curl -u username:password --ssl-reqd -O ftps://://example.com Use code with caution. 3. Advanced cURL FTP Techniques Resuming an Interrupted Download
curl -o /home/user/downloads/file.zip ftp://ftp.example.com/file.zip Use code with caution. 2. Handling Authentication (User/Password)
Download the binaries from the official cURL website and add to your PATH. 1. Basic FTP Download with cURL download ftp with curl
The most straightforward way to download a file from an FTP server is using the -O (uppercase O) flag, which saves the file using its remote filename. curl -O ftp://ftp.example.com/file.zip Use code with caution. Saving with a Different Name
Including passwords directly in the command line is insecure, as they can be seen in your command history ( history command) or process listings ( ps -ef ). Instead, create a .netrc file in your home directory: Create the file: nano ~/.netrc Add your credentials: curl -u username:password --ssl-reqd -O ftps://://example
FTP paths are sometimes tricky. If curl has trouble navigating to a specific file within nested directories, you can URL-encode the slashes as %2f to force curl to request the full path at once: curl -u user:pass "ftp://://example.com" -o file.txt Use code with caution. 4. Automating with .netrc (Security Best Practice)
If the server supports FTPS (encrypted FTP), use the ftps:// protocol scheme to ensure your credentials aren't sent in clear text: Basic FTP Download with cURL The most straightforward
If a large file download is interrupted, you can resume it using the -C - flag, which tells curl to continue where it left off: curl -C - -u user:pass -O ftp://://example.com Use code with caution. Listing Files (No Download)