axel

Axel is a command-line download accelerator that is used to speed up the process of downloading files from the internet. It is primarily designed to improve the download speed by splitting a file into multiple parts and downloading them simultaneously.

Here are some key features and functionalities of Axel:

1. Multi-threaded downloading: Axel splits the file into multiple segments and allows parallel downloading of these segments from multiple servers or connections, resulting in faster download speeds.

2. Resume support: It supports resuming interrupted downloads, which is helpful when the download gets interrupted due to a network issue or the user intentionally pauses it.

3. Bandwidth throttling: Axel allows users to control the download speed by setting a maximum transfer rate. This feature is useful when you want to allocate certain bandwidth for other tasks while downloading files.

4. Proxy support: It supports HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP proxy servers, allowing users to download files from behind a firewall or through a proxy server.

5. Mirrors and redirections: Axel automatically follows HTTP redirects and supports multiple mirrors for a file. It can fetch the segments from different mirrors simultaneously, further improving the download speed.

6. Connection throttling: It provides options to limit the maximum number of connections opened to download a file, which can be useful to avoid overwhelming the server or abide by the download restrictions set by the server.

Overall, Axel is a powerful command-line tool that enhances the download speed and allows for flexible control over the downloading process.