gallery-dl — Batch Download Images and Videos from 100+ Sites

Introduction

gallery-dl is a Python-based command-line program that downloads image galleries and collections from a wide range of websites. It supports over 100 sites including social media platforms, image hosting services, and art communities, providing a unified interface for bulk media retrieval.

What gallery-dl Does

• Downloads images, videos, and metadata from 100+ supported websites
• Supports authentication for sites requiring login credentials
• Applies customizable filename templates and directory structures
• Filters downloads by date, file type, tag, or rating
• Integrates with yt-dlp for embedded video extraction

Architecture Overview

gallery-dl is written in Python and operates as a single-process CLI tool. Each supported site has a dedicated extractor module that handles URL parsing, API communication, and pagination. Downloads pass through a configurable pipeline that applies filename formatting, metadata extraction, and optional post-processing steps. Configuration is managed via a hierarchical JSON config file.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Install via pip, pipx, or your system package manager
• Configuration lives in ~/.config/gallery-dl/config.json
• Set per-site credentials using the username and password fields or browser cookie import
• Customize output paths with replacement fields like {category}, {title}, {id}
• Use --filter expressions to skip files by size, dimensions, or tags

Key Features

• Covers a broad range of sites: Pixiv, Twitter/X, Reddit, DeviantArt, Danbooru, Tumblr, and many more
• Writes metadata to JSON sidecar files for archival workflows
• Supports resuming interrupted downloads with an archive database
• Provides rate limiting and retry logic to avoid bans
• Extensible via custom extractors and post-processors

Comparison with Similar Tools

• yt-dlp — focused on video sites; gallery-dl covers image boards and galleries that yt-dlp does not
• wget/curl — generic HTTP downloaders without site-specific parsing or pagination
• Hydrus Network — a full media management application; gallery-dl is a lightweight CLI downloader
• Imgbrd-Grabber — GUI-based booru downloader; gallery-dl is terminal-first and supports more site types

FAQ

Q: How do I download from a site that requires login? A: Add your credentials to the config file under the site's extractor section, or use --cookies-from-browser to import session cookies.

Q: Can gallery-dl skip files I have already downloaded? A: Yes. Enable the archive database with --download-archive and gallery-dl will track completed URLs.

Q: Does it support proxy or VPN connections? A: Yes. Set the proxy option in the config or pass --proxy on the command line.

Q: Is gallery-dl actively maintained? A: Yes. The project receives regular updates adding new extractors and fixing site changes.

Sources

• https://github.com/mikf/gallery-dl
• https://gallery-dl.readthedocs.io