aria2

Multi-protocol multi-source download utility

TLDR

Download a file

$ aria2c [https://example.com/file.zip]

Download with multiple connections

$ aria2c -x 16 -s 16 [https://example.com/file.zip]

Download from multiple mirror sources

$ aria2c [http://mirror1.com/file] [http://mirror2.com/file]

Resume an interrupted download

$ aria2c -c [https://example.com/file.zip]

Download a torrent file

$ aria2c [file.torrent]

Download from a magnet link

$ aria2c "[magnet:?xt=urn:btih:...]"

Download URLs from a file (one URL per line)

$ aria2c -i [urls.txt]

Limit download speed

$ aria2c --max-download-limit=[500K] [https://example.com/file.zip]

SYNOPSIS

aria2c [options] URL|TORRENT|METALINK ...

aria2 is a lightweight multi-protocol download utility supporting HTTP/HTTPS, FTP, SFTP, BitTorrent, and Metalink. It can download files using multiple connections and sources simultaneously for faster speeds.The actual command is aria2c (the "c" stands for command-line). The tool is highly optimized, using minimal memory (typically 4-9 MiB) while supporting advanced features like segmented downloading, BitTorrent, and JSON-RPC remote control.

PARAMETERS

-x n, --max-connection-per-server n

Maximum connections per server (default: 1, max: 16)

-s n, --split n

Split download into n parts (default: 5)

-c, --continue

Resume a partially downloaded file

-d dir, --dir dir

Download directory

-o file, --out file

Output filename

-j n, --max-concurrent-downloads n

Maximum number of parallel downloads (default: 5)

-i file, --input-file file

Download URLs listed in file

--max-download-limit speed

Per-download speed limit (e.g., 500K, 2M)

--max-overall-download-limit speed

Overall download speed limit

--enable-rpc

Enable JSON-RPC/XML-RPC server for remote control

--seed-time minutes

BitTorrent seeding time (0 to disable seeding)

--select-file indices

Select specific files from a torrent (comma-separated indices)

--file-allocation method

File allocation method: none, prealloc, trunc, or falloc

CONFIGURATION

~/.aria2/aria2.conf

Default configuration file for setting download options, connection limits, and protocol-specific settings. One option per line without the leading --.

CAVEATS

Multiple connections may be limited or throttled by the server. BitTorrent requires proper port forwarding for best performance. The -x and -s flags should generally be used together for segmented downloads.

HISTORY

aria2 was developed by Tatsuhiro Tsujikawa, with initial release around 2006. Written in C++, it has become a popular alternative to wget and curl for its multi-connection download capability.