1990 Web Archive API

Programmatic access to the earliest preserved web content. Search, archive, and render historical snapshots with versioned, predictable endpoints.

Authentication

All API requests require authentication via Bearer token. Include your API key in the request header as shown below. Keys can be generated in your dashboard under Settings > API Keys.

Request Header

Authorization: Bearer your_api_key_here

Limited scope keys are supported. You can restrict keys to read-only access, specific endpoints, or IP allowlists.

Rate Limits

API access is throttled based on your subscription tier. Standard limits apply unless noted otherwise.

Plan	Requests / min	Burst	Concurrent Jobs
Developer	30	10	2
Researcher	120	40	10
Enterprise	Unlimited	200	100+

Rate limit headers are returned with every response: X-RateLimit-Limit, X-RateLimit-Remaining, X-RateLimit-Reset.

Search Archives

GET /v1/search Query archived pages by keyword, domain, or era

Search the indexed archive. Supports full-text search, date ranges, and content type filtering.

Query Parameters

GET /v1/search?q=geocities&year=1998&limit=25

200 OK
{
  "results": [
    {
      "id": "arc_8x29a1",
      "url": "http://angelfire.com/xx/myhome/",
      "archived_at": "1998-06-12T14:30:00Z",
      "snapshot_url": "/v1/render/arc_8x29a1"
    }
  ],
  "total": 142,
  "next_page": "?cursor=eyJpZCI6ImFyY184eDI5YTEifQ=="
}

Submit for Archiving

POST /v1/archive Queue a URL for preservation

Submits a live or historical URL for capture. The crawler will preserve HTML, assets, and metadata. Returns a job ID for tracking.

Request Body (JSON)
{
  "url": "https://example.com",
  "depth": 1,
  "user_agent": "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.0; Windows 98)",
  "metadata": {
    "tags": ["legacy", "research"],
    "notes": "Preserve before shutdown"
  }
}

202 Accepted
{
  "job_id": "job_9f3k21",
  "status": "queued",
  "estimated_completion": "2025-11-10T12:45:00Z"
}

Render Snapshot

GET /v1/render/{id} Retrieve archived page content

Returns the preserved HTML, asset manifests, and rendering metadata. Accepts Accept: application/json or text/html.

200 OK (JSON)
{
  "id": "arc_8x29a1",
  "html": "<!DOCTYPE html><html><head>...",
  "assets": [
    "/cdn/assets/arc_8x29a1/bg_tile.gif",
    "/cdn/assets/arc_8x29a1/main.css"
  ],
  "viewport": { "width": 800, "height": 600 },
  "render_engine": "netscape_navigator_3_0"
}

Error Codes

The API uses standard HTTP status codes and returns detailed error objects in the response body.

Code	Meaning	Description
400	Bad Request	Invalid parameters, malformed JSON, or missing required fields
401	Unauthorized	Missing or invalid API key
429	Rate Limited	Too many requests. Check `X-RateLimit-Reset` header
404	Not Found	Archive ID or endpoint does not exist

Error Response Format
{
  "error": {
    "code": "rate_limit_exceeded",
    "message": "You have exceeded your allowed requests per minute.",
    "retry_after": 42
  }
}

SDKs & Tools

Official and community-maintained libraries for integrating with the 1990 Web Archive API.

Python

pip install 1990-archive

Node.js

npm install @1990archive/client

cURL Wrapper

bash < ./scripts/archive.sh