arena-dl

A CLI tool for downloading images from Are.na channels.

Requirements

• Node.js >= 14.0.0
• npm

Features

• Browser-like headers bypass CDN blocks
• Progress tracking with speed and ETA
• Resume on re-run (skips existing files)
• Rate limiting
• Full URL support
• Interactive mode
• Watch mode for periodic updates
• Export to CSV or JSON
• Dry-run preview
• Config file support
• Failed download logging
• Block type filtering (images, links, embeds, attachments, text)
• Metadata archival with descriptions and sources
• Handles 500+ item galleries with pagination

Installation

git clone https://github.com/strangesongs/arena-dl
cd arena-dl
npm install
npm link

Usage

# Simplest: just the channel name
arena-dl architecture-portfolio

# Specify output directory
arena-dl design-inspiration ~/archives

# Use full Are.na URL
arena-dl https://www.are.na/user/channel-slug

# Re-download everything
arena-dl research --force

# Preview what would download
arena-dl gallery --dry-run

# Check for updates every 30 minutes
arena-dl inspiration --watch 30

# Export list as JSON or CSV
arena-dl collection --format json
arena-dl collection --format csv

# Interactive mode (no args)
arena-dl

Examples

arena-dl architecture-portfolio
arena-dl design-inspiration ~/Documents/arena-archive
arena-dl https://www.are.na/period-6wkfhxbqle8/we-take-care-of-each-other-xr-skwcd1ta
arena-dl research --force
arena-dl gallery --dry-run
arena-dl inspiration --watch 30
arena-dl collection --format json

Output

downloads/channel-slug/
├── 12345_image-title.jpg
├── 67890_another-image.png
└── ...

What's New

• Fixed yargs and chalk compatibility
• Added browser headers to bypass CDN blocks
• Modern async/await, proper error handling
• Real-time progress tracking
• Resume capability (skip existing files)
• Rate limiting to be nice to CDN
• File size validation
• Full URL support
• Global CLI installation

Error Handling

The tool handles common issues gracefully:

• Invalid channel: Error message tells you the channel name couldn't be found
• Network timeout: Retryable errors are logged; re-run the same command to continue
• Partial downloads: Files that failed to download fully are logged in .arena-dl/failed.log
• Rate limiting: Built-in delays prevent CDN blocks; failed downloads can be retried

Re-running the same command will skip existing files and retry failures.

Configuration

Create ~/.arena-dlrc to set defaults:

{
  "outputDir": "~/Downloads/arena",
  "concurrent": 5,
  "timeout": 30000
}

All values are optional. Command-line arguments override config file settings.

Watch Mode

Continuously check a channel for new content:

arena-dl inspiration --watch 30

Updates every 30 minutes. Useful for archiving channels that get regularly updated.

Export

Save a list of downloaded images:

# JSON format
arena-dl collection --format json
# Creates: downloads/collection/collection-list.json

# CSV format
arena-dl collection --format csv
# Creates: downloads/collection/collection-list.csv

Block Type Filtering

Filter downloads by content type:

# Images only (default)
arena-dl gallery

# Images and links
arena-dl gallery --block-types image,link

# All types (images, links, embeds, attachments, text)
arena-dl gallery --block-types image,link,embed,attachment,text

# Links only
arena-dl gallery --block-types link

Supported types: image, link, embed, attachment, text

Metadata Archival

Save metadata alongside downloads for research/preservation:

# Save descriptions and timestamps
arena-dl research --include-metadata

# Also track original source URLs
arena-dl research --include-metadata --with-sources

Each downloaded file gets a .json metadata file:

{
  "id": 21652327,
  "title": "Image title",
  "description": "Research notes or captions",
  "type": "Image",
  "created_at": "2023-05-02T18:04:53.953Z",
  "updated_at": "2025-10-07T18:54:22.752Z",
  "source": {
    "title": "Original source",
    "url": "https://example.com"
  },
  "image_url": "https://d2w9rnfcy7mm78.cloudfront.net/...",
  "content_type": "image/png"
}

Archival Workflow Example

Complete research archival with all metadata:

# Download everything with full context
arena-dl my-research \
  --block-types image,link,embed,attachment,text \
  --include-metadata \
  --with-sources \
  --format json

# Result structure:
# downloads/my-research/
# ├── 12345_title.jpg
# ├── 12345_title.json          (metadata)
# ├── 67890_another.png
# ├── 67890_another.json        (metadata)
# ├── my-research-list.json     (inventory)
# └── my-research.log           (failed items)

This creates a complete archive with:

• All content types
• Metadata for each item (descriptions, dates, sources)
• Inventory file for easy reference
• Failed download log for follow-up

Dry-Run

Preview what would be downloaded without actually downloading:

arena-dl gallery --dry-run

Interactive Mode

Run without arguments for interactive prompts:

arena-dl
? Channel name or URL: architecture-portfolio
? Output directory (./downloads): 

What's New

• Simplified command: arena-dl channel-name (no "get")
• Interactive mode for beginners
• Watch mode for continuous archiving
• Export to JSON or CSV
• Dry-run preview mode
• Improved progress with speed and ETA
• Better error messages with doc links

Credits

Inspired by aredotna/download-arena-channel.

MIT License