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The right website archiver depends on scope. Use Internet Archive’s Save Page Now for one public URL, ArchiveWeb.page when you need to capture pages locally as you browse, and a managed crawler such as Archive-It or Browsertrix for recurring or whole-site collections. “Archive this website completely” is not a single command: define which pages, interactions, files, privacy rules and repeat schedule you actually need first.
Decide what “archive” means before choosing a tool
Archiving can mean three different jobs:
- One public snapshot: preserve a single page so others can cite or open it later.
- A private browsing capture: save pages, assets and interactions while you work, then replay them offline.
- A collection crawl: discover many URLs, run captures on a schedule and manage the results as an institutional collection.
Also decide whether the source is mostly static HTML or a JavaScript application. A static page may replay from a simple snapshot; an application that loads data after clicks, login, scrolling or API calls needs a browser-based capture. Finally, decide whether the result may be public. Uploading a URL to a public archive is different from retaining an export on your own computer.
Option 1: Save one page in the Wayback Machine
Internet Archive Save Page Now is the quickest choice for a single, publicly shareable reference. Enter the page URL, submit it, and the service creates a Wayback Machine URL that you can cite or send to someone else. The capture includes the entered page’s images and CSS, but it does not follow links to save the rest of the site.
The Internet Archive states: “Please note, this method only saves a single page, not the whole site.” Treat that as a hard scope limit, not a crawl setting you can enable later.
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When it fits
- A press release, documentation page, public policy page or other individual reference.
- A citation that should remain accessible through a public archive.
- A one-time snapshot where local privacy is not required.
Why a save can fail
Some site owners prohibit crawling, and certain SSL configurations can prevent a successful capture. A successful submission also does not guarantee that every dynamic interaction, authenticated view or third-party asset will replay. If the page matters, open the resulting archive and check the text, images, styles and links before treating it as complete.
Option 2: Capture locally while you browse with ArchiveWeb.page
ArchiveWeb.page is a browser extension and desktop application for recording sites during normal browsing. It organizes capture sessions, can export WARC and WACZ, and says captured data remains local unless you share it and can be viewed offline. Its product page lists version 0.17.1, released September 4, 2026, and support for Chromium-based browsers including Chrome, Brave and Edge. Confirm the current release and operating-system support before deployment because those details change.
A practical local-capture workflow
- Install the extension or desktop app for a supported Chromium-based browser.
- Create a named session for the site, project and capture date.
- Browse every page and interaction you need preserved. Scroll through lazy-loaded sections, open menus, expand accordions and follow pagination deliberately.
- Watch the session’s captured URL list and revisit pages that show missing images, blocked requests or incomplete state.
- Export the session as WARC or WACZ, then open the export in compatible replay software to verify it.
- Copy the export to a separate backup location. An external SSD is optional; choose its capacity from the actual size of your collection rather than a generic recommendation.
What local capture does and does not solve
Because you drive the browser, this method is useful for interactive pages that a single HTTP fetch would miss. It is still bounded by what you visit and what the browser can load. It is not an automatic crawl of every linked URL, and pages behind accounts, consent choices or anti-bot controls may require explicit permission and a reproducible capture procedure.
Option 3: Run recurring or whole-site crawls
For a large collection, preservation program or scheduled recapture, use a managed crawling service. The Internet Archive describes Archive-It as a paid subscription for organizations that specify what to crawl and how often, with technical and web-archivist support. Webrecorder describes Browsertrix as a hosted platform for automated whole-site archiving and scheduled crawls. Check each provider’s current scope, limits, retention, access controls and pricing before selecting one.
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Questions to settle in a crawl specification
- Seeds and boundaries: Which hostnames, paths, subdomains and file types are in scope?
- Discovery: Should the crawler follow links, sitemaps, feeds or an explicit URL list?
- Frequency: Is this a one-time crawl, a monthly revision or an event-triggered capture?
- Browser behavior: Must it execute JavaScript, click controls, wait for network idle or authenticate?
- Exclusions: Which query strings, tracking URLs, media files or private areas must be blocked?
- Review: Who checks crawl logs, replay quality, missing assets and out-of-scope captures?
A service can automate discovery and scheduling, but no crawler should be assumed to capture an entire modern site perfectly. Define a boundary, inspect logs and sample replays, and retain the crawl configuration alongside the output.
WARC and WACZ: which preservation format should you keep?
WARC stores web-archive records: requests, responses and related capture data. It is the established record format used in professional workflows. WACZ is a ZIP-based package convention that combines WARC files with indexes, page entries and a manifest. The WACZ 1.2.0 specification describes it as a way to package what a browser needs for efficient access and context; it does not replace WARC or guarantee that every viewer can replay every feature.
Choose WARC when your institution’s tools or preservation policy require individual archive records. Choose WACZ when you need a portable package with indexes and contextual metadata for convenient replay or transfer. In both cases, record the capture date, source URLs, software version, scope and any authentication or consent decisions. Replay depends on compatible viewing software, so test an exported sample before deleting the original session.
