Frequently Asked Questions
Want to know more about how Archive-It makes it possible to build and share archived collections of websites, social media, and other important web documents and materials? Read on to find out more.
About Archive-It
Q: What is Archive-It?
A: Archive-It is a service that allows institutions to preserve materials they have archived from the web. It includes an online account for users to create, describe, manage, and download their web archive collections, as well as access to search and browse these archives. The service runs on Internet Archive’s non-profit, self-owned and operated data centers and includes forever storage of archived materials. Archive-It partners also have perpetual access to these archives, even after they discontinue active use of the service.
Q: How is Archive-It different from the Wayback Machine?
A: A: Both Archive-It and the Wayback Machine make it possible to archive web pages, however the services differ significantly. Wayback Machine’s “Save Page Now” allows the public to add webpages to the overall Wayback Machine collection. Archive-It is a full-featured end-to-end suite of services for institutions collecting, managing, preserving, downloading, and providing public access to web and born-digital archival collections. Archive-It also contains a variety of tools for creating collections, managing what type of web-published content is archived and how often, adding keywords or metadata to collections, deciding whether this content is public or private, downloading your archived collections, and other custom features. The service also includes a public online collection branded for your institution, full-text search for your collections, and a variety of integrations, APIs, and connections with cataloging, preservation, and access services used by libraries, archives, and others.
Q: How does Archive-It work?
A: Learn more about the Archive-It approach to web archiving.
Q: Who uses Archive-It?
A: All sorts of organizations use Archive-It, from universities and colleges, non-profits, national institutions, governments, public libraries, museums and more. We support the diverse needs of our 800+ partners throughout the world, with flexible and custom controls for collecting materials on the web. If you’re curious how you fit in, please share your goals, and we’re happy to share a relevant example or scenario.
Q: How can I use Archive-It to customize my web archives?
A: Archive-It makes it possible for you to accomplish your web archiving goals. From targeted thematic collecting to broad domain harvesting, Archive-It services can be customized, giving you complete control over the types of web content collected and how often. Partners who use the Archive-It application have access to a variety of configurable tools to ensure they only collect the content they want to archive and at the best quality possible.
Q: I’ve done some web archiving using other tools, can I include those captures in my Archive-It account?
A: Yes! Web archives in the form of ARC or WARC files (the international standard for web archive file formats) can be added to your Archive-It account, allowing you to combine older web archives with the web archives you build using Archive-It for a seamless user experience. your collecting, description, and access practices.
Q: How can I share my web archives?
A: By default, all collections are available for public access from archive-it.org. Public collections are also integrated into the widely-used Wayback Machine, with metadata attributing those collections to your institution. However, in Archive-It you also have the ability to make your collections private and not appear on archive-it.org as well as the ability to provide special access to private collections for some users. Archive-It also includes a suite of APIs and other tools for integrating your web archive collections in Archive-It into your own website, library catalog, or other online access platform.
Q: Are there backups of data?
A: Yes, we keep two copies of all data, including one copy in the Wayback Machine. You can read more about our Storage and Preservation policy here.
Q: Do you ever delete data?
A: Subscribing partners’ data is persistently stored at the Internet Archive’s data centers and made accessible based on configured privacy settings. We can remove partners’ collected data in certain circumstances, upon request.
Q: What happens if I need help?
A: With Archive-It, you get support so you don’t have to figure out web archiving on your own! All Archive-It subscription levels include access to our Help Center, Community Forum, and both new partner and ongoing training opportunities, all supported by a team of Web Archivists. Our “Archive-It Pro” subscription level includes additional advanced technical assistance – just file a support ticket or sign up for one-on-one consultation with a Web Archivist.
About Archive-It Services and Subscriptions
Q: What service packages are available for Archive-It?
A: No matter your skill or institutional resources, Archive-It makes web archiving accessible. To learn more about any of these services, with no commitment, reach out to us.
- Institutions looking to build or enhance their own ongoing web archiving workflows can subscribe to Archive-It’s end-to-end service. An annual subscription includes access to our full-featured web-based application for digital collection building, management, preservation, and public accessibility, an accompanying annual data storage budget, and access to a robust help center and community forum. Subscriptions are available in three packages – Pro, Basic, and Sponsored – with varying price points, data budgets, and hands-on technical support to meet your needs. Learn more about these packages using the links above, or check out frequently asked questions about subscription management below.
- Archive-It subscribers can request additional one-time services. Include older versions of websites preserved by the Internet Archive in your more recently collected web archives with our Waybackfill Service. Or, if you have taken down or redesigned your website, visitors trying to access pages that no longer exist can be redirected to the archived version of those pages with our Redirection Service.
- Institutions who are interested in one-time web preservation can utilize our Snapshot Service to have a comprehensive capture of selected websites completed on their behalf before a website is revamped or comes offline altogether.
Fully managed archiving and access services are also available for institutions who prefer enterprise services with dedicated project management and contracted services that include dedicated staffing and specialized requirements.
Q: What is included in the subscription price?
A. An Archive-It subscription includes access to the full suite of Archive-It tools, support services, hosting and storage of your archived data, an optional public access portal for your archived websites, and the option to download your archived data at any time.
Q: How are Archive-It subscription levels determined?
A: Subscription levels are based on the amount of data needed to capture your target sites in a given year. Having an idea of the number and type of sites you want to capture and the frequency at which you want to capture them will help us recommend an appropriate subscription level/data budget. Archive-It Basic and Sponsored are for partners looking to archive limited or infrequent amounts of websites, online documents or media, and without technical support. Let us know about your collecting objectives, and we can help you find the right subscription for your needs.
Q: How do I manage my data budget?
A: As a subscriber, you’ll have access to tools that control how much data is added to your subscription’s data budget. You’ll also have access to detailed crawl reports that help you visualize how your activities are performing against your budget.
Q: When do subscriptions start?
A: Subscriptions are annual, renewable, and can start on the 1st or 15th of any month.
Q: What happens if I use all of my data before my subscription ends?
A: Things happen! If you end up needing more data than anticipated to capture everything you need, we can help you move up to the next subscription level. Data can not be rolled over, however.
Q: What happens to my archived data if I cancel my subscription?
A: Your archived data will remain stored at the Internet Archive in perpetuity. Any collections you choose to make public on Archive-It.org would remain public and any content you choose to keep private would still be accessible to you through direct links. You would also still have access to your web archive files if you decide to download them later. If you chose to rejoin at a later time, you could jump back into the same account.
Q: Do I have to pay for past years of storage?
A: Subscription costs are for the collection and storage of new data captured during the subscription period. You will not incur additional costs for storage of data collected from previous annual subscriptions.
Q: Do you offer any discounts?
A: Archive-It works with many library consortia to provide subscription discounts to their members. Discounts for multi-year subscriptions are also available. Discounts may be available for organizations that use other Internet Archive paid services, such as digitization, or are strategic partners. Some cultural heritage organizations may be eligible to participate in our Community Webs program that provides subsidized services. The Archive-It Sponsored program gives complimentary technology and resources to mission-aligned, but financially under-resourced, organizations for volunteer, citizen, and non-institutional efforts to archive web-based materials of critical importance.