wget for file downloads in Linux CLI - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

💻 Command Output

intermediate

What is the output of this wget command?

You run this command in a terminal:

wget --spider https://example.com/file.txt

What will wget do?

Linux CLI

wget --spider https://example.com/file.txt

A Download the file but do not save it anywhere.

B Download the file and save it as file.txt in the current folder.

C Show the content of the file in the terminal.

D Check if the file exists on the server without downloading it, then print status.

💡 Hint

The --spider option makes wget act like a web spider.

The --spider option tells wget to check if the file exists without downloading it. It prints the HTTP status but does not save the file.

💻 Command Output

intermediate

What file name will wget save as?

You run this command:

wget https://example.com/downloads/report.pdf

What will be the name of the saved file?

Linux CLI

wget https://example.com/downloads/report.pdf

A downloads

B report.pdf

C index.html

D file.txt

💡 Hint

wget uses the last part of the URL path as the file name.

wget saves the file using the last part of the URL path, which is 'report.pdf' here.

📝 Syntax

advanced

Which wget command downloads a file and saves it with a custom name?

You want to download https://example.com/data.csv but save it as mydata.csv locally. Which command does this correctly?

A wget https://example.com/data.csv -O mydata.csv

B wget -o mydata.csv https://example.com/data.csv

C wget --save-as mydata.csv https://example.com/data.csv

D wget --output-file=mydata.csv https://example.com/data.csv

💡 Hint

The -O option sets the output file name.

The -O option followed by a file name tells wget to save the download with that name. The other options are incorrect or mean something else.

💻 Command Output

advanced

What happens if you run wget with the -c option on a partially downloaded file?

You started downloading a large file but stopped halfway. You run:

wget -c https://example.com/largefile.zip

What will wget do?

Linux CLI

wget -c https://example.com/largefile.zip

A Restart the download from the beginning, overwriting the file.

B Download the file but save it with a different name to avoid overwriting.

C Resume the download from where it stopped, appending to the existing file.

D Show an error that the file already exists and stop.

💡 Hint

The -c option means continue.

The -c option tells wget to continue an incomplete download by resuming from where it left off.

🚀 Application

expert

How to download multiple files listed in a text file using wget?

You have a file urls.txt with a list of URLs, one per line. Which wget command downloads all files listed in urls.txt?

A wget -i urls.txt

B wget -f urls.txt

C wget --list urls.txt

D wget --input-file=urls.txt

💡 Hint

The -i option tells wget to read URLs from a file.

The -i option followed by a file name tells wget to read URLs from that file and download each one. The other options are invalid or do different things.

Practice

1. What is the primary purpose of the wget command in Linux?

easy

A. To download files from the internet

B. To upload files to a server

C. To list files in a directory

D. To edit text files

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the function of wget

   The wget command is designed to retrieve files from the internet using HTTP, HTTPS, or FTP protocols.

2. Step 2: Compare options with wget's purpose

   Uploading files, listing directories, or editing text are not functions of wget. It only downloads files.

3. Final Answer:

   To download files from the internet -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   wget downloads files [OK]

Hint: Remember: wget = get files from web [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing wget with upload commands like scp
• Thinking wget edits or lists files
• Assuming wget is for local file operations

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to download a file from http://example.com/file.txt using wget?

easy

A. wget -d http://example.com/file.txt

B. wget http://example.com/file.txt

C. wget download http://example.com/file.txt

D. wget -save http://example.com/file.txt

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall basic wget syntax

   The basic command to download a file is simply wget URL without extra flags.

2. Step 2: Analyze each option

   wget -d http://example.com/file.txt uses an invalid flag -d. wget download http://example.com/file.txt adds an unnecessary word download. wget -save http://example.com/file.txt uses a non-existent flag -save. Only wget http://example.com/file.txt is correct.

3. Final Answer:

   wget http://example.com/file.txt -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Basic wget syntax = wget URL [OK]

Hint: Use just 'wget' plus URL to download [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Adding extra words or flags not supported by wget
• Using incorrect or made-up options
• Confusing wget syntax with other commands

3. What will be the output filename when you run wget http://example.com/data.csv in your current directory?

medium

A. index.html

B. downloaded_file

C. http://example.com/data.csv

D. data.csv

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand wget default naming

   By default, wget saves the downloaded file with the same name as in the URL's last part, here data.csv.

2. Step 2: Check other options

   index.html is default for HTML pages without filename. http://example.com/data.csv is invalid as wget does not save with full URL as filename. downloaded_file is arbitrary and not default.

3. Final Answer:

   data.csv -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Filename = last URL part = data.csv [OK]

Hint: Filename defaults to last part of URL [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting wget to rename files automatically
• Confusing default HTML save name with other files
• Thinking wget saves full URL as filename

4. You run wget -c http://example.com/bigfile.zip but it restarts download from zero instead of resuming. What is the likely cause?

medium

A. The URL is incorrect

B. You forgot to add the -r option

C. The server does not support resuming downloads

D. wget cannot download zip files

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand -c option in wget

   The -c option tells wget to continue/resume an interrupted download if the server supports it.

2. Step 2: Identify why resume fails

   If the server does not support partial content requests, wget cannot resume and restarts from zero. Other options or file types do not affect this behavior.

3. Final Answer:

   The server does not support resuming downloads -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   -c needs server support [OK]

Hint: Resume needs server support, else restart [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking -r is for resume (it's for recursive)
• Assuming wget can't download zip files
• Blaming URL without checking server features

5. You want to download multiple files listed in urls.txt using wget, saving each with its original name. Which command correctly does this?

hard

A. wget -i urls.txt

B. wget -o urls.txt

C. wget --save-urls urls.txt

D. wget -c urls.txt

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand wget options for multiple downloads

   The -i option tells wget to read URLs from a file and download each one.

2. Step 2: Check other options

   -o is for log file output, not URLs. --save-urls is not a valid option. -c is for resuming downloads, not reading URL lists.

3. Final Answer:

   wget -i urls.txt -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Use -i to read URLs from file [OK]

Hint: Use -i to download from URL list file [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using -o instead of -i for input file
• Assuming -c reads URL lists
• Trying non-existent options like --save-urls