How to Download a File Using curl Command

curl is a powerful command-line tool for transferring data using various protocols like HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, and SFTP. It supports downloading files efficiently.

Basic file download: curl -O https://example.com/file.zip

The -O flag saves the file with its original name.

Common useful options:

1. Specify output filename: curl -o custom_name.zip https://example.com/file.zip
2. Resume interrupted download: curl -C – -O https://example.com/file.zip
3. Show download progress: curl -# -O https://example.com/file.zip
4. Follow redirects: curl -L -O https://example.com/file.zip
5. Download with authentication: curl -u username:password -O https://example.com/file.zip
6. Download silently (no progress): curl -s -O https://example.com/file.zip
7. Download with a specific user-agent: curl -A “Mozilla/5.0” -O https://example.com/file.zip

Additional tips:

Use -k to allow insecure connections (not recommended)
Add -v for verbose output to debug issues
Combine with –limit-rate to control download speed (e.g., –limit-rate 1M)

Now you know a bit about using curl to download files from a URL.

Learn how to install cURL on Windows and Linux to streamline data transfers. A must-have tool for developers and system administrators!