The concept of a library of everything has existed since the original Library of Alexandria, but in our modern era, that mission has moved into the digital realm. For over 28 years, the Internet Archive has taken on the monumental task of preserving our collective digital history and heritage. Not just a small-scale backup project, the Internet Archive is a massive infrastructure undertaking that manages over 250 petabytes of data, including books, web pages, software, and video. As a non-profit, the Archive operates on a unique model that prioritizes public access and historical preservation over monetization, relying on a $30 million annual budget funded primarily by philanthropy rather than advertisements or user tracking. At Cloud Field Day, Joy Chesbrough showed us a little of what the Internet Archive does and how it is funded.
Going Way Back
The best-known part is the collection of more than 860 billion web pages captured by the Wayback Machine. The Wayback Machine doesn’t simply save fun memes or old social media posts; it prevents “link rot,” the phenomenon where digital information simply vanishes as websites are taken down or URLs change. During global crises or major political shifts, the Archive’s role becomes even more critical as it works to capture government websites and cultural artifacts before they can be deleted or altered. The Internet Archive is saving important sites before they all go 404 (Not Found).
Infrastructure at this scale requires a different approach than your typical enterprise IT setup. Because they aren’t selling a product, the Archive has to be incredibly efficient in building and operating its systems. They’ve moved beyond the traditional three-tier application models we see in many businesses, opting instead for highly automated, open-source-driven environments. It’s less like a standard corporate data center and more like the hyperscale models used by the big cloud providers, but without the massive revenue streams. They have to minimize the “people cost” and maximize the process, using automation to manage a data footprint that would be a nightmare for a traditional operations team.
Cultural Preservation
A big part of the Internet Archive’s mission is preserving voices that might otherwise be forgotten. Projects like Archive-It and Community Webs focus specifically on preserving the history of marginalized communities and local government documents. The Internet Archive provides the tools for these communities to archive their own history. Ensuring that the digital record is diverse and representative, rather than just a reflection of what was popular or profitable at the time.
Collectively, we have a problem with misinformation and the volatility of digital platforms. Having a stable, “read-only” version of history is a necessity for democracy. The Archive provides a foundation of truth and a way to look back at what was actually said or published, regardless of how much someone might later want to change the narrative. It’s an ambitious mission to save everything. As we rely more and more on the internet for our primary record of existence, the scale of the Internet Archive’s work only becomes more essential. If we don’t save it now, who’s going to know what happened twenty years from now?
You can find all the videos from Cloud Field Day on the website.
