SimpleHFDownloader: Speed Up Your Hugging Face Model Downloads

This simple Python application, SimpleHFDownloader, uses the power of aria2c to significantly accelerate your download speeds.

Why use SimpleHFDownloader?

Like many, I found that browser downloads were quite slow, often capping around 300-400 Mbps. Aria2c is a command-line download utility known for its speed and efficiency, especially for large files. This tool provides a simple graphical interface to leverage aria2c for downloading Hugging Face models. Using 3 sessions allowed me to max out my 1 Gbps connection.

Key Features:

• Faster Downloads: Utilizes aria2c to download models much quicker than standard browser downloads, especially beneficial for large models.
• Easy to Use: Just copy the Hugging Face model URL (as shown below) and paste it into the application's URL field.
• Multi-Part Model Support: Works seamlessly with models that are split into multiple parts. Simply paste the link for the first part of the model.
• Simple Interface: Provides a basic graphical user interface for straightforward downloading.

How to Use:

1. Download and Install aria2c:

   • You'll need to download aria2c.exe. You can get it from the official aria2 website: Look for pre-built binaries.
   • Important: Place the aria2c.exe file inside the following folder: %appdata%\HFModelDownloader. You may need to create the HFModelDownloader folder inside %appdata% if it doesn't exist.

2. Run main.py or main.exe from releases: Execute the main.py script in this repository using Python.

3. Copy Hugging Face Model URL: Go to the Hugging Face model page and copy the download link. It's important to copy the correct link. It should look similar to this example (you'll find a download button or link on the model's files tab):

   

4. Paste URL into SimpleHFDownloader: Paste the copied URL into the "URL" field in the SimpleHFDownloader application.

5. Start Download: Click the "Start" button. The download progress will be displayed in the log window.

   

Important Notes:

• This is a very basic tool created to address a personal need for faster downloads. It's shared in case others find it useful.
• Make sure aria2c.exe is placed in the correct location (%appdata%\HFModelDownloader) for the application to work.
• For multi-part models, always paste the link for the first part.

Feel free to use and modify this tool as needed. If you have suggestions or improvements, contributions are welcome!