Linux wget Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to wget on Linux, covering Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions including file downloads, recursive downloads, and web content retrieval.

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Table of Contents

1. wget Installation
2. wget Basics
3. File Downloads
4. Recursive Downloads
5. Troubleshooting

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wget Installation

Install wget

Arch/CachyOS:

# Install wget
sudo pacman -S wget

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt install wget

Fedora:

sudo dnf install wget

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wget Basics

Download File

Basic usage:

# Download file
wget https://example.com/file.txt

# Downloads file to current directory

Save with Name

Custom filename:

# Save with custom name
wget -O output.txt https://example.com/file.txt

# -O = output (custom filename)

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File Downloads

Resume Download

Continue download:

# Resume interrupted download
wget -c https://example.com/large-file.zip

# -c = continue (resumes from breakpoint)

Background Download

Download in background:

# Background download
wget -b https://example.com/file.txt

# -b = background (downloads in background)

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Recursive Downloads

Download Website

Recursive download:

# Download website
wget -r https://example.com

# -r = recursive (downloads entire site)

Limit Depth

Limit recursion:

# Limit depth
wget -r -l 2 https://example.com

# -l = level (max depth: 2)

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Troubleshooting

wget Not Found

Check installation:

# Check wget
which wget

# Install if missing
sudo pacman -S wget

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Summary

This guide covered wget usage, file downloads, and recursive downloads for Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions.

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Next Steps

• curl Guide - HTTP requests
• wget and curl Guide - Combined guide
• Network Utilities - Network tools
• wget Documentation: man wget

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This guide covers Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other Linux distributions. For distribution-specific details, refer to your distribution's documentation.