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Archiving Web Pages

A-85·Oct 14, 2026·Source: Extension-page
Quick Start14 / 15

To save a page right now for future citation:

POST https://web.archive.org/save/<URL>

Example: https://web.archive.org/save/https://example.com/article

This triggers a live capture and returns a timestamped snapshot URL in the form: https://web.archive.org/web/<TIMESTAMP>/<URL>

To check if a page is already archived:

https://archive.org/wayback/available?url=<URL>
Recommendation▾
Add an example showing a failure case (e.g., paywalled page capture attempt) to demonstrate handling of limitations, not just success scenarios
Workflow14 / 15

Progress:

  • Step 1: Confirm the exact URL to archive (strip tracking parameters unless they matter)
  • Step 2: Check if a recent snapshot already exists via the Availability API
  • Step 3: If no recent snapshot (or a fresh one is required), trigger a new capture via Save Page Now
  • Step 4: Wait for capture confirmation — note downloaded element count and any outlinks captured
  • Step 5: Record the resulting timestamped snapshot URL and screenshot URL (if provided)
  • Step 6: Deliver the permanent archive link, formatted for citation use

Step 1 — Confirm URL: Use the canonical, final URL (after redirects) when possible. Note that www. and non-www. versions, and http vs https, create separate archive entries.

Step 2 — Check existing archive: Query the availability API before re-saving, to avoid redundant captures and to show the user existing history:

https://archive.org/wayback/available?url=example.com/page

Returns the closest snapshot's timestamp and URL if one exists.

Step 3 — Trigger new capture: Submit the URL to Save Page Now. This also crawls and archives embedded resources and outlinks automatically. For pages requiring login, JS-heavy rendering, or special handling, note this as a limitation — Save Page Now captures what a standard crawler/browser renders.

Step 4 — Confirm capture: A successful capture reports "Done!", a downloaded element count, and snapshot + screenshot URLs. Delays in registration are normal — if told "you may be redirected to a previous version," retry checking the snapshot after a short wait.

Step 5 — Record result: The permanent citation URL always follows: https://web.archive.org/web/YYYYMMDDHHMMSS/<original URL>

Step 6 — Deliver: Give the user the direct link and, if relevant, instructions to use it as a stable citation (e.g., in place of a live URL that may rot).

Recommendation▾
Include guidance on rate limits or throttling behavior of Save Page Now for bulk archiving requests
Examples17 / 20

Example 1: Input: "Archive this page for a citation: https://www.jbsa.mil/SiteMap.aspx" Output:

Archived successfully.
Snapshot: https://web.archive.org/web/20261014185111/https://www.jbsa.mil/SiteMap.aspx
Screenshot: https://web.archive.org/web/20261014185111/http://web.archive.org/screenshot/https://www.jbsa.mil/SiteMap.aspx
Elements captured: 51
Use the snapshot URL as a permanent citation — it will not change even if the live page does.

Example 2: Input: "Has nytimes.com/some-article already been archived?" Output:

Checked availability API — closest snapshot found: 2024-03-11 14:22:05 UTC
Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20240311142205/https://nytimes.com/some-article
If this is too old, I can trigger a fresh capture.

Example 3: Input: "This source link is dead, can you find an old version?" Output:

Query https://archive.org/wayback/available?url=<dead URL>
If found: return the most recent pre-dead-link snapshot.
If not found: recommend searching the Wayback Machine's full-text/URL search UI directly, as not all pages are crawled.
Recommendation▾
Clarify what to do if the availability API returns no results at all (first-time archive scenario) more explicitly in the workflow steps
Best Practices
  • Always prefer giving the timestamped permanent URL, never just "it's on the Wayback Machine" — the timestamp is what makes it a stable citation.
  • Check availability before re-saving to avoid unnecessary duplicate snapshots, unless the user explicitly wants a fresh capture of current content.
  • For important/volatile citations (news articles, tweets, legal pages), recommend capturing immediately — content can change or vanish quickly.
  • Mention that Save Page Now also archives linked resources (images, CSS, outlinks) — useful context when explaining capture completeness.
  • If a capture reports a delay in registration, treat it as pending, not failed — advise re-checking shortly.
Common Pitfalls
  • Don't assume a URL is archived just because the domain is well-known — always verify with the availability API.
  • Don't ignore URL normalization — http:// vs https://, trailing slashes, and query strings produce different archive entries.
  • Don't treat a single successful capture as proof the entire page (including dynamic/JS content) was preserved — note this caveat for JS-heavy sites.
  • Don't forget that paywalled or login-gated content generally cannot be captured by Save Page Now.
  • Don't present a "previous version redirect" notice as a failure — it's a normal temporary state during indexing.
0
Grade A-AI Skill Framework
Scorecard
Criteria Breakdown
Quick Start
14/15
Workflow
14/15
Examples
17/20
Completeness
17/20
Format
14/15
Conciseness
13/15
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