How the Internet Archive and Wayback Machine Preserve the Web

When one says that what you post online lasts forever, they mean it, and the Internet Archive and its tools, such as the Wayback Machine, allow you to see the digital footprint left behind. Whether a webpage was deleted, changed, or looks totally different now, these tools make it possible to look back at what once was.

What Is the Internet Archive

Started in 1996, the Internet Archive is a nonprofit organization focused on preserving and providing access to digital artifacts. Its mission is to provide universal access to all knowledge, whether that be for researchers, scholars, people with print disabilities, or just the general public.

But how does it collect and save all this information?

The Internet Archive uses tools called web crawlers. These are automated programs that travel around the Internet and make copies of websites. You can think of them as digital collectors that visit a webpage, save what they see, and store that version for future access. Each saved version includes the text, layout, images, and links that were on the page at that time.

This process happens constantly across millions of websites. Once collected, the content is stored in the archive. Whether or not it's available to view depends on copyright rules, but the goal is always to keep a record so important digital materials are not lost over time.

What Does the Internet Archive Hold?

The Internet Archive holds a huge collection of digital content. Today, the archive holds over 800 billion webpages, 44 million books and texts, 10 million videos, and so much more, which can either be downloaded, viewed, or temporarily borrowed.

If you want to read books, the Internet Archive’s Open Library is a good place to start. It works like a digital library, where you can borrow eBooks for free. But it's also important to know that not everything online will be available in the archive.

Archive.org uses web crawlers to make archival copies of websites and their content. “Archival” means saving something for long-term preservation and access. Libraries and archives have the right to make archival copies of copyrighted materials, but that doesn't mean those materials are automatically available to the public. The Internet Archive follows copyright laws, so items like digitized books can only be viewed if they’re in the public domain.

How to Upload Your Own Files

You can also add your own content to the Internet Archive. Whether it’s a document, video, audio recording, or image, you can upload it for others to access or just to preserve it for the future. Here’s a simple step-by-step guide to get started:

1. Create an account: Register for a free account on archive.org.
2. Log in: Use your new login to sign in.
3. Click the upload button: Look for the small box with an arrow pointing up and click it.
4. Choose your upload method: You can drag and drop or select files from your computer.
5. Fill out the details: Add a title, description, tags, and creator info to describe your item.
6. Upload and finish: Click the button labeled "Upload and Create Your Item."

Once uploaded, your item becomes part of the archive and will be available depending on the settings you chose.

What Is the Wayback Machine

The Wayback Machine is a tool created by the Internet Archive that lets you view archived versions of webpages. With it, you can access old versions of websites, view pages that no longer exist, and compare how websites have changed over time.

The tool, similar to the Internet Archive, works by crawling (which means it automatically visits and saves websites) and capturing snapshots of webpages at different points in time. These snapshots are then stored for public viewing. The machine's archive continues to grow through three main sources: third-party contributions, the Internet Archive's own collection efforts, and user submissions.

You can learn more about how it works through this overview and help page.

How to Use the Wayback Machine

Using the Wayback Machine can sometimes be a complex process. That’s because it doesn’t always work the same way people expect it to, especially compared to search engines like Google.

If you already know the full web address (URL) of a page you want to find, that’s the easiest way to search. You just paste it into the search bar, and the Wayback Machine will show you a timeline of when it saved that page. You can click on a year, then choose a day from the calendar to see what the site looked like at that time.

You can also search by keyword, but it’s different than other search tools. Instead of giving you one specific article or page, the Wayback Machine shows you websites that are about that keyword in general. For example, if you search "space exploration," it might bring up full websites that focused on that topic rather than one article from a blog.

For a helpful overview, including how to save pages and search smarter, check out this official guide and video.

Why Digital Preservation Is Important: Internet Archive and Wayback Machine Use

Why does digital preservation matter? Because online content is constantly being deleted, edited, or forgotten. Just like we preserve old newspapers, photographs, and documents, saving digital information helps protect our cultural and historical records for the future.

Here are some key reasons why this work is important:

• Preserving culture: Websites often reflect trends, beliefs, and ideas from different points in time.
• Preventing loss: If physical records are destroyed or if digital content is removed, the archive can help bring it back.
• Supporting education and research: Historians, students, journalists, and others use the archive to track changes over time.

MaxxSouth Broadband: Supporting the Internet That Keeps History Alive

At MaxxSouth Broadband, we’re proud to provide high-speed Internet that connects you to the tools, knowledge, and services that matter most. Whether you’re using the Wayback Machine to explore the evolution of websites or uploading your own files to preserve history, having a strong and reliable Internet connection makes it all possible.

Our Internet plans are built to support everything from casual browsing to research and content creation. Visit our Internet service page to explore packages that keep your household or business connected to both the present and the digital past.