Linux Notepad

Install and Use Ookla Speedtest CLI

This guide explains how to install and use the Ookla Speedtest CLI tool to measure your internet connection speed from the command line. The speedtest-cli tool connects to over 16,000 global servers to test download and upload speeds.

The instructions are tested on Debian-based systems like Ubuntu, but should work on other Linux distributions as well. The only requirement is Python installation.

Installation

1. Install Python 3

sudo apt install python3

2. Download and Install Speedtest CLI

# Download the latest version
wget -O speedtest-cli https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sivel/speedtest-cli/master/speedtest.py

# Make it executable
chmod +x speedtest-cli

# Move it to system path
sudo mv speedtest-cli /usr/local/bin/speedtest-cli

3. Verify Installation

speedtest-cli --version

Usage Examples

Basic Speed Test

This command will choose the best server based on ping and perform a download and upload test.

# Show results in bytes
speedtest-cli --bytes

Example output:

Retrieving speedtest.net configuration...
Testing from Proton AG (194.126.177.64)...
Retrieving speedtest.net server list...
Selecting best server based on ping...
Hosted by HEIG-VD (Yverdon-Les-Bains) [543.81 km]: 1200022.766 ms
Testing download speed...
Download: 8.77 Mbyte/s
Testing upload speed...
Upload: 4.21 Mbyte/s

Download Only Test

speedtest-cli --bytes --no-upload

Upload Only Test

speedtest-cli --bytes --no-download

List Available Servers

# Shows first 10 servers sorted by distance
speedtest-cli --list

Test With Specific Server

# Replace 12345 with server ID from --list
speedtest-cli --bytes --server 12345

Updating Speedtest CLI

To update to the latest version:

sudo wget -O /usr/local/bin/speedtest-cli https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sivel/speedtest-cli/master/speedtest.py

Additional Notes

  • The GitHub installation method is recommended over package managers as it provides the most up-to-date version
  • The tool requires an active internet connection to download server lists and perform tests
  • Results may vary based on server load and network conditions
  • Consider running multiple tests at different times for more accurate measurements

Resources

Back to homepage