Wayback Machine: Difference between revisions

|maker = [[wikipedia:Internet Archive|''Internet Archive'']]

|registered in = 1996

The '''Wayback Machine''' is a digital archive of the internet created by the [[wikipedia:Internet Archive|''Internet Archive'']]. This tool provides users with access to archived versions of [[websites]] and other digital content that may have been altered or removed over time.

In 1996, the Internet Archive developed the ''Wayback Machine'' as a digital archive to preserve internet content.<ref>USA Today. (2021, October 29). Internet Archive at 25: Take a wayback machine trip back to 1996. Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/2021/10/29/internet-archive-25-take-wayback-machine-back-1996/6196494001/</ref> It aimed to give researchers, historians, and anyone interested in the internet's evolution access to historical versions of websites and other digital content. The first version of the ''Wayback Machine'' debuted in 2001, granting access to over 10 billion web pages. The archive now boasts over 900 billion web pages dating back to the internet's early days, growing exponentially since its launch.<ref>VentureBeat. (n.d.). Brave browser taps the Wayback Machine to show deleted web pages. Retrieved from https://venturebeat.com/business/brave-browser-taps-the-wayback-machine-to-show-deleted-web-pages/</ref>

The ''Wayback Machine'' periodically takes snapshots of websites and stores them in its archive. This provides a historical record of how the websites looked and functioned at different points in time, which can be useful for researching the history of a website, retrieving deleted content, or accessing versions that are no longer available online. To use the ''Wayback Machine'', users can visit the Internet Archive's website and enter the URL of the website or page they wish to view. The archive displays a calendar of the dates on which snapshots were taken, and users can select a specific date to view the archived version. The ''Wayback Machine''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> mission is to preserve digital content for future generations, which includes [[screamers]] and [[shock sites]]. This means that archived versions of these sites can still be accessed even if the original site has been taken down or deleted. We also advised our fellow wiki users (including you) to archive almost all of the screamer and shock sites for historical purposes!