A comprehensive guide to using Wget to download files and work with REST APIs

Installation and preparations

In many Linux distributions, wget It is pre-installed. If you need to install it, you can use the following commands. You can also use the command to check the version. wget --version Take advantage.

apt update
apt install -y wget

yum install -y wget

brew install wget

wget --version

Basic download and output management

To download a simple file from a specific address: wget You can change the name of the saved file or reduce the verbose output.

wget https://example.com/file.tar.gz

wget -O custom-name.tar.gz https://example.com/file.tar.gz

wget -q https://example.com/file.tar.gz
wget -nv https://example.com/file.tar.gz

wget -o /var/log/wget-download.log https://example.com/file.tar.gz

Continued downloads and large files

To download large files or in case of network disconnection and connection, use the option -c Use for resume. Also, controlling the speed and number of attempts can be useful for shared servers.

wget -c https://example.com/large.iso

wget --limit-rate=1m https://example.com/large.iso

wget --tries=10 --timeout=30 --retry-connrefused https://example.com/large.iso

Recursive and mirror download

Use the recursive options to recursively download a path or create a mirror of the site. -np Prevents climbing to the parent path and -k Converts links for local access.

wget -r -np -k https://example.com/some/path/

wget --mirror -p --convert-links -P ./localdir https://example.com/

Working with REST APIs with wget

Although curl It has more flexibility for working with APIs, wget It is useful for simple interactions like GET and POST and sending headers. Below are some common examples.

Sending Headers

To add custom headers from the option --header Use.

wget --header="X-API-Version: 2" --header="Accept: application/json" -O response.json "https://api.example.com/resource?id=10"

Authentication (Basic, Bearer token, Cookies)

Common examples of authentication with wget are as follows.

wget --http-user=USERNAME --http-password='PASSWORD' -O resp.json "https://api.example.com/secure"

wget --header="Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" -O resp.json "https://api.example.com/protected"

wget --save-cookies cookies.txt --keep-session-cookies --post-data='username=me&password=secret' https://example.com/login
wget --load-cookies cookies.txt -O dashboard.html https://example.com/dashboard

Sending JSON and POST

To send JSON payload you can use --post-data Or --post-file For large payloads, it is recommended to put the data in a file.

wget --header="Content-Type: application/json" --post-data='{"name":"test","value":42}' -O resp.json "https://api.example.com/items"

echo '{"name":"big","value":123}' > payload.json
wget --header="Content-Type: application/json" --post-file=payload.json -O resp.json "https://api.example.com/items"

Limitations and alternatives

Remember that wget There are restrictions for HTTP methods except GET and POST. For methods PUT, PATCH, DELETE Or are multipart forms better than curl Use.

For parallel downloading or file splitting, use tools like aria2 Take advantage.

Scripting, retry and backoff

For stable interaction with APIs and dealing with rate limiting, the retry algorithm with exponential backoff is suitable. The following simple bash script example can be used.

#!/bin/bash
URL="https://api.example.com/data"
OUT="resp.json"
TOKEN="YOUR_TOKEN"

attempt=0
max=5
sleep_time=1

while [ $attempt -lt $max ]; do
  wget --header="Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" -O "$OUT" "$URL"
  code=$?
  if [ $code -eq 0 ]; then
    echo "Success"
    exit 0
  fi
  attempt=$((attempt+1))
  echo "Attempt $attempt failed, sleeping $sleep_time"
  sleep $sleep_time
  sleep_time=$((sleep_time * 2))
done

exit 1

Use cron or systemd timers to schedule downloads regularly to run tasks automatically on VPS or cloud servers in different locations.

Proxy, TLS, and Certificates

If you are behind a proxy, wget supports environment variables. You can specify the path to the CA file to control certificate verification.

export http_proxy="http://proxy.example:3128"
export https_proxy="http://proxy.example:3128"

Certificate options:

• --ca-certificate=/path/to/ca.pem
• --no-check-certificate (Do not use except in test environments)

Performance tips for cloud servers and locations

Choosing the right location can reduce RTT and ping. For sensitive applications like trading, gaming, rendering, or AI with GPU servers, proximity to the destination service is important — the company in question can provide services in 85+ locations It has.

• Choose a location: Choose the closest data center to your destination to reduce latency.
• Download AI models and renders: From -c For resume and --limit-rate Use when processing heavy.
• Network Security: Use DDoS-protected servers to host high-traffic files.
• CDN and BGP: A combination of wget for point-to-point testing and CDN for final distribution is recommended.

Practical example of downloading a large model onto a GPU server:

wget -c https://models.example.com/large-model.tar.gz -O /mnt/nvme/models/large-model.tar.gz --limit-rate=5m --tries=20

Comparing wget, curl, and other tools

A summary of the benefits and uses of each tool:

• wget: Suitable for downloading files, mirroring sites, recursive downloading; simple and suitable for scripts.
• curl: High flexibility for REST APIs, full support for HTTP and multipart methods.
• aria2: Parallel downloads and multiple connections to accelerate downloads.
• rsync/scp: Secure server-to-server synchronization (SSH/SFTP).

Security and best practices

Some key recommendations for secure use of wget and managing secrets:

• Token storage: Restrict files containing tokens and use a secret manager.
• TLS: Keep certificate verification enabled and --no-check-certificate Use only in testing.
• Rate limiting: Use Rate-Limit headers and the backoff algorithm to avoid blocking.
• Network protection: Use anti-DDoS servers and CDNs to host frequently used files.

Conclusion

In answer to the main question, wget It is a simple and stable tool for downloading files, mirroring, and basic interactions with REST APIs. For more complex HTTP needs and more diverse interactions, curl It's a better option. In cloud environments, choosing the right location, using secure servers, and configuring the right network can dramatically improve the work experience.

Plans and support information

Plans in more than 85 locations They are available worldwide, and different options are offered for specific uses such as GPU servers, low-latency servers for trading, or servers suitable for gaming and high-traffic hosting.

To view plan details or get additional information, you can visit the web panel or get more information through support.

Frequently Asked Questions