I suppose the number one download for brew is wget
which is missing from macOS probably due to its GPL licence which has terms Apple might prefer to avoid bundling directly into macOS.
WGET
wget
is a command-line tool used to download files from the internet. It supports HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP protocols.
Key Features:
- Non-Interactive: Works in the background without needing user interaction, making it ideal for scripts or automation.
- Recursive Downloading: Can mirror entire websites by downloading pages, images, and other linked files.
- Resume Support: Can continue interrupted downloads.
- Flexible Options: Supports proxies, authentication, and rate limiting.
TL:DR – brew install wget
Example Usage:
- Download a single file:
wget https://example.com/file.zip
- Resume an interrupted download:
wget -c https://example.com/file.zip
- Mirror a website:
wget -r -np -k https://example.com
It's a versatile tool, especially for scripting and bulk file downloads. There is extensive documentation available.
curl
just isn't the same. I looked at building wget
from source but it is a quagmire worth avoiding. Installing it via Homebrew was simple.
Install Homebrew
% /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
Install wget
% brew doctor
Your system is ready to brew.
% brew install wget