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The Downloader is a lightweight replacement for wget that provides file downloading capabilities with support for custom TLS certificates and automatic retries.

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Overview

Downloader simplifies the process of downloading files from URLs with built-in support for:
  • Custom CA certificates
  • TLS client authentication
  • Automatic retry logic
  • Directory prefix management
  • File clobbering protection

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Usage

downloader [flags] <url>

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Parameters

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url
string
required
URL to download from

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Output Options

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--output-file
string
default:"basename of URL"
Destination file path to download to. Can be shortened to -O.
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--directory-prefix
string
Directory prefix for the downloaded file. Can be shortened to -P. Cannot be used with --output-file.

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Download Behavior

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--no-clobber
boolean
default:"false"
Do not overwrite existing files. If the file already exists, the download will be skipped.
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--no-verbose
boolean
default:"false"
Suppress verbose output and only show warnings and errors.

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TLS Options

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--ca-certificate
string
Path to a root certificate authority file to use when downloading files.
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--certificate
string
Path to a TLS client certificate file to use for authentication.
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--private-key
string
Path to a TLS client private key file to use for authentication. Must be used with --certificate.

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Logging Options

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--log-file
string
Path to file for log output.
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--log-level
string
default:"info"
Log level: panic, fatal, error, warn, info, debug, trace.

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Examples

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Basic Download

Download a file to the current directory: 
downloader https://example.com/file.tar.gz
The file will be saved as file.tar.gz in the current directory.

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Download to Specific Location

Download and save with a custom filename: 
downloader -O /path/to/output.tar.gz https://example.com/file.tar.gz

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Download to Directory

Download to a specific directory while keeping the original filename: 
downloader -P /path/to/directory https://example.com/file.tar.gz

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Skip Existing Files

Avoid re-downloading if the file already exists: 
downloader --no-clobber -O output.tar.gz https://example.com/file.tar.gz

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Download with Custom CA Certificate

Download from a server with a custom certificate authority: 
downloader --ca-certificate /path/to/ca.crt https://example.com/file.tar.gz

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Download with Client Authentication

Download using TLS client certificate authentication: 
downloader \
  --certificate /path/to/client.crt \
  --private-key /path/to/client.key \
  https://example.com/file.tar.gz

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Features

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Automatic Retry Logic

Downloader includes built-in retry logic to handle temporary network issues and ensure reliable downloads.

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Query String Handling

When no output filename is specified, the tool automatically strips query strings from the URL to determine the output filename: 
# Downloads as "file.tar.gz" not "file.tar.gz?token=abc123"
downloader https://example.com/file.tar.gz?token=abc123

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System Certificate Pool

By default, Downloader uses the system certificate pool. Custom CA certificates are added to this pool rather than replacing it.

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Error Handling

Downloader provides clear error messages for common issues:
  • Invalid URLs
  • Missing or invalid certificates
  • File permission errors
  • Network connectivity problems
The --output-file and --directory-prefix options cannot be used together. Choose one based on your needs.

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