How do I transfer data using Web Terminal?

Procédure

The curl and wget commands are essential tools for transferring and downloading data via the web terminal. Used to interact with servers using various protocols such as HTTP, HTTPS and FTP, these commands allow users to efficiently download files, manage API sessions and automate network interactions directly from the command line.

Before reading this documentation, we invite you to access your hosting's Web Terminal.

Data transfer with curl

The curl (URL Client) command is a powerful and versatile command line tool used to transfer data to or from a server using various network protocols. Curl is frequently used to automate interactions with web servers and other types of systems accessed via protocols such as HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, SCP, and many others.

Basic functions

• Download data: curl can download data (such as web pages or files) from a specified URL.
• Sending data: It can also send data to a server, which is useful for operations such as POST requests in web APIs.

Basic syntax

curl [options] [URL...]

• options: Allows you to customise curl's behaviour, for example to set HTTP headers, choose HTTP methods, manage cookies, etc.
• URL... The address of the server or service to interact with.

Common options

• -o [file]: Saves the result of the request to a specified file instead of displaying it in the console.
• -X [command]: Specifies the HTTP method to be used (for example, GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.).
• -H [header]: Used to add a specific header to the HTTP request.
• -d [data]: Sends data (such as form parameters) as the body of the POST request.
• -u [user:password]: Used to transmit authentication data.
• --cookie [name=value]: Sends a cookie with the request.
• --insecure: Enables curl to process and ignore SSL certificate errors.

Examples of use

1. Download a file and save it locally:

   curl -o example.html http://example.com

   This downloads the example. com home page and saves it in example.html.

2. Sending a POST request with data:

   curl -X POST -d "login=example&password=secret" https://example.com/login Sends

   a POST request to example.com/login with form data.

3. Use HTTP authentication:

   curl -u username:password http://example.com

   Sends a request to example.com with the necessary HTTP authentication.

4. Send a custom header in a request:

   curl -H "X-My-Header: 123" http://example.com

   Sends a request to example. com with a custom HTTP header.

Typical use

curl is extremely useful for testing and interacting with web APIs, automating data downloads, and scripting complex network interactions. In addition, it is often used in deployment and continuous integration scripts to automate interactions with online services.

Downloading data with wget

The wget command is a command-line utility for downloading files from the web. It supports HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP protocols, and is known for its ability to download files recursively and resume interrupted downloads.

Basic functions

• File downloading: wget lets you download files from the Internet directly to a server or local computer.
• Recursive browsing: It can browse through links on a web page to download complete site content, including HTML pages, images and other files.
• Resume interrupted downloads: wget can resume unfinished downloads, which is particularly useful for large files.

Basic syntax

wget [options] [URL]

• options: Various options to control wget's behaviour.
• URL: The URL of the file or page to be downloaded.

Common options

• -O [file]: Used to specify the name under which the file will be saved.
• -c: Resume downloading a partially downloaded file.
• -r: Recursive download, which is often used to mirror complete sites.
• --no-check-certificate: Ignores SSL/TLS certificate verification errors, useful for HTTPS connections with self-signed certificates.
• -P [directory]: Specifies the download directory for files.
• --http-user=[user] and --http-password=[password]: For sites that require authentication.

Examples of use

1. Downloading a single file:

   wget http://example.com/fichier.pdf

   Downloads .pdf file from example.com and saves it in the current directory.

2. Download and save with a specific name:

   wget -O myfile.pdf http://example.com/fichier.pdf

   Downloads .pdf file and renames it to myfile.pdf.

3. Resume an interrupted download:

   wget -c http://example.com/fichier.pdf

   Attempts to resume the download of a .pdf file if it had previously been interrupted.

4. Recursive downloading of a website:

   wget -r -l 3 http://example.com

   Recursively downloads the content of example.com, following links to a depth of 3.

Typical use

wget is frequently used for automatic downloads in scripts, for mirroring websites or for downloading large volumes of data from online servers. Thanks to its power and simplicity, wget is a popular tool for managing downloads in environments without a graphical interface.

Conclusion

You now know how to :

• Use the curl command to perform a variety of data transfers and automate interactions with APIs or web services.
• Master the basic and advanced functions of curl, including downloading and uploading data, managing HTTP headers and using options to refine your requests.
• Use the wget command to download files from the Internet, manage recursive downloads and resume interrupted downloads.
• Optimise your scripts and automated processes with wget for maximum efficiency in environments without a graphical interface.

Whether you need to retrieve data, manage API sessions or set up automation systems, the curl and wget commands are real assets in the toolbox of any developer or system administrator 🛠️. Thanks to this article, you'll now be well equipped to take advantage of these powerful command line tools and make your interactions with the web more efficient and fluid 💻.

We hope this guide has been useful and inspired you to explore the possibilities of curl and wget further. If you have any questions, tips to share, or simply want to tell us about your experience with these tools, please don't hesitate to leave a comment below 👇. Thanks for reading and see you soon for more learning!