# Wayback Machine Historic Snapshot & Archive Scraper (`litezero/wayback-archive-scraper`) Actor

Query Internet Archive Wayback Machine CDX API to discover historic webpage snapshots, timestamps, HTTP status codes, and archived URLs in bulk.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/litezero/wayback-archive-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [LiteZero](https://apify.com/litezero) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, Automation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.05 / 1,000 item scrapeds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## 🏛️ Wayback Machine Historic Snapshot & Archive Scraper

Extract historical website snapshot timelines, timestamps, original URLs, HTTP status codes, and permanent archive playback URLs from the [Internet Archive Wayback Machine](https://archive.org/web/) CDX API.

***

### ⚡ Key Capabilities

- **Deep Historical Timeline**: Explore website evolutions dating back to 1996.
- **Permanent Playback URLs**: Direct links (`https://web.archive.org/web/{timestamp}/{url}`) to view exact archived HTML, CSS, and media assets.
- **Date Range & Granularity**: Filter snapshots by start year (`fromYear`) and end year (`toYear`), with configurable deduplication (`collapse=timestamp:6` for 1 snapshot per month).
- **Digital Forensics & Legal Audits**: Extract cryptographic file digests, MIME types, and response status codes for intellectual property litigation and compliance.
- **Pay-Per-Result Pricing**: Only pay **$1.50 per 1,000 snapshots** extracted.

***

### 📊 Comparison with Alternatives

| Feature | 🏛️ Wayback Scraper | Wayback Web UI | Raw CDX Scripting |
|---|:---:|:---:|:---:|
| **Automation** | Batch queries via API | 1 URL at a time (manual) | Complex parsing required |
| **Output Format** | Clean JSON / CSV / Excel | Web view only | Nested 2D array |
| **Deduplication** | Automatic monthly/daily collapse | Slow calendar UI | Custom parameter tuning |
| **Pricing** | **$1.50 / 1,000 snapshots** | Free with rate limits | Infrastructure setup time |

***

### 📥 Input Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|---|:---:|:---:|---|
| `domainsOrUrls` | `Array<string>` | `["google.com", "apify.com"]` | Domains or specific URLs to look up. |
| `fromYear` | `string` | `""` | Optional start year (e.g. `2015`). |
| `toYear` | `string` | `""` | Optional end year (e.g. `2024`). |
| `limitPerUrl` | `number` | `20` | Max snapshots per target URL. |
| `collapse` | `string` | `"timestamp:6"` | Deduplication granularity (`timestamp:6` for monthly). |

***

### 📤 Output Sample

```json
{
  "target": "google.com",
  "originalUrl": "http://www.google.com:80/",
  "snapshotTimestamp": "19981111184551",
  "snapshotDate": "1998-11-11T18:45:51Z",
  "archivePlaybackUrl": "https://web.archive.org/web/19981111184551/http://www.google.com:80/",
  "statusCode": 200,
  "mimeType": "text/html",
  "digest": "NDT2W... ",
  "lengthBytes": 1284,
  "scrapedAt": "2026-10-03T08:00:00.000Z"
}
```

# Actor input Schema

## `domainsOrUrls` (type: `array`):

Domain names or specific URLs to look up in the Internet Archive (e.g. 'apify.com', 'news.ycombinator.com').

## `fromYear` (type: `string`):

Start year filter (e.g. '2015').

## `toYear` (type: `string`):

End year filter (e.g. '2024').

## `limitPerUrl` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of snapshots to retrieve per domain/URL.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "domainsOrUrls": [
    "apify.com",
    "news.ycombinator.com"
  ],
  "limitPerUrl": 10
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "domainsOrUrls": [
        "apify.com",
        "news.ycombinator.com"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("litezero/wayback-archive-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "domainsOrUrls": [
        "apify.com",
        "news.ycombinator.com",
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("litezero/wayback-archive-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "domainsOrUrls": [
    "apify.com",
    "news.ycombinator.com"
  ]
}' |
apify call litezero/wayback-archive-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,litezero/wayback-archive-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/JG95Omn27rroAqjH5/builds/B0utHGEAlTU1WY62y/openapi.json