Web Archiving: How to Open a WARC

For WARC files in VTechWorks there are a few options for access:

1. Access via Archive-It (recommended)
   1. Navigate to the VTUL web archive (https://www.archive-it.org/collections/5315).
   2. Search for the author, seed URL, or title.
   3. Navigate to the version you want, with the most recently crawled version on the right hand side of the screen.
   4. Click the date of the crawl and explore the archived site.
   5. Note: This does not require the downloaded WARC file, and instead accesses the original WARC capture.
2. Upload and browse using Webrecorder Player
   1. Navigate to https://github.com/webrecorder/webrecorder-player/releases/tag/v1.5.0 and follow the download instructions to install the Webrecorder Player desktop application.
   2. Upload your WARC file and explore.
   3. Note: Webrecorder Player succeeds webarchiveplayer (https://github.com/ikreymer/webarchiveplayer), which is still available but no longer actively supported. We have also experience some playback issues with interactive media.
3. Open using OpenWayBack (recommended only for experienced technical users)
   1. Ensure the most updated version of Apache Maven (http://maven.apache.org/) is installed on your machine.
   2. Ensure the most updated version of OpenJDK (https://openjdk.java.net/) is installed on your machine.
   3. Ensure the Apache Tomcat (http://tomcat.apache.org/) Version 6 or higher is installed on your machine.
   4. Navigate to the OpenWayBack wiki https://github.com/iipc/openwayback/wiki for download and installation instructions
   5. Configure your wayback installation appropriately.
   6. Note: OpenWayBack is an open source application supported by the IIPC, but not used formally at Virginia Tech, nor is it supported by Library IT.

See the Tools page for additional ideas on tools to use.

Contact Digital Preservation Coordinator for additional consultation, resources, and information.