# Internet Archive

A non-profit digital library of uploaded books, films, audio, software and web snapshots, with open APIs for search, item metadata and file download.

- Category: Books and libraries · by Internet Archive (non-profit)
- Website: https://archive.org/
- Live data: no
- Checked on the official pages: 2026-10-23

## API

- Official API: yes, docs https://archive.org/developers/
- Key needed: no
- Price: not stated; limits: Add delays between requests for bulk operations; honor 429 Too Many Requests and Retry-After; send a descriptive User-Agent.
- Base URL: https://archive.org/metadata/
- Formats: json

Example request:

```
https://archive.org/advancedsearch.php?q=collection%3Anasa&fl%5B%5D=identifier&fl%5B%5D=title&rows=10&output=json
```

## Data and license

- Download: https://archive.org/developers/ (varies per item (pdf, epub, mp3, mp4, txt, ...), json)
- License: Varies per item (uploader's statement or Creative Commons license); archive.org Terms of Use (https://help.archive.org/help/rights/); covers Each item carries its own rights; the Archive does not guarantee copyright status
- Commercial use with conditions
- Credit depends on the item
- Embedding unclear
- Quote (api_official): "A complete list of the Internet Archive APIs and services is at Tools and APIs" (https://archive.org/developers/)
- Quote (limits): "Add delays between requests for bulk operations" (https://archive.org/developers/bots.html)
- Quote (user_agent): "All automated requests to archive.org must include a descriptive User-Agent header" (https://archive.org/developers/bots.html)
- Quote (commercial): "As a result, there are now millions of works available through the Archive and most are available only for “non commercial use” and “with attribution.”" (https://help.archive.org/help/rights/)
- Quote (rights): "The Internet Archive does not make guarantees as to the copyright status of items on archive.org and cannot guarantee information posted on item details or collection pages regarding copyright or other intellectual property rights." (https://help.archive.org/help/rights/)
- Quote (attribution): "The person who uploads an item often provides information related to use rights, either by way of directly entering it in the description field or by selection of a Creative Commons license." (https://help.archive.org/help/rights/)

## Rules for an agent

- Search with advancedsearch.php (output=json), then GET archive.org/metadata/{identifier} for the file list; download from archive.org/download/{identifier}/{file}. Send a descriptive User-Agent and back off on 429.
- Check each item's own rights statement or CC license before reuse; most items are for non-commercial use only.
- Send a descriptive User-Agent, add delays for bulk jobs and honor 429/Retry-After.
- Never treat the Archive's metadata as a guarantee of copyright status.

Human page: https://agentgid.com/resources/internet-archive/
Source: AgentGid (agentgid.com). Facts are quoted from the site's own pages; check the license page before you ship.