Quick Start Guide

Get up and running with the 1990 Web Archive API in under 5 minutes.

Prerequisites #

• Node.js 18+ or Python 3.9+
• A free or paid account at console.1990archive.dev
• API key (generate in your dashboard)

Step-by-Step #

1. Install the SDK

   Choose your preferred language and install the official client library.

2. Configure Your API Key

   Set your API key as an environment variable for secure access.

3. Perform Your First Search

   Search the archive and retrieve results with a single API call.

4. Render Archived Content

   Render any archived page in its original era-specific context.

1. Install the SDK

# Node.js / JavaScript
npm install 1990-web-archive

# Python
pip install 1990-archive-sdk

# Go
go get github.com/1990archive/go-sdk

# Direct API with cURL (no SDK needed)
curl -X GET \
  https://api.1990archive.dev/v3/search \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY' \
  -d '{"query": "welcome", "yearRange": [1994, 1996]}'

2. Configure Your API Key

# Set your API key in your environment
export ARCHIVE_API_KEY="sk-1990-a1b2c3d4e5f6..."

3. Perform Your First Search

const { ArchiveClient } = require('1990-web-archive');

const client = new ArchiveClient({
  apiKey: process.env.ARCHIVE_API_KEY
});

// Search for classic personal homepages
const pages = await client.pages.search({
  query: "under construction",
  year: 1996,
  limit: 5
});

pages.forEach(page => {
  console.log(-`${page.title} (${page.url})`);
});

4. Render Archived Content

// Render a page in its original browser context
const rendered = await client.render.render(page.id, {
  browser: "netscape4",       // or "ie5", "opera5", "mozilla1"
  resolution: "800x600",     // standard for the era
  viewportWidth: 800,
  includeFlash: true,         // includes archived .swf files
  includeFrames: true         // includes frame structures
});

// Get the rendered HTML with all assets
console.log(rendered.html);          // full HTML document
console.log(rendered.assets);       // { css: [], images: [], scripts: [] }
console.log(rendered.screenshot);   // base64 PNG screenshot

Installation #

Install the 1990 Web Archive SDK for your development environment.

SDK Requirements #

Node.js / JavaScript #

# Using npm
npm install 1990-web-archive

Python #

# Using pip
pip install 1990-archive-sdk

Go #

# Using Go modules
go get github.com/1990archive/go-sdk/v3

Direct REST API (No SDK) #

If you prefer to interact with the API directly via HTTP, all endpoints are available at:

https://api.1990archive.dev/v3/

Authentication #

Manage your API keys and configure secure access to the archive.

API Keys #

All API requests require authentication via an API key. You can generate and manage your keys from the Developer Console.

Key Types

Authentication Methods #

Method 1: Authorization Header

GET /v3/search HTTP/1.1
Host: api.1990archive.dev
Authorization: Bearer sk-1990-a1b2c3d4e5f6...
Content-Type: application/json

Method 2: Environment Variable

# Recommended for server-side applications
export ARCHIVE_API_KEY="sk-1990-a1b2c3d4e5f6..."

JWT Tokens #

For server-to-server communication, you can use JWT tokens instead of API keys. JWT tokens provide short-lived access and are ideal for microservice architectures.

const { AuthService } = require('1990-web-archive');

// Generate a JWT token (valid for 1 hour)
const token = await AuthService.generateJWT({
  apiKey: process.env.ARCHIVE_API_KEY,
  ttl: 3600,  // seconds
  scopes: ["search:read", "pages:read"]
});

// Use the token in subsequent requests
const client = new ArchiveClient({
  authToken: token
});

Rate Limits #

API Reference

Complete reference for all 1990 Web Archive API endpoints, parameters, and response formats.

Search Archive #

curl -X GET \
  https://api.1990archive.dev/v3/search \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer sk-1990-a1b2c3d4e5f6' \
  -G \
  -d 'query=welcome to my homepage' \
  -d 'yearRange=1994,1998' \
  -d 'siteType=personal' \
  -d 'technology=frameset' \
  -d 'limit=10' \
  -d 'includeAssets=true'

{