Wikipedia deprecates Archive.today, starts removing archive links

TechStrider

21 Feb 2026 — 2 min read

Wikipedia's Shift Away from Archive.today

Wikipedia has made a significant decision to deprecate Archive.today, a service that has been used to preserve web pages and provide a snapshot of online content at a particular point in time. This move has sparked a lively discussion among users, with some expressing concerns about the implications of this change.

Why this matters

Archive.today has been a valuable resource for Wikipedia editors, allowing them to cite web pages and provide a permanent record of online content. However, it appears that Wikipedia has decided to remove archive links, citing reasons that have not been publicly disclosed. This decision may have significant consequences for the way we preserve and access online information.

Features of Archive.today

Some of the key features of Archive.today include:

Snapshots of web pages: Archive.today allows users to capture a snapshot of a web page at a particular point in time, preserving its content and structure.
Permanent links: Archive.today provides permanent links to these snapshots, allowing users to access them even if the original web page is deleted or modified.
DDoS protection: Archive.today has been known to direct DDoS attacks against websites that attempt to block its archiving efforts, as seen in a recent incident reported on Hacker News.

The controversy surrounding Archive.today

The decision to deprecate Archive.today has been met with controversy, with some users expressing concerns about the motivations behind this move. Some have reported weird behavior from Archive.today, including DDoS attacks and other forms of harassment. Others have pointed out that Wikipedia's decision may be related to these incidents, although the exact reasons remain unclear.

How to access archived content

For users who rely on Archive.today for preserving web pages, there are alternative services available, such as the Internet Archive. These services provide similar functionality, allowing users to capture and preserve online content.

# Example of using the Internet Archive's save command
wget https://web.archive.org/save/http://example.com

Verdict

This decision by Wikipedia to deprecate Archive.today may have significant implications for the way we preserve and access online information. Who is this for? This change may be of particular interest to:

Wikipedia editors who rely on archive links for citing web pages
Users who value the preservation of online content
Developers who build tools and services for archiving web pages

What do you think about Wikipedia's decision to deprecate Archive.today? Do you have any alternative services or tools that you recommend for preserving online content?

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