There are numerous ways to download a file from a URL via the command line on Linux, and two of the best tools for the job are wget and curl. Both tools have their pros and cons, depending on the download task at hand. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to use both commands to perform the task.
Korbin Brown
Wget file download on Linux
The wget command is used to retrieve content from servers via HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP. It simplifies many downloading tasks that you’d normally have to do yourself by perusing a website and manually clicking links to download. Wget is able to perform the same function from the command line and has a lot of added abilities that can save you time, such as downloading directories recursively.
In this article, we’ll show you what wget is capable of and provide you with example commands that you can use in your own Linux terminal.
In this tutorial you will learn:
- How to download a file from a website with wget
- How to download a directory
- How to mirror a website
- How to download and untar a file automatically
- How to authenticate with wget
- How to use quiet mode with wget
Live CD/DVD Linux Download
In this article, we’ll cover and compare some of the most popular Linux distributions to use for a live CD/DVD. Furthermore, you’ll be given the information you need to make a decision about which one to use, as well as the links to the official Linux downloads pages for each Linux distribution.
Many Linux distributions offer an environment that you can boot your computer into without having to install anything to a hard drive. For some Linux distros, this is actually their main purpose. This is called a “live file system” and it allows you to boot into Linux like normal from a CD, DVD, or USB drive.
With a live file system, changes you make normally aren’t saved after a reboot. When you boot to a live CD/DVD/USB, system files and everything else are stored temporarily in RAM, and RAM is always cleared when a system shuts down or reboots.
Ubuntu Torrent Download
Downloading Ubuntu ISO images with a torrent client is one of the most efficient ways to obtain the installation media. Torrenting allows you download the file from multiple sources simultaneously, which means you’ll wind up with a very speedy download because the entirety of your network’s download bandwidth can remain saturated. It’s a very reliable method for downloading large files.
It also takes some strain off of official Ubuntu mirrors, so you’re actually helping them out a little by getting an ISO image from the torrent swarm. If you want to continue helping after the download completes, you can choose to leave the Ubuntu torrent in your torrent client and let it “seed” (torrenting jargon for upload) to other prospective downloaders.
Ubuntu Server Download
Ubuntu is one of the most well known Linux distributions available. You’ve probably seen Canonical’s ubiquitous logo and the familiar look of Ubuntu Desktop running GNOME. What you may not have realized is that Ubuntu also has a very popular server edition of their operating system.
Many distributions choose to concentrate on a single computing environment – either desktop PCs or servers. But Ubuntu’s massive popularity and strong footing in the Linux community have allowed it to produce a very viable server edition and still maintain their desktop release.
PureOS LiGNUx download
PureOS GNU/Linux (or “LiGNUx“) is a distribution built on 100% free software. It’s based on Debian and is a distro that’s highy focused on privacy and security. For other most popular Linux distributions please visit our dedicated linux download page.
PureOS uses Purebrowser, which is based on Firefox and developed to follow PureOS’s privacy goals. It uses the DuckDuckGo search engine by default, which doesn’t track user data. PureOS also comes with many other enhanced security features enabled by default, such as the HTTPS Everywhere extension that encrypts your data with unsecure websites.
PureOS uses the GNOME desktop environment by default and only supports 64 bit CPUs. It’s listed on GNU’s website as one of only a handful of operating systems that contain strictly free software. It’s also endorsed by the Free Software Foundation.
PureOS is geared towards home computing. It promotes totally free software and user privacy. If you’re an advocate for those ideals, this distro may be a good fit for you. Trisquel LiGNUx is another similar choice that features only free software.
Trisquel LiGNUx download
Trisquel GNU/Linux (or “LiGNUx“) is a distribution built on 100% free software. It’s based on Ubuntu (and inherently Debian) but with all the proprietary bits stripped out or replaced with free alternatives. For other most popular Linux distributions please visit our dedicated linux download page.