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WebsiteArchiver’s macOS documentation lists PDF for printing or annotation, Apple WebArchive for Safari, and MHTML for Chrome and Edge. It also documents combined PDF or WARC exports for whole crawls. These formats serve different purposes: PDF is convenient for human reading, while WARC/WACZ retain more of the web transaction context. Keep the archival export even if you also create a PDF.
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How to choose among the methods
| Need | Best starting point | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| One public page to cite | Internet Archive Save Page Now | Single-page scope; no whole-site crawl |
| Pages you manually explore, kept private | ArchiveWeb.page | You must visit required pages and verify replay |
| Scheduled or organization-wide collection | Archive-It or Browsertrix | Paid service and configuration work; verify current terms |
| Automated screenshot endpoint for application workflows | ScreenshotNeo | Produces rendered images or PDFs rather than a WARC collection |
Use the smallest method that satisfies the requirement. A public one-page citation does not justify a crawler; a legal or institutional collection should not rely on a handful of manually saved screenshots.
Or skip the browser setup: ScreenshotNeo for rendered shots and PDFs
If your immediate requirement is a clean rendered image or PDF—not a replayable WARC collection—ScreenshotNeo provides a website screenshot API and MCP server. It accepts a URL and returns PNG, JPEG, WebP or PDF. Before capture it can accept cookie or consent banners and remove more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups and chat widgets; each cleanup step can be disabled. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads and cache hits are not billed, and response headers identify the page verdict and billing status.
The API supports full-page captures with lazy images loaded, CSS-selector element shots, dark mode, 12 device presets or any viewport, retina scale, PDF paper size, margins, landscape and page ranges, custom CSS and JavaScript, pre-capture clicks, hidden selectors, waits for selectors, delays or network idle, request and resource blocking, custom headers, cookies, user agents and Authorization, timezone and geolocation, transparent backgrounds, resizing, selectable cache TTL, signed public-image links, asynchronous jobs with signed webhooks, bulk capture of up to 100 URLs per call, a usage API and an OpenAPI specification. Parameter names used by other screenshot APIs also work, easing migration.
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curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpPython
import requests
r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"}, timeout=90)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)Node.js
const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);See the ScreenshotNeo documentation for option names and response headers. The free plan includes 1,000 shots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots. Every feature is available on every plan. An MCP server exposes take_screenshot, get_page_info and capture_pdf to Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients, so an AI agent can request captures without custom browser plumbing.
ScreenshotNeo is not a substitute for a WARC/WACZ preservation workflow: use it when your deliverable is a clean visual or PDF, or when an application needs an image endpoint. Create a free ScreenshotNeo account to start with 1,000 screenshots a month and no card.
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Troubleshooting an incomplete archive
The Wayback result is missing images or styles
Confirm the archive URL itself, then inspect whether assets were blocked, disallowed or loaded from a separate host. Retry only after checking the site’s crawl policy and SSL configuration; Save Page Now cannot turn into a whole-site crawl.
The local replay is blank
Reopen the export in software that supports its format, and verify that the WARC/WACZ file copied without corruption. Recapture after waiting for network activity to finish and after scrolling through lazy-loaded content.
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Interactive controls do nothing offline
Capture the interaction while online, including the resulting state and any API responses. A static PDF or screenshot records appearance, not application behavior; retain a browser-based archive when behavior matters.
A scheduled crawl grows unexpectedly
Narrow hostname and path boundaries, exclude tracking query strings and large media where policy permits, and review logs for calendar pages or infinite URL patterns. Keep the exact seed list and exclusion rules with each crawl.
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A ScreenshotNeo response is not billed
Inspect the X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed headers. Bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads and cache hits are intentionally reported as non-clean outcomes rather than charged captures; adjust waits, headers, cookies or blocking rules only when you are authorized to access the page.
Preservation checklist
- Write down scope, date, timezone, source URLs and capture software version.
- Record whether pages were public, authenticated, consented or blocked.
- Keep the original WARC/WACZ or service export, not only a screenshot.
- Test replay on a separate machine or viewer and sample important pages.
- Maintain at least one independent backup for irreplaceable collections.
- Review the archive’s access permissions and any copyright or personal-data obligations before sharing it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I archive an entire website with Save Page Now?
No. Save Page Now saves the submitted page and does not initiate a crawl of linked pages.
Is WACZ another name for WARC?
No. WACZ packages WARC files with indexes, page entries and a manifest; it is a packaging convention, not a replacement for the WARC record format.
Should I use a screenshot or a web archive for evidence?
Use a screenshot or PDF for a visual record. Use WARC/WACZ when you need replayable request and response context, discovery records or a preservation workflow.
Does ArchiveWeb.page automatically keep every page on a domain?
No. It captures while you browse, so you must visit the pages and states that belong in your collection.
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