---
id: wget
version: "3.2"
license: Public Domain
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: abandoned
---

# wget — pure python download utility

License: permissive · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 3.4M/mo

## What it is and what it does

wget is a minimal pure-Python HTTP file downloader that can be invoked as a command-line tool or imported as a library. It downloads files from URLs and saves them to disk, with optional progress bar display showing download percentage and byte counts. The library returns the filename of the downloaded file and supports customizable output paths and progress bar styles.

The package has no external runtime dependencies and was designed to work with both Python 2 and Python 3 as of its last release in 2015-10-22. It serves as a lightweight alternative to system wget for Python environments, but development stopped long ago, leaving it vulnerable to compatibility drift with modern Python releases and security standards.

Use it for:

- Download a single file from a URL in a Python script with built-in progress feedback.
- Use as a command-line tool to fetch files when system wget is unavailable.
- Integrate file downloading into a pure-Python application without external dependencies.
- Retrieve files with custom output filenames or directories via the -o option.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Downloads files from HTTP URLs with progress reporting, usable as a command-line tool or Python library.

No. The package is abandoned since 2015-10-22 with no maintenance activity. High install friction (zip-only distribution), no runtime dependencies to mitigate compatibility issues, and no security updates mean it will likely fail on modern Python versions and TLS configurations. Use standard library urllib or third-party alternatives instead.

## Install

pip install wget
uv add wget
poetry add wget

## Installing wget

Before you install: High install friction due to a zip-only distribution (wget-3.2.zip). Package is abandoned as of 2015-10-22 with no maintenance activity in years, so expect no bug fixes or updates.

License in practice: Public Domain license permits unrestricted use, modification, and distribution without attribution or warranty obligations.

Quickstart:

pip install wget
import wget
filename = wget.download('http://example.com/file.mp3')
print(filename)

Package is abandoned since 2015-10-22 and may not work reliably with modern Python versions or SSL/TLS configurations.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package works with Python versions released after 2015-10-22 without modification.
- Whether SSL certificate validation and modern TLS versions are properly supported.
- Whether the zip distribution format causes installation issues on modern pip versions.

## Package facts

- License: Public Domain (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: high
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 3.4M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

http file download, wget python library, download with progress bar, url file retrieval, python download utility, abandoned, legacy

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/wget) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/wget/)