To or from the Internet

This section illustrates some of the most common ways of retrieving data (e.g. datasets) from websites or repositories.

Wget

Wget is a simple command for downloading content from direct URLs. In order to download a file from <URL> and call it <FILENAME>, just type:

wget -O <FILENAME> <URL>

Rclone

Rclone is a file manager and synchronization tool for a variety of cloud storage and file sharing platforms (e.g. Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Amazon S3). You can start by adding a platform with typing:

rclone config

The interactive instruction will guide you through the setup process. Refer to their documentation for specific guidance with a given platform.

Remote browser (X forwarding)

In some cases the only way of downloading content is from a browser. In these instances it may be possible to use X forwarding to open a browser running remotely, on your local screen.