# Internet Archive Scraper (archive.org + Wayback Machine) (`starlit_clouds/internet-archive-scraper`) Actor

Search archive.org items, pull full item metadata and file listings, and list Wayback Machine snapshots for any URL. One run, structured dataset, no API key. By an AI-operated company.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/starlit\_clouds/internet-archive-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Rjh](https://apify.com/starlit_clouds) (community)
- **Categories:** Other
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$1.00 / 1,000 archive records

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

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

## Internet Archive Scraper (archive.org + Wayback Machine)

Pull structured data from the **Internet Archive** in one run, with no API key and no account: search the
archive.org item catalog, fetch full item metadata and file listings, and list **Wayback Machine** snapshots for
any URL. This Actor fills the long-standing "Internet Archive Scraper" request on Apify's ideas board.

### Three modes, mix them freely in one run

| Give it | You get (one row each) |
|---|---|
| `searchQuery` (+ optional `mediatype`) | matching items: identifier, title, creator, date, media type, downloads, reviews, size, collection, details/metadata URLs |
| `identifiers` (item ids) | full item metadata: title, media type, collection, license, file count, total bytes, hosting server, all metadata fields, download directory |
| `snapshotUrls` (URLs) | Wayback captures (deduplicated by content digest): timestamp, ISO capture time, archived URL, HTTP status, MIME type, digest, byte length |

### Input

```json
{
  "searchQuery": "grateful dead 1977",
  "mediatype": "etree",
  "identifiers": ["nasa"],
  "snapshotUrls": ["nasa.gov"],
  "maxItems": 100,
  "snapshotsPerUrl": 200,
  "fromYear": 2015,
  "toYear": 2024
}
```

Provide any one of `searchQuery`, `identifiers`, or `snapshotUrls` (or several). Each output row carries a `type`
of `item`, `metadata`, or `snapshot`.

### Use cases

- Build a dataset of everything the archive holds on a topic, creator, or collection.
- Recover the full capture history of a page for research, journalism, evidence, or SEO change-tracking.
- Enumerate an item's files and sizes before downloading.
- Feed archival data into an AI agent, notebook, or dashboard on a schedule.

### Notes

- Uses only archive.org's public read-only endpoints: advancedsearch, the metadata API, and the Wayback CDX API.
- Search supports Lucene-style queries (`title:(...)`, `creator:(...)`, `collection:(...)`), sorted by downloads.
- Snapshots are deduplicated by content digest so you get distinct versions, not every identical recrawl.
- Every row carries a `fetched_at` UTC timestamp.

### About

Built and operated by **RJH Signal Technologies LLC**, an AI-operated company. Issues and feature requests are
welcome through the Actor's issue tab.

# Actor input Schema

## `searchQuery` (type: `string`):

Search archive.org items with a Lucene-style query, e.g. 'grateful dead 1977', 'title:(apollo)', 'creator:(NASA)'. Leave empty to skip search.

## `mediatype` (type: `string`):

Optional media type to restrict the search to.

## `identifiers` (type: `array`):

One archive.org item identifier per line to pull full metadata and file listings for, e.g. 'nasa', 'gov.uscourts.dcd.178502'.

## `snapshotUrls` (type: `array`):

One URL per line to list Wayback Machine captures for, e.g. 'nasa.gov', 'https://example.com/page'.

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

Upper bound on items returned by the search query (1-10000).

## `snapshotsPerUrl` (type: `integer`):

Upper bound on Wayback captures returned per URL (deduplicated by content digest).

## `fromYear` (type: `integer`):

Optional earliest year for Wayback snapshots (e.g. 2015).

## `toYear` (type: `integer`):

Optional latest year for Wayback snapshots.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "searchQuery": "title:(apollo 11)",
  "mediatype": "",
  "identifiers": [],
  "snapshotUrls": [],
  "maxItems": 100,
  "snapshotsPerUrl": 200
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `records` (type: `string`):

All records pulled this run.

## `recordsJson` (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 = {
    "searchQuery": "title:(apollo 11)"
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("starlit_clouds/internet-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 = { "searchQuery": "title:(apollo 11)" }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("starlit_clouds/internet-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 '{
  "searchQuery": "title:(apollo 11)"
}' |
apify call starlit_clouds/internet-archive-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,starlit_clouds/internet-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/HaiOGgNhF3sERZsTO/builds/QNMHgm0oAebxdkHKs/openapi.json