Limiting the download speed can be essential in environments where you must prevent wget from consuming all available bandwidth. This approach ensures that other critical processes retain sufficient network resources or that the system remains responsive.
Throttling download speed also helps maintain predictable performance in shared networks, prevents hitting server rate limits too quickly, and allows for more controlled testing scenarios. It can be combined with other wget options for fully managed and polite downloading practices.
By setting a bandwidth cap, downloads become more manageable and less disruptive. This makes wget a versatile tool not only for automation but also for controlled, considerate interaction with remote servers.
Steps to throttle download speed with wget:
- Determine the desired maximum download rate (e.g., 100K/s).
- Use the --limit-rate option to cap the speed.
$ wget --limit-rate=100k https://www.example.com/largefile.iso
wget will not exceed the specified download rate, preserving network resources.
- Monitor the download to confirm the throttling is effective.
$ nethogs
- Adjust the limit as needed to increase or decrease bandwidth usage.
- Combine with recursion or lists for controlled bulk downloads.
Mohd Shakir Zakaria is a cloud architect with deep roots in software development and open-source advocacy. Certified in AWS, Red Hat, VMware, ITIL, and Linux, he specializes in designing and managing robust cloud and on-premises infrastructures.
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