# Wayback Machine Scraper - URL Snapshot History (`scrapesage/wayback-machine-scraper`) Actor

Get the full Internet Archive snapshot history for any URL: capture timestamps, snapshot links, status codes, MIME types and sizes. Filter by date range and match type. No API key, no browser.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/scrapesage/wayback-machine-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Scrape Sage](https://apify.com/scrapesage) (community)
- **Categories:** SEO tools, Integrations, Agents
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.28 / 1,000 snapshot 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?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
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.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## 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.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## Wayback Machine Scraper - URL Snapshot History

Get the full **Internet Archive (Wayback Machine)** snapshot history for any URL: every **capture timestamp**,
**snapshot link**, **HTTP status**, **MIME type**, **content digest** and **size**. Filter by date range and
match type (exact page, prefix, host, or whole domain). No API key, no browser.

### What you get per snapshot

| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `originalUrl` / `target` | The archived URL and the query it came from |
| `timestamp` / `capturedAt` | Capture time (raw YYYYMMDDhhmmss and ISO) |
| `snapshotUrl` | Direct link to the archived copy |
| `statusCode` / `mimeType` | HTTP status and content type at capture |
| `digest` / `length` | Content digest (to spot changes) and byte size |

### Input

```json
{ "urls": ["example.com"], "matchType": "domain", "fromDate": "20200101", "maxSnapshotsPerUrl": 500 }
```

- **URLs** - one per line. **Match type**: `exact`, `prefix` (path), `host`, or `domain` (host + subdomains).
- **Date range** - `fromDate` / `toDate` as YYYYMMDD. **Collapse duplicates** - keep only distinct content versions.
- **Import from a file** - paste a list, or link a public `.txt`/`.csv`, a Google Sheet/Drive link, or an Apify key-value-store record.
- **Output fields** - trim every record to exactly the columns you need.

Leave everything empty and the run returns a small free sample so you can see the shape first.

### Reliability

Reads the official Internet Archive **CDX API** with patient backoff. A URL with no snapshots, or an import
that cannot be read, bills **$0** and says why.

### Honest limits

- **The CDX API is slow and rate-limits by IP.** Heavily-archived URLs (major domains) can take tens of
  seconds, and very large `domain` queries may hit archive.org's rate limit - if a URL comes back empty with a
  "did not respond" note, space out the run or narrow the URL and re-run. You are never charged for a failed lookup.
- **`domain`/`host` matches can return very large result sets** - raise the run memory and timeout for those.

### Pricing

**$0.0005 per snapshot** on the FREE tier (tiered pricing lowers it with volume) - priced low because snapshot
counts are high per URL. Only snapshots actually saved are billed; empty and failed lookups cost nothing.

### Output views

- **Snapshots** - original URL, captured date, snapshot link, status, MIME and size.

### Use with AI assistants (MCP)

Available through the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp) - an agent can pull a
URL's capture history, find when a page changed, or recover the last-archived version in one call.

### Agent-ready: autonomous payments (x402 & Skyfire)

This actor is **agent-ready** - AI agents can discover it, run it, and **pay for it autonomously**, with no Apify account and no human in the loop. It uses [pay-per-event](https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/publishing/monetize/pay-per-event) pricing and [limited permissions](https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/development/permissions), so it qualifies for Apify's agentic-payment standards:

- **[x402](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/x402)** - an open, HTTP-native payment protocol. Agents pay per run in USDC on the Base network directly through the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp) - no account, no API key.
- **[Skyfire](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/skyfire)** - agent-to-service payments for fully autonomous AI-agent workflows.

Building an AI agent, MCP tool, or autonomous data pipeline? This scraper is ready to plug in and pay as it goes.

# Actor input Schema

## `urls` (type: `array`):

URLs to fetch the archive history for, one per line - e.g. <code>example.com</code>, <code>https://apify.com/</code>. <b>Leave empty and the run returns a small free sample.</b>

## `matchType` (type: `string`):

How to match the URL: exact URL, all pages under a prefix, everything on a host, or an entire domain (incl. subdomains).

## `fromDate` (type: `string`):

Only snapshots on/after this date, as YYYYMMDD (e.g. <code>20200101</code>). Leave empty for no lower bound.

## `toDate` (type: `string`):

Only snapshots on/before this date, as YYYYMMDD (e.g. <code>20231231</code>). Leave empty for no upper bound.

## `collapseDuplicates` (type: `boolean`):

Skip consecutive snapshots with an identical content digest (keep only distinct versions).

## `urlsFromFile` (type: `string`):

Bulk-load URLs. Either <b>paste the whole list</b> (one per line), or give <b>a single link</b> to a public <code>.txt</code>/<code>.csv</code>, a Google Sheet/Drive link, or an Apify key-value-store record. A file that cannot be read says so and charges nothing.

## `maxSnapshotsPerUrl` (type: `integer`):

How many snapshots to collect for each URL.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Overall cap across all URLs. You are only charged for snapshots actually saved.

## `outputFields` (type: `array`):

Pick the fields you want and every record is trimmed to exactly those - handy for lean CSV/Sheets exports.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "urls": [
    "example.com"
  ],
  "matchType": "exact",
  "collapseDuplicates": false,
  "maxSnapshotsPerUrl": 1000,
  "maxItems": 20000
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

Each scraped record - an archive snapshot with timestamp, snapshot URL, status and MIME - as a JSON item in the default dataset.

# 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 = {
    "urls": [
        "example.com"
    ],
    "urlsFromFile": ""
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("scrapesage/wayback-machine-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 = {
    "urls": ["example.com"],
    "urlsFromFile": "",
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("scrapesage/wayback-machine-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 '{
  "urls": [
    "example.com"
  ],
  "urlsFromFile": ""
}' |
apify call scrapesage/wayback-machine-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,scrapesage/wayback-machine-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/X6orejFRGKSR6ZcKb/builds/xC9DM6Uym1UijloAg/openapi.json