/meta DocumentationAuthoritative reference for metadata schemas, archival specifications, API endpoints, and preservation methodologies used across the 1990 Web Archive infrastructure.
Core descriptive metadata for all archived entities. Maps directly to RDF/JSON-LD for interoperability.
Low-level technical metadata attached to every HTTP capture. Includes headers, timing, and crawler identifiers.
Used for sequencing captured pages into manifest-driven timelines and interactive exhibitions.
Proprietary extensions for retro-web classification, rendering hints, and era-specific tagging.
| Format | Specification | Use Case | Encoding |
|---|---|---|---|
| WARC 1.1 | ISO 28500:2009 |
Primary HTTP capture storage | gzip / uncompressed |
| WARC-JSON | WARC2JSON v1.3 |
Metadata extraction & indexing | UTF-8 |
| IIIF Images | ImageAPI 3.0 |
Page screenshots & raster captures | TIFF / JPEG-2000 |
| HTML Snapshots | WA-Render 2.1 |
Fidelity-preserving DOM state | UTF-8 with CRLF normalization |
| Asset Bundles | ZIP / tar.gz |
CSS, JS, GIF, MIDI attachments | binary / charset-mapped |
SHA-256 upon ingestion. Integrity verification endpoints are available via the /verify route.
Access structured metadata programmatically. All endpoints return JSON-LD unless Accept: application/json is specified.
Archival captures are preserved under scholarly fair use principles (17 U.S.C. § 107). Rights metadata is preserved exactly as found at time of capture. No content is altered or stripped of copyright notices.
Submit notices via /legal/dmca. Valid claims result in metadata-level access restrictions while preserving cryptographic integrity for legal audit trails.
Metadata and WARC objects are retained indefinitely. Deletion requests for personal data are processed within 30 days, with cryptographic tombstones replacing active records.
Metadata schemas, API documentation, and technical specifications are licensed under CC0-1.0. Content remains under original rights holder terms.