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
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
-
Gnome 48 Debuts New Audio Player
To date, the audio player found within the Gnome desktop has been meh at best, but with the upcoming release that all changes.
-
Plasma 6.3 Ready for Public Beta Testing
Plasma 6.3 will ship with KDE Gear 24.12.1 and KDE Frameworks 6.10, along with some new and exciting features.
-
Budgie 10.10 Scheduled for Q1 2025 with a Surprising Desktop Update
If Budgie is your desktop environment of choice, 2025 is going to be a great year for you.
-
Firefox 134 Offers Improvements for Linux Version
Fans of Linux and Firefox rejoice, as there's a new version available that includes some handy updates.
-
Serpent OS Arrives with a New Alpha Release
After months of silence, Ikey Doherty has released a new alpha for his Serpent OS.
-
HashiCorp Cofounder Unveils Ghostty, a Linux Terminal App
Ghostty is a new Linux terminal app that's fast, feature-rich, and offers a platform-native GUI while remaining cross-platform.
-
Fedora Asahi Remix 41 Available for Apple Silicon
If you have an Apple Silicon Mac and you're hoping to install Fedora, you're in luck because the latest release supports the M1 and M2 chips.
-
Systemd Fixes Bug While Facing New Challenger in GNU Shepherd
The systemd developers have fixed a really nasty bug amid the release of the new GNU Shepherd init system.
-
AlmaLinux 10.0 Beta Released
The AlmaLinux OS Foundation has announced the availability of AlmaLinux 10.0 Beta ("Purple Lion") for all supported devices with significant changes.
-
Gnome 47.2 Now Available
Gnome 47.2 is now available for general use but don't expect much in the way of newness, as this is all about improvements and bug fixes.