Get the size of a remote file from terminal

I want to download a file from a server, but before doing so I would like to know the actual file size. I know that wget will display the filesize when the download is started, but this actually starts the download process also.

How can I just know the filesize of a remote file on an http server?

Solution 1:

You can try typing:

wget --spider

It gives for example 134K:

$ wget --spider "https://askubuntu.com/questions/389910/get-the-size-of-a-remote-file-from-terminal/389920#389920"
Spider mode enabled. Check if remote file exists.
--2019-09-27 20:34:46--  https://askubuntu.com/questions/389910/get-the-size-of-a-remote-file-from-terminal/389920
Resolving askubuntu.com (askubuntu.com)... 151.101.193.69, 151.101.129.69, 151.101.65.69, ...
Connecting to askubuntu.com (askubuntu.com)|151.101.193.69|:443... connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 200 OK
Length: 136873 (134K) [text/html]
Remote file exists and could contain further links,
but recursion is disabled -- not retrieving.