5 Tools to View Old Versions of Any Website

In today’s digital world,everything from business and education to communication and entertainment has transitioned online. With almost 2.5 lakhs of websites being created every day, thetotal number of websites has already surpassed the mark of1 billion. From such a huge number, we can assume how massive the amount of information and data are available all over the web.

Keeping this in mind there are various individual organizations and governments that developed digital preservation platforms and one such is the Internet Archive. Such websites act as a digital library of the internet that stores snapshots and other information of websites throughout the years so that it can assist scholars and researchers to find valuable pieces of information and also helps newer generations to see how the internet has evolved.

List of Top 5 Tools to View Old Versions of Websites

1. Wayback Machine

Wayback Machine is founded by the Internet Archive which provides free access to various digital content like software, website, media, documents, etc. Wayback Machine is the perfect website to view old versions of any website. It’s a kind of digital library of the internet that archives the images of web pages from time to time. It started archiving websites in 1996 and hasa vast archive collection of cached web pages of numerous popular websites like Amazon, Flipkart, Spotify, Youtube, etc. The interface of the website is easy to navigate, where you first enter the website URL, then select the year, and then from a yearly calendar you click onthe dateon which you want to see the website’s screenshot.

Features:

1. User-friendly interface

2. Supports major websites

3. View websites’ snapshots by time

4. See the summary of websites

5. A visual representation of changes in the archive

6. Access the visual sitemap of a website

7. Explore the list of all the captured URLs of a website

Visit Wayback Machine

2. Archive Today

Archive Today is another great website to see older versions of websites. This website archiving tool was founded in 2012. It uses Apache Hadoop and Apache Accumulo to store data which includes texts and images of websites with its data centers in Europe.Archive Today has a minimal interface but supports major websites both old and modern like Twitter, Google Maps, Youtube, etc.It shows screenshots of web pages in descending order but you also get the option to browse from oldest to newest screenshots. You can share the snapshot of the website or download it in zip format. To ease the use of Archive Today to access digitally preserved websites, they have their Chrome extensions available which you can download from here.

Features:

1. Minimalinterface

2. Supports major websites

3. View websites’ snapshotsin descending order

4. Download screenshots in ZIP format

5. View websites’ snapshotsfrom oldest to newest

6. Chrome extension for ease of use

Visit Archive Today

3. OldWeb

Apart from showing you old web pages of websites through Internet Archive, the OldWeb site also make you feel that you are browsing the internet in the 90s. It allows you to surf thelive version of websites andsee older versions of websitesthrough some of the earliest web browsers including NCSA Mosaic, MacLynx 2, Internet Explorer 4, Navigator 4, Firefox 10, etc. All you have to do is to select an old browser, then paste the website’s URL, and then select a date. Though it may take some time to load the old browser it will definitely be worth the wait. So if you are someone who wants to experience early web browsers, then definitely check it out.

Features:

1. Easy to use

2. Old virtual web browsers

3. Get experience with the earliest browsers

4. Browse live webpages

5. Browse archivesofa specific date

Visit OldWeb

4. UK Web Archive

UK Web Archive is an essential website that works as digital preservation of websites based in the United Kingdom. It’s a great tool for researchers or scholars who want to dive and discover the earlier UK websites’ contents. One of the most useful features of the UK Web Archive is that it allows youto explore websites using different themes and topics which include History, Science & Technology, Politics & Government, Art & Culture, and others. Like other website archivers, this one too has the option to select a specific date, month, and year.

Features:

1. User-friendly interface

2. Save UK websites

3. Search through text or URL

4. Explore websites using themes and topics

5. Digital preservation of most UK websites

6. Browse archivesofa specific time frame

Visit K Web Archive

5. Library of Congress

The United States Library of Congress is one of the largest digital libraries in the world where you can find millions of videos, audio, articles, images, web pages, and other types of documents. To view the older screenshots of websites you can search the website using URL or normal text and then click on any web archive link of that site. Then you can select the years and see the older screenshots of that website. One good feature of the Library of Congress website is that it has a wide range of options like type, time, location, and many more to sort or filter articles which makes it easy for researchers.

Features:

1. User-friendly interface

2. Millions of documents, and media files

3. Comprehensive filtering and sorting options

4. Browsescreenshots of webpagesofa specific time

5. Other valuable services and programs

Visit Library of Congress