Trisquel is geared towards home users, small businesses, and educational centers. It’s listed on GNU’s website as one of only a handful of operating systems that contain strictly free software. Among them, it’s one of the most popular. It’s also endorsed by the Free Software Foundation.
Trisquel’s flagship version comes with the MATE desktop environment installed. It’s similar to Ubuntu’s default GNOME environment but provides a more traditional feel and does a better job of supporting older hardware.
Solus Linux Download
Solus Linux is a desktop focused distribution built from scratch. It aims to present a clean and simple operating system experience for home computing. For other most popular Linux distributions please visit our dedicated linux download page.
The flagship edition of Solus features the Budgie desktop environment, which was developed in house. It offers a rather traditional desktop feel with a high focus on simplicity and functionality. Budgie has since become a popular choice even outside of Solus, for example being offered as an official flavor of Ubuntu.
Solus is similar to Linux Mint in many ways, as both distros are designed for home computing and have developed their own desktop environments to enhance ease of use. Unlike Mint, though, Solus only offers releases in 64 bit and has a rolling release schedule (more on that below).
Solus comes packed with support for everything you’d need on a home PC, including office apps, media editors, developer tools, and gaming software. Most tools are included by default but you can install other things quickly from the package manager.
Clear Linux Download
Clear Linux is Intel’s entry into the Linux space. It’s a free and open source distro that Intel has developed for maximum performance. For other most popular Linux distributions please visit our dedicated linux download page.
Unsurprisingly, Clear Linux has been optimized to perform very well on Intel hardware. Being developed by a hardware giant means that the operating system can undergo improvements that more community driven Linux distributions may be likely to neglect.
Puppy Linux Download
Puppy Linux specializes in being a super lightweight desktop distribution with user friendly features. The entire operating system only weighs in at about 300 MB and its system requirements are incredibly small.
It’s a great distro for restoring an old computer or providing a simple interface to casual PC users. For other most popular Linux distributions please visit our dedicated linux download page.
Puppy is simple and straight forward, similar to Ubuntu and Linux Mint in this regard. However, it comes with far fewer packages and leaves a much smaller footprint. Other distributions feel bloated when contrasted with Puppy.
Puppy Linux is more accurately defined as a collection of distributions. There are multiple “puppies” available for download, including versions based on Slackware, Ubuntu, and Raspbian. That’s what has been officially released, but there are a slew of community “remasters” available as well, called “puplets”. As you can see, Puppy likes to coin a lot of their own terms.
Kali Linux Download
Kali Linux is not your typical Linux distribution. It has a very specific use case, and that is to provide the user with penetration testing and ethical hacking tools. For other most popular Linux distributions please visit our dedicated linux download page.
Under the hood, Kali Linux runs much like Debian, on which it is based. However, Kali should not be used as an ordinary operating system; it has a specific purpose in penetration testing and security auditing and should be used strictly for that.
Red Hat Linux Download
Red Hat Enterprise Linux is a commercial Linux distribution built for powering the servers of corporations and data centers. It’s a robust distro with the features and stability that businesses crave for high availability and predictability.
The big appeal of Red Hat, though, is its support system. That’s the main thing you’re paying for, after all. If something doesn’t operate as expected, businesses want someone to turn to for support so they can face as little downtime as possible. Red Hat experts are only a phone call away for subscribers.
The support feature is what really sets Red Hat apart from other Linux distributions that could also perform the same job very well, such as CentOS, Fedora, and OpenSUSE. For other most popular Linux distributions please visit our dedicated linux download page.
Red Hat offers training and certification programs to prospective Linux system administrators. This is another big plus for businesses, as they can buy training for their employees or vet new recruits by their certifications. Such training and certifications are rare to find in the Linux world, being that Linux distros are mostly free and run by a community of volunteers.
If you are a system administrator looking to get into Red Hat, most or all of your experience with CentOS and Fedora Server should transfer over to Red Hat, since the three distributions are closely related.