Ubuntu Command to Download File With HTTPS Proxy Only
This article provides a direct solution for downloading files on Ubuntu when network traffic must be routed through a specific proxy server for HTTPS connections. It outlines the exact command-line syntax required to isolate proxy settings to secure HTTP traffic while leaving standard HTTP requests unaffected.
To download a file using a specific proxy for HTTPS only, use the
wget command with the --https-proxy flag. This
ensures that only the secure connection to the target server passes
through the proxy, while other traffic remains direct. The basic syntax
is as follows:
wget --https-proxy=http://proxy_address:port https://example.com/file.zipReplace proxy_address with the IP address or hostname of
your proxy server and port with the corresponding port
number. The URL at the end should be the direct link to the file you
wish to download. If your proxy requires authentication, include the
username and password in the proxy URL like this:
http://username:password@proxy_address:port.
Alternatively, you can use the curl command, which is
another standard tool available on Ubuntu. To achieve the same result
with curl, use the --proxy flag combined with
the HTTPS target URL. While curl often handles proxying
based on the target URL scheme, explicitly defining the proxy ensures
consistency:
curl --proxy http://proxy_address:port -O https://example.com/file.zipThe -O flag tells curl to save the file
using its remote name. For temporary sessions where you do not want to
modify the command itself, you can set the https_proxy
environment variable specifically for the command execution. This method
applies the proxy setting only to that specific instance:
https_proxy=http://proxy_address:port wget https://example.com/file.zipThis approach is efficient for scripts or one-off downloads where configuring global proxy settings is unnecessary. Ensure that the proxy address is reachable from your Ubuntu machine before executing the command to avoid connection timeouts.