Five tools for downloading websites
Rip It!
Companies and private users sometimes need to back up their own online content. We examine five free solutions for Linux that can download and store web pages or whole websites.
A company's website is often the first point contact with new customers, which means that a website is an important business card for Internet users. The more complex and extensive the website is, the more important it is to have a backup in order to ensure a continuous presence on the Internet in the event of a disaster or cyber attack. A backup can also facilitate the migration of a website from one host to another, and backups taken at regular intervals ensure an archival record of the state of the site.
Conventional browser extensions have some capacity for backing up web pages, but they usually don't have the capacity to secure a complex website with numerous hierarchical levels. Browsers and their extensions typically only save the content currently visible in the browser in a single file. The need for a more complete backup solution has led to the development of native website rippers or website grabbers. This article examines some free alternatives.
Functionality
Website grabbers are always the tool of choice when you need offline access to a complete website. It does not matter whether you want to save a website for documentation purposes or just need a regular backup.
[...]
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
-
LMDE 7 Now Available
Linux Mint Debian Edition, version 7, has been officially released and is based on upstream Debian.
-
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.