FTP Downloads and website mirroring with Wget
MIRROR IMAGE
Wget downloads files and even whole websites from the command line.
Any number of GUI-based download managers allow users to download files and whole websites. At the command line, you’ll need a tool like Wget. Wget handles downloads quickly and without a lot of pointing and clicking. Wget "speaks" HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP; it can continue interrupted transfers, and it even has an update function that only updates files that have changed. All-Rounder
The generic syntax for Wget is as follows:
wget URL
Wget gives you command line output to let you know what it is doing (Figure 1): in our example, the tool is establishing a connection to a web server (standard port 80) and downloading the index.html file to a local directory, ignoring embedded images and not following links. If you do not want to view the fairly verbose output at the console, you might like to specify the -q (for quiet) option. As this tells Wget to suppress the output of error messages and basic information, however, you might prefer a compromise, which you can achieve by entering wget -nv. This option tells the program to write less output to your console but still provide some information.
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Linux Kernel 6.16 Reaches EOL
Linux kernel 6.16 has reached its end of life, which means you'll need to upgrade to the next stable release, Linux kernel 6.17.
-
Amazon Ditches Android for a Linux-Based OS
Amazon has migrated from Android to the Linux-based Vega OS for its Fire TV.
-
Cairo Dock 3.6 Now Available for More Compositors
If you're a fan of third-party desktop docks, then the latest release of Cairo Dock with Wayland support is for you.
-
System76 Unleashes Pop!_OS 24.04 Beta
System76's first beta of Pop!_OS 24.04 is an impressive feat.
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 is Available
Linus Torvalds has announced that the latest kernel has been released with plenty of core improvements and even more hardware support.
-
Kali Linux 2025.3 Released with New Hacking Tools
If you're a Kali Linux fan, you'll be glad to know that the third release of this famous pen-testing distribution is now available with updates for key components.
-
Zorin OS 18 Beta Available for Testing
The latest release from the team behind Zorin OS is ready for public testing, and it includes plenty of improvements to make it more powerful, user-friendly, and productive.
-
Fedora Linux 43 Beta Now Available for Testing
Fedora Linux 43 Beta ships with Gnome 49 and KDE Plasma 6.4 (and other goodies).
-
USB4 Maintainer Leaves Intel
Michael Jamet, one of the primary maintainers of USB4 and Thunderbolt drivers, has left Intel, leaving a gaping hole for the Linux community to deal with.
-
Budgie 10.9.3 Now Available
The latest version of this elegant and configurable Linux desktop aligns with changes in Gnome 49.