Axel is a lightweight command-line download accelerator that speeds up file transfers by opening multiple connections to a server and downloading different parts of a file simultaneously. By dividing downloads into several segments, axel can significantly increase throughput compared with traditional single-connection download tools. The program is designed to remain small and efficient while still providing useful features for managing and monitoring downloads.
Axel tries to be as light as possible, so it might be useful on byte-critical systems.
This is free and open source software.
Key Features
- Command-line download accelerator designed to improve download speeds using multiple simultaneous connections.
- Supports HTTP, HTTPS, FTP and FTPS protocols.
- Downloads different parts of a file in parallel to increase throughput.
- Supports downloading from multiple mirrors simultaneously.
- Writes downloaded data directly to the final destination file during transfer.
- Allows configuration of connection count, bandwidth limits and other download parameters.
- Lightweight design with minimal system resource usage.
- Suitable for scripting and automated download workflows.
Website: github.com/axel-download-accelerator/axel
Support:
Developer: Ismael Luceno and contributors
License: GNU General Public License v2.0
Axel is written in C. Learn C with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
| Alternatives to Wget | |
|---|---|
| Wget2 | Successor of Wget |
| curl | Tool and library for transferring data with URLs |
| aria2 | Multi-protocol and multi-source command-line download utility |
| HTTPie | HTTP client with an intuitive user interface |
| curlie | The power of curl, the ease of use of httpie |
| xh | Fast and friendly tool for sending HTTP requests |
| hurl | Run and test HTTP requests with plain text |
| TerminusDM | User-friendly terminal interface for managing your downloads efficiently |
| getparty | HTTP download manager with multi-parts |
| Surge | Download manager built in Go |
| aria2tui | TUI client for the aria2c download utility |
| gosh-dl-cli | Modern command-line download manager built on top of the gosh-dl engine |
| Axel | Lightweight CLI download accelerator |
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