Ubuntu Command to Download Ignoring Content-Length Header

This article outlines the specific command line utility for Ubuntu users who need to download files without relying on the Content-Length header. It addresses scenarios where server metadata is incorrect and provides the tool needed to complete the transfer successfully without errors.

The command that downloads a file and ignores the Content-Length header is curl. Unlike wget, which often uses the header to verify file size and may fail if the value is wrong, curl reads the data stream until the connection closes. This behavior ensures the download completes regardless of the size reported by the server.

To use this command, open your terminal and type the following syntax. Replace the URL with the actual file location you wish to download.

curl -O https://example.com/file.zip

The -O flag ensures the file is saved with its remote name. This method bypasses the Content-Length check entirely, ensuring the download completes even if the server reports an incorrect size. If you need to specify a custom filename, use the -o flag followed by your desired name instead.