# Retries until the download is 100% successful while ! curl -L -O -C - https://example.com/file.zip; do echo "Connection lost. Retrying in 5 seconds..." sleep 5 done Use code with caution. Why Downloads Fail and Limitations How to resume interrupted download automatically in curl?
Curl provides a --retry option for transient errors, but it does not always resume the byte offset automatically if the connection is completely severed. To ensure persistent retries, combine these flags:
curl --retry 999 --retry-max-time 0 -C - -O https://example.com/file.zip Use code with caution. Using a Bash Loop for Reliable Resumes interrupted download curl
The primary way to handle an interrupted download is the -C or --continue-at flag. When used with a hyphen ( - ), curl automatically detects how much of the file you already have locally and asks the server for the rest.
While the standard command works for manual restarts, you can automate the process for unstable connections. Using Native Retry Flags # Retries until the download is 100% successful while
Resuming Interrupted Downloads with curl When a large file download fails halfway through, you don't have to start from scratch. The curl command includes built-in features to resume interrupted transfers by requesting only the remaining parts of a file. The Core Command: --continue-at
# Standard command to resume an interrupted download curl -L -O -C - https://example.com Use code with caution. : Follows any redirects if the URL has moved. -O : Saves the file with its original remote name. -C - : Automatically finds the resume point. Automation: Auto-Resuming on Failure Why Downloads Fail and Limitations How to resume
For a truly "set it and forget it" solution, wrap the command in a while loop. This will restart the command every time it exits with an error code.