Wayback Machine – Digital archive of web pages

Overview

The Wayback Machine, established in 1996, is a digital archive service for web pages. This service allows users to view past web pages, providing a unique feature to “go back in time” and see how websites looked in the past. It also addresses the problem of web content vanishing when it is changed or when a website is shut down. In May 2021, the Wayback Machine introduced a feature called the “Wayforward Machine”, which allows users to “travel” to the Internet in 2046, offering an experience of the internet in a time when knowledge is under siege.

How to use

To use the Wayback Machine, you first enter the website’s URL into the search box. If the website allows the Wayback Machine to “crawl” it, the data will be saved. Specific steps for using the service need further investigation.

Conclusion

A key difference between the Wayback Machine and other similar services is that the Wayback Machine aims to archive the entire web. The difference between the paid and free versions is unknown. Possible use cases include referencing past website designs, searching for lost information, and tracking how specific web pages have changed over time.

Service Profile

Name	Wayback Machine
Type of Service	Digital archive of web pages
Operator	Internet Archive
URL	https://archive.org/web/
Pricing	Free
Limitation and Condition	See Terms of Use
Data	Snapshot of web pages
Researched at	2023-6