axel ☆

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Description:
Light UNIX download accelerator

Type: Formula | Latest Version: 2.17.14@0 | Tracked Since: Dec 17, 2025

Links: Homepage | formulae.brew.sh

Category: Networking

Tags: download accelerator cli networking http

Install: brew install axel

About:
Axel is a command-line download accelerator that attempts to speed up file downloads by opening multiple connections to a server. It splits the file into several parts and downloads them simultaneously, significantly reducing download times for large files. The tool is lightweight, fast, and supports HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP protocols.

Key Features:

Multi-connection downloading for increased speed
Lightweight and fast with minimal dependencies
Supports HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP protocols
Resumable downloads
Low resource usage

Use Cases:

Accelerating large file downloads from slow servers
Automated download scripts requiring faster transfer speeds
Downloading files over unreliable network connections

Alternatives:

wget – wget is a more comprehensive tool for downloading files with recursive capabilities, while axel focuses purely on speed through parallel connections
curl – curl is a versatile data transfer tool with extensive protocol support, whereas axel specializes in download acceleration

License: GPL-2.0-or-later WITH openvpn-openssl-exception

Dependencies: openssl@3

Bottles available for: arm64_tahoe, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_ventura, arm64_monterey, sonoma, ventura, monterey, arm64_linux, x86_64_linux

Version History

Detected	Version	Rev	Change	Commit
Sep 14, 2025 2:04pm		0	VERSION_BUMP	55329acb
Nov 17, 2024 2:04pm		0	VERSION_BUMP	b64fd5b3