Downloading a list of URLs with curl is an essential skill for automating bulk data retrieval, whether you're scraping datasets, pulling media assets, or managing server backups. While curl is primarily known for single-file transfers, it offers several advanced methods to handle long lists of URLs efficiently. 1. Basic Sequential Downloads
It is good practice to include the -L flag, which instructs curl to follow HTTP redirects if a file has moved. 2. Downloading from a Text File
For long lists, typing each URL is impractical. You can automate the process by reading from a file (e.g., urls.txt ) where each line contains one URL. Using xargs (The Standard Method)