cURL download file is one of the fastest and most flexible ways to fetch online resources through the command line. You are in full control with cURL, whether you fetch images, documents, datasets, or binaries, including proxies to do so anonymously, geo-targeting, or automation. 

While cURL comes preinstalled on many systems, if it’s missing on yours, you can follow the installation instructions in the guide to install it.

In this blog, we’ll walk you through how to use cURL to download files, customize filenames, handle redirects, and integrate proxies for enhanced security and access.

Basic cURL File Download

At its simplest, downloading a file with cURL requires only one flag:

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

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

• -O saves the files using their original name from the URL.
• The downloaded files will appear in your current directory.

If you want to rename the file while downloading, use -o:

curl -o custom_name.pdf https://example.com/file.pdf

curl -o custom_name.pdf https://example.com/file.pdf

Remember: You have to replace the URL of the website you want to scrape data from.

Following Redirects

Some URLs don’t point directly to a file; instead, they redirect. To be sure you get the final resource, add the -L flag:

curl -LO https://short.link/to/file.zip

curl -LO https://short.link/to/file.zip

• -L: Follows HTTP 3xx redirects.
• -O: Keeps the original filename after redirection.

Download Through a Proxy

To keep your downloads anonymous or bypass regional restrictions, Proxying.io offers reliable residential and datacenter proxies.

Here’s how to use a Proxying.io HTTP proxy with cURL:

curl -x http://user:password@proxy.proxying.io:6000 -O https://example.com/file.zip

curl -x http://user:password@proxy.proxying.io:6000 -O https://example.com/file.zip

For SOCKS5:

curl --socks5 user:password@proxy.proxying.io:1080 -O https://example.com/file.zip

curl --socks5 user:password@proxy.proxying.io:1080 -O https://example.com/file.zip

This downloads the file through a proxy network, ideal for bulk downloads, rotating IPs, or spoofing your geographic location.

Remember: You have to replace the URL of the website you want to scrape data from.

Downloading Multiple Files

You can download several files at once using brace expansion or by listing multiple URLs.:

curl -O https://example.com/file1.csv -O https://example.com/file2.csv

curl -O https://example.com/file1.csv -O https://example.com/file2.csv

Or using brace ranges:

curl -O https://example.com/file{1..3}.jpg

curl -O https://example.com/file{1..3}.jpg

This saves file1.jpg, file2.jpg and file3.jpg.

Remember: You have to replace the URL of the website you want to scrape data from.

Set Timeouts and Rate Limits

To control resources during downloads:

• --max-time: Set a time limit for the entire operation.
• --limit-rate: Limits download speed to avoid bandwidth spikes.

curl --limit-rate 500k --max-time 60 -O https://example.com/file.mp4

curl --limit-rate 500k --max-time 60 -O https://example.com/file.mp4

cURL Downloading Files Requiring Authentication

If the server requires authentication (like FTP or API endpoints), add your credentials with the --user flag:

curl --user username:password -O https://secure.example.com/file.csv

curl --user username:password -O https://secure.example.com/file.csv

Use a proxy and an authenticated request together:

curl -x http://user:pwd@proxy.proxying.io:6000 --user apiuser:apipass -O https://secure.example.com/data.json

curl -x http://user:pwd@proxy.proxying.io:6000 --user apiuser:apipass -O https://secure.example.com/data.json

Make Downloads Silent (or Not)

Need to suppress terminal output. Use:

• -s: Silent mode (no progress meter or messages).
• -#: Shows a simple progress bar instead of verbose stats.

curl -s# -O https://example.com/bigfile.iso

curl -s# -O https://example.com/bigfile.iso

Debug and Inspect Requests

Use -v and --verbose to use headers, status codes, and cURL behavior in detail:

curl -v -O https://example.com/resource.csv

curl -v -O https://example.com/resource.csv

Key cURL Flags for File Downloads

cURL with Proxies

cURL is fast, scriptable, and commonly built into most systems. Using proxies, it becomes a powerful tool for secure, automated, and location-aware file downloads; all from a single terminal command.

Conclusion

Downloading files with cURL is a quick and efficient way to retrieve content from the web, and pairing it with Proxying.io’s high-speed proxies adds privacy and location control. Sign up now to get a free 25 MB test proxy; no credit card required.