Useful Wget commands

Collection of wget commands

• wget [URL]: At its simplest, wget followed by the URL downloads the file to your current directory, preserving the original filename.
• -O, --output-document=[FILE]: This command lets you specify a custom filename for the downloaded file instead of using the one from the URL.

• -b, --background: Use this to run wget in the background, freeing your terminal for other tasks. It logs the progress into wget-log or a specified logfile.

• -r, --recursive: This command is perfect for downloading entire websites or parts of websites, mirroring all the directory structure.
• -l, --level=[NUMBER]: Limits the recursion depth. Useful for controlling how deep you go into a website’s link hierarchy.

• --limit-rate=[RATE]: Slows down the download speed to a specified rate, ensuring it doesn’t hog all your bandwidth.

• -c, --continue: Resumes a partially downloaded file, picking up where it left off without starting from scratch.

• --start-time=[TIME]: Schedules the download to begin at a specific time. This is useful for initiating downloads during off-peak hours.

• -t, --tries=[NUMBER]: Sets the number of retries for a failed download. Use -t 0 for infinite retries.
• --retry-connrefused: Retries even if the connection is refused.

• -P, --directory-prefix=[PREFIX]: Directs wget to save the file(s) to a specified directory, organizing your downloads better.

• --http-user=[USER] and --http-password=[PASSWORD]: These commands are critical for downloading files from password-protected websites, ensuring secure access.

• --no-check-certificate: Disables SSL certificate verification, useful for sites with self-signed certificates.

• -U, --user-agent=[AGENT]: Mimics a specific browser or bot, which can be necessary for downloading from sites that restrict by user agent.

• -e, --execute="http_proxy=[URL]": Configures wget to use a proxy for the download, essential for navigating through network restrictions.