wget for file downloads in Linux CLI - Mini Project: Build & Apply

Downloading Files Using wget

📖 Scenario: You want to download files from the internet to your computer using the command line. This is useful when you need to get documents, images, or software quickly without opening a browser.

🎯 Goal: Learn how to use the wget command to download files from a URL and save them with a specific name.

📋 What You'll Learn

Use the wget command to download files

Specify the URL to download from

Save the downloaded file with a custom name

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Downloading files from the internet quickly using the command line is common for software installation, data collection, and automation tasks.

💼 Career

Knowing how to use wget helps in system administration, data science, and development roles where automated file downloads are needed.

1

Set the URL to download

Create a variable called file_url and set it to the exact URL https://example.com/sample.txt.

Linux CLI

# Create a variable called file_url with the URL
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use the syntax variable=value without spaces for shell variables. Quotes are recommended for URLs.

2

Set the output file name

Create a variable called output_file and set it to the exact filename downloaded_sample.txt.

Linux CLI

file_url="https://example.com/sample.txt"
# Create a variable called output_file with the filename
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Remember to assign the filename as a string with quotes in shell variables.

3

Download the file using wget

Use the wget command with the -O option to download the file from $file_url and save it as $output_file.

Linux CLI

file_url="https://example.com/sample.txt"
output_file="downloaded_sample.txt"
# Use wget with -O to download the file
# Your code here

Need a hint?

The -O option lets you specify the output filename.

4

Verify the downloaded file

Use the ls command to list the file named $output_file and confirm it exists.

Linux CLI

file_url="https://example.com/sample.txt"
output_file="downloaded_sample.txt"
wget -O "$output_file" "$file_url"
# List the downloaded file
# Your code here

Need a hint?

The ls command shows files in the current folder.