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Aria2

What is Aria2?

Aria2 is a lightweight, multi-protocol, and multi-source command-line download utility.  
It supports downloading files from:

- HTTP/HTTPS
- FTP
- SFTP
- BitTorrent
- Metalink  

Key features include:

- Multi-connection downloads to speed up file transfers.
- Support for resuming interrupted downloads.
- Parallel downloads from multiple sources.
- Integration with scripts and automation tools.
- Minimal system resource usage compared to GUI download managers.
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### Installation

````markdown
=== "Ubuntu / Debian"

```bash
sudo apt update
sudo apt install aria2
````

=== "Arch / Manjaro"

```bash
sudo pacman -S aria2

sudo dnf install aria2

sudo zypper install aria2

### How to Use Aria2

````markdown
#### Basic Usage

To download a single file:

```bash
aria2c https://example.com/file.zip

This will download file.zip to the current directory.

Download with Multiple Connections

aria2c -x 16 https://example.com/file.zip
  • -x 16 specifies 16 simultaneous connections to speed up the download.

Download Multiple Files from a List

Create a file called urls.txt:

https://example.com/file1.zip
https://example.com/file2.zip

Then run:

aria2c -i urls.txt

BitTorrent Downloads

aria2c --bt-max-peers=55 https://example.com/file.torrent
  • Supports magnet links as well:
aria2c "magnet:?xt=urn:btih:..."

Resuming Downloads

aria2c -c https://example.com/largefile.zip
  • -c allows resuming interrupted downloads.
aria2c https://example.com/file.metalink
  • Metalink provides multiple mirrors, hashes, and file info for reliable downloads.

Advanced Options

  • Speed limit: --max-download-limit=500K
  • Save to specific directory: -d /path/to/dir
  • File renaming: -o newname.zip
  • Enable RPC mode: aria2c --enable-rpc (useful for web-based frontends)

Aria2 can be fully automated and scripted, making it ideal for batch downloads, server environments, or situations where GUI-based download managers are inefficient.

```