---
id: internetarchive
version: "5.11.0"
license: AGPL-3.0
license_treatment: agpl
maintenance: active
---

# internetarchive — A Python interface to archive.org.

License: agpl · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 320.7K/mo

## What it is and what it does

internetarchive is a Python library and command-line tool that provides access to Archive.org's digital collections. It allows developers to programmatically search for items, retrieve metadata, and download files from the Internet Archive, as well as interact with the service via the `ia` command-line tool. The package wraps Archive.org's APIs and handles the HTTP communication through requests and urllib3, with jsonpatch for metadata manipulation and tqdm for progress reporting during downloads.

The library is production-stable and actively maintained, with support for modern Python versions (3.10+). It is commonly installed via pipx for command-line use or pip for library integration. The package has a long release history since 2013 and maintains a healthy repository with recent commits, making it a reliable choice for Archive.org integration.

Use it for:

- Download archived web pages, books, or media collections from Archive.org in bulk for research or preservation
- Build scripts that query Archive.org metadata to find and retrieve specific items programmatically
- Integrate Archive.org search and retrieval into Python applications without writing raw HTTP requests
- Use the `ia` command-line tool for one-off downloads or administrative tasks from the shell

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Programmatic and command-line interface to search, browse, and download content from Archive.org's digital collections.

Yes, with a critical caveat: upgrade to v5.4.2+ immediately if you use File.download(), as versions <=5.4.1 contain a directory traversal vulnerability. The package is actively maintained, has low install friction, and is the standard way to access Archive.org programmatically. AGPL-3.0 licensing requires review if you plan proprietary use.

## Install

pip install internetarchive
uv add internetarchive
poetry add internetarchive

## Installing internetarchive

Before you install: Low install friction with four lightweight runtime dependencies. Active maintenance: last release 23 days ago, repository last commit 2026-07-24, and 1897 stars indicate ongoing support. Requires Python >=3.10.

License in practice: Licensed under AGPL-3.0, which requires derivative works and modifications to be distributed under the same license. Suitable for open-source projects but may restrict commercial or proprietary use without careful licensing review.

Quickstart:

pip install internetarchive

from internetarchive import get_item
item = get_item('example_item')
item.download()

Requires Python >=3.10. Versions <=5.4.1 contain a critical directory traversal vulnerability in File.download(); upgrade to v5.4.2+ immediately.

Verify before relying:

- Specific Archive.org API endpoints and rate limits supported by this version
- Whether authentication (Archive.org credentials) is required for all operations or only some
- Performance characteristics for bulk downloads or large collections

## Package facts

- License: AGPL-3.0 (agpl)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 320.7K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

archive.org api client, internet archive downloader, wayback machine programmatic access, archive.org command line tool, digital library bulk download, archive.org metadata retrieval, ia command line interface, archive-access, web-scraping, cli-tool

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