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In the public wifi network, I can't download files with http links but I can use https links. How can I download a file served with http? A solution I have proposed is to convert the link from http to https but I have no idea how it's done.
Lakmal Vithanage
Posted 2013-08-12T09:49:15.387
Reputation: 193
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You need something like a reverse proxy to get insecure content and serve it over a secure connection.
Similar question (but about images): https://stackoverflow.com/questions/36381612/easy-reverse-proxy-for-serving-images-over-ssl
There's a number of answers there - but the short answer is that you need another server.
An alternative, which I ONLY recommend if you have an actual emergency, is to connect to Tor and download the file over Tor. The reason for not recommending this is that Tor is that it will needlessly strain the network and the file transfer will most likely be excruciatingly slow.
UPDATE: Another option is to use a VPN or a public proxy. However, again, this requires another server between you and the file.
zakaluka
Posted 2013-08-12T09:49:15.387
Reputation: 100
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It sounds like you are trying to get around a transparent proxy that is blocking things on normal unencrypted HTTP but not doing anything with HTTPS.
There is no simple way to "redirect" HTTP links to HTTPS purely from the client end. The server in question must support sending the content through HTTPS on their end, and from the client end you can't do anything or make the server do what it isn't configured to do.
Some sites redirect users that go to an http:// version of their site to an https:// version. What is happening is the web server on their end is issuing a 302 Redirect or similar in response to your HTTP query, causing your browser to redirect to their HTTPS site automatically. Without the server ready/willing to do this you can't do it yourself.
So you will need a proxy or similar outside of the network to accomplish what you are trying.
LawrenceC
Posted 2013-08-12T09:49:15.387
Reputation: 63 487
Is this some network applied restriction? Or do you want to force yourself to download through secure channels only? – Mario – 2013-08-12T09:54:50.133
they have restricted. but i need to download a file immediately . please help me :-) – Lakmal Vithanage – 2013-08-12T09:57:38.117
What kind of file are we talking about? Text? Or some binary data? – Mario – 2013-08-12T09:58:39.027
A movie. .MKV about 700mb size. – Lakmal Vithanage – 2013-08-12T10:02:00.653
Have you actually tried to change the link by adding the letter s after http ? What happens? – zagrimsan – 2013-08-12T10:07:05.727
It doesn't work friend. – Lakmal Vithanage – 2013-08-12T10:13:02.397
get HTTP/1.1 503 service unavailable error – Lakmal Vithanage – 2013-08-12T10:14:46.937
1You say you can use https links - do you mean that that content which is offered readily with https links works ok? Does the server the video file is on serve anything over https? If not, you'd need to request them to start offering service also over secured connection. Not all HTTP servers have HTTPS enabled... – zagrimsan – 2013-08-12T10:20:57.300
If the download link is Http:///<some thing> it will give error in web browser, "The file is too large to download.Proxy is blocking this file... " if the link was like https://<something> then it allows to download. – Lakmal Vithanage – 2013-08-17T17:36:35.657
@Mario You wrote "What kind of file are we talking about? Text? Or some binary data?" <-- why did you even ask that- you think you have the answer if it's text but not video, or vice versa? I doubt that very much. – barlop – 2014-05-27T03:56:08.730
@barlop I don't really remember, but I think it's been due to the possibility of rehosting/mirroring the file using a third party service; some of which allow only images or small files for example. – Mario – 2014-05-27T13:18:59.827