Master File Downloads on Linux: Curl and Wget Command‑Line Guide

Using Curl to Download Files

Curl supports many protocols (HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, TFTP, TELNET, SCP, etc.) and can download any remote file with pause and resume capabilities.

Install curl sudo apt install curl After installation, use the following commands:

Save with original remote filename : curl -O [URL] (or curl --remote-name [URL])

Save with a custom name : curl -o [filename] [URL] Download multiple files : curl -O [URL1] -O [URL2] Download from FTP : curl -O ftp://ftp.example.com/file.zip Authenticated FTP download : curl -u [user]:[password] -O ftp://ftp.example.com/file.zip Pause and resume : press Ctrl+C to pause, then resume with

curl -C - [URL]

Using Wget to Download Files

Wget works with HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, SFTP and supports recursive downloads, making it useful for mirroring websites.

Install wget sudo apt install wget Common usage patterns:

Download a single file or webpage : wget [URL] Save with a custom name : wget -O [filename] [URL] Download from FTP : wget ftp://ftp.example.com/file.zip Authenticated FTP download :

wget --user=[user] --password=[pass] ftp://ftp.example.com/file.zip

Recursive download of a directory or site : wget -r [URL] Download multiple files from a list : create a text file with URLs and run wget -i [list.txt] Pause and resume : press Ctrl+C to pause, then resume with

wget -c [filename]

Summary

Both curl and wget provide straightforward command‑line methods for downloading files on Linux. After installing the tools, you can retrieve single or multiple files, rename them, handle FTP sources, and pause or resume transfers. If no directory is specified, files are saved to the current working directory.