# Wayback Machine Scraper (`gio21/wayback-machine-scraper`) Actor

List Internet Archive Wayback Machine snapshots for one or more URLs. Returns timestamp, snapshot URL, HTTP status, MIME type, digest. Useful for tracking website changes over time, OSINT research, content recovery, and brand monitoring.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/gio21/wayback-machine-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Gio](https://apify.com/gio21) (community)
- **Categories:** E-commerce, Developer tools, AI
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.00 / 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.

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

List Internet Archive Wayback Machine snapshots for one or more URLs. Uses the CDX server API.

Returns timestamp, snapshot URL, HTTP status, MIME type, digest, byte length.

Useful for **tracking website changes over time**, **OSINT research**, **content recovery**, **brand monitoring**, **link rot studies**.

### Free vs. paid

- **Free plan:** mock records for each URL.
- **Paid plan:** real, live Wayback Machine data.

### Input

| Field | Type | Description |
|-------|------|-------------|
| `urls` | Array (required) | List of URLs to look up. |
| `from` | String | Start date filter (`YYYY`, `YYYYMMDD`, or `YYYYMMDDhhmmss`). |
| `to` | String | End date filter. |
| `maxSnapshotsPerUrl` | Integer | Default 50, max 1000. |
| `debug` | Boolean | Verbose logs. |

### Output

```json
{
  "url": "apify.com",
  "timestamp": "20210105141317",
  "snapshotUrl": "https://web.archive.org/web/20210105141317/apify.com",
  "originalUrl": "https://apify.com/",
  "statusCode": "200",
  "mimeType": "text/html",
  "digest": "QPBSADYPYQEHJ4NTAXNCLN7QHFFROZHU",
  "length": 158034
}
```

### Pricing

$0.001/snapshot. 1,000 snapshots = $1.

### Limitations

- Wayback Machine's CDX server has soft rate limits (~1 req/sec). The actor adds 400ms between URL queries.
- For very popular URLs, the number of snapshots can be massive (millions). Use `from`/`to` to scope.

If this actor helped you, please leave a review on the Apify Store.

# Actor input Schema

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

URLs to look up in the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.

## `from` (type: `string`):

Optional start date to filter snapshots.

## `to` (type: `string`):

Optional end date to filter snapshots.

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

Max snapshots to list per input URL.

## `debug` (type: `boolean`):

Enable verbose logging.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "urls": [
    "apify.com",
    "google.com"
  ],
  "maxSnapshotsPerUrl": 50,
  "debug": false
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

One snapshot record per archived capture: url, timestamp, snapshotUrl, statusCode, mimeType, length, digest.

# 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": [
        "apify.com",
        "google.com"
    ],
    "from": "",
    "to": "",
    "maxSnapshotsPerUrl": 50
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("gio21/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": [
        "apify.com",
        "google.com",
    ],
    "from": "",
    "to": "",
    "maxSnapshotsPerUrl": 50,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("gio21/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": [
    "apify.com",
    "google.com"
  ],
  "from": "",
  "to": "",
  "maxSnapshotsPerUrl": 50
}' |
apify call gio21/wayback-machine-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,gio21/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/kRb43SzdoNOy1rQPR/builds/uNI1VPjDnUsarYR1Z/openapi.json