multiple wget instances for different files
2. Optimize connection settings: Adjust timeout values based on your network
3. Resume interrupted downloads: Always use -c for large files
4. Limit bandwidth: Use --limit-rate to avoid overwhelming your connection

Conclusion

The wget command is an incredibly powerful tool for downloading files and content from the internet. From simple file downloads to complex website mirroring operations, wget provides the flexibility and reliability needed for both interactive use and automated scripts. By mastering the various options and techniques covered in this guide, you’ll be able to handle virtually any download scenario efficiently and effectively.

Remember to always respect website robots.txt files and terms of service when using wget, especially for recursive downloads and website mirroring. With great power comes great responsibility, and wget certainly provides great power for managing internet downloads in Linux environments.