{"id":7838,"date":"2026-04-21T09:52:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T07:52:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/?post_type=manual_kb&#038;p=7838"},"modified":"2026-04-21T09:52:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T07:52:22","slug":"what-is-wget-use-and-practical-examples","status":"publish","type":"manual_kb","link":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-wget-use-and-practical-examples\/","title":{"rendered":"What is wget \u2013 use and practical examples"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"translation-block translation-block-merged\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Wget<\/strong> (short for &#8220;Web Get&#8221;) is a powerful, non-interactive command-line utility used to retrieve content from web servers. It is a staple tool for developers and system administrators working on <strong>mybox<\/strong> or any Linux\/Unix environment. Its primary strength lies in its robustness: it can handle slow or unstable network connections, resuming downloads automatically until the task is complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In <strong>April 2026<\/strong>, <code>wget<\/code> remains the go-to tool for automated backups, mirroring websites, and batch-downloading resources without needing a graphical interface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_86 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-wget-use-and-practical-examples\/#Core_Functionality_How_it_Operates\" >Core Functionality: How it Operates<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-wget-use-and-practical-examples\/#Practical_Examples_Use_Cases\" >Practical Examples &amp; Use Cases<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-wget-use-and-practical-examples\/#Wget_vs_Curl_Which_should_you_use\" >Wget vs. Curl: Which should you use?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-wget-use-and-practical-examples\/#Using_Wget_on_Windows_in_2026\" >Using Wget on Windows in 2026<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-wget-use-and-practical-examples\/#Summary_The_Administrators_Best_Friend\" >Summary: The Administrator&#8217;s Best Friend<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Core_Functionality_How_it_Operates\"><\/span><strong>Core Functionality: How it Operates<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"mybox-805629218\" class=\"mybox-content mybox-entity-placement\"><div class=\"early-access-banner-inpost\">\r\n  <div class=\"banner-left-inpost\">\r\n    <div class=\"icon-box-inpost\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/square-info-icon.svg\" alt=\"Info\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"text-box-inpost\">\r\n      <span class=\"label-inpost\"><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Early access<\/span><\/span>\r\n      <h4><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Still need help?<\/span><\/h4>\r\n      <p><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Contact our customer service team.<\/span><\/p>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <div class=\"banner-right-inpost\">\r\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/panel.mybox.com\/helpdesk2\/v\/list\/\" class=\"banner-button-inpost\"><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Message us<\/span><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"translation-block translation-block-merged\"><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unlike a web browser, <code>wget<\/code> is designed to be &#8220;non-interactive.&#8221; This means you can start a download, log out of your <strong>mybox<\/strong> terminal, and the process will continue in the background. It supports HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP protocols, and it can even navigate through HTML pages to download linked assets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Basic Syntax<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The simplest way to use it is by providing the URL:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bash<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>wget https:\/\/example.com\/file.zip\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Practical_Examples_Use_Cases\"><\/span><strong>Practical Examples &amp; Use Cases<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1. Resuming Interrupted Downloads<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you are downloading a large ISO or backup file and the connection drops, you don&#8217;t have to start over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Command:<\/strong> <code>wget -c https:\/\/example.com\/large-file.zip<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Benefit:<\/strong> Saves time and bandwidth by picking up exactly where it left off.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. Mirroring an Entire Website<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you need to create an offline copy of a site (for example, to archive a project before migrating it on <strong>mybox<\/strong>):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Command:<\/strong> <code>wget --mirror --convert-links --adjust-extension --page-requisites --no-parent https:\/\/example.com<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>What it does:<\/strong> It follows links, downloads images\/scripts, and changes the links to work locally on your computer.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3. Batch Downloading from a List<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead of typing commands for 50 different files, put the URLs in a text file called <code>links.txt<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Command:<\/strong> <code>wget -i links.txt<\/code><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>4. Limiting Download Speed<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you are working on a production <strong>mybox<\/strong> server and don&#8217;t want to saturate the bandwidth:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Command:<\/strong> <code>wget --limit-rate=500k https:\/\/example.com\/archive.tar.gz<\/code><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Wget_vs_Curl_Which_should_you_use\"><\/span><strong>Wget vs. Curl: Which should you use?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While they look similar, they serve different masters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>Feature<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Wget<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Curl<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Primary Goal<\/strong><\/td><td>Downloading and Archiving.<\/td><td>Data transfer and API interaction.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Recursive<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Yes<\/strong> (can download entire sites).<\/td><td>No.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Ease of Use<\/strong><\/td><td>Simple (downloads to file by default).<\/td><td>Requires flags (outputs to terminal by default).<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>API Support<\/strong><\/td><td>Basic.<\/td><td><strong>Advanced<\/strong> (supports PUT, POST, DELETE, etc.).<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Resuming<\/strong><\/td><td>Native and easy.<\/td><td>Requires specific offset flags.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Using_Wget_on_Windows_in_2026\"><\/span><strong>Using Wget on Windows in 2026<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While <code>wget<\/code> is native to Linux, Windows 10 and 11 users can access it easily via:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>PowerShell:<\/strong> Note that <code>wget<\/code> in PowerShell is often an &#8220;alias&#8221; for <code>Invoke-WebRequest<\/code>. To use the real GNU Wget, you should install it via <strong>Winget<\/strong>: <code>winget install GNU.Wget<\/code>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux):<\/strong> The best way to get the full Linux experience on Windows.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Summary_The_Administrators_Best_Friend\"><\/span><strong>Summary: The Administrator&#8217;s Best Friend<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On your <strong>mybox<\/strong> server, <code>wget<\/code> is indispensable for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Downloading CMS installation packages (like WordPress or PrestaShop).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Automating the retrieval of daily logs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Testing server-to-server connectivity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","manualknowledgebasecat":[28],"manual_kb_tag":[9156,9157,9158,9159,9160,1326,1509,9153,9154,9155],"class_list":["post-7838","manual_kb","type-manual_kb","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","manualknowledgebasecat-others","manual_kb_tag-command-line-utility","manual_kb_tag-non-interactive","manual_kb_tag-resume-downloads","manual_kb_tag-resuming-downloads","manual_kb_tag-recursive-downloading","manual_kb_tag-command-line","manual_kb_tag-wget","manual_kb_tag-wget-tutorial","manual_kb_tag-wget-examples","manual_kb_tag-wget-commands"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/7838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/manual_kb"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/7838\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7839,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/7838\/revisions\/7839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"manualknowledgebasecat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manualknowledgebasecat?post=7838"},{"taxonomy":"manual_kb_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb_tag?post=7838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}