curl vs wget: when to use which
Compare curl and wget for downloading files, testing APIs, and scripting HTTP requests.
curl vs wget: when to use which
curl and wget both transfer data over HTTP, but they differ in focus: curl excels at single-request control, wget excels at recursive downloads.
How curl Transfers Data
curl sends a single HTTP request and outputs the response to stdout. It supports over 25 protocols and provides granular control over headers, cookies, authentication, TLS settings, and proxy configuration. curl does not follow links within HTML pages or download entire websites.
How wget Downloads Data
wget downloads files from URLs and saves them to disk by default. wget follows links within HTML pages recursively with
--recursive, making it suitable for mirroring websites. wget retries failed downloads automatically and supports download resumption.
Feature Comparison: curl vs wget
| Feature | curl | wget |
|---|---|---|
| Output destination | stdout (use
-o for file) | File on disk (use
-O - for stdout) |
| Recursive download | Not supported | Supported with
--recursive |
| Protocol support | 25+ protocols (HTTP, FTP, SCP, SFTP, LDAP, SMTP) | HTTP, HTTPS, FTP |
| HTTP method control | Full control with
-X | GET only (POST with
--post-data) |
| Header manipulation | Full control with
-H | Limited |
| JSON support | --json flag (7.82+) | Not supported |
| Cookie handling | Full control with
-b and
-c | Supported with
--save-cookies |
| Resume downloads | -C - | -c |
| Redirect following | -L flag (off by default) | On by default (up to 20 redirects) |
When to Use curl
Use curl for API testing, debugging HTTP headers, sending POST/PUT/PATCH requests, inspecting SSL certificates, and scripting single-request transfers. curl is the standard tool for interacting with REST APIs from the command line.
When to Use wget
Use wget for downloading files to disk, mirroring websites, and batch downloading from lists of URLs. wget is the better choice when the goal is "save this file" rather than "inspect this response."