Disruptarian Radio * NOW PLAYING * DJ Disruptarian – S.P.E.A.R *

Disruptarian Community

Archive Forge SWT: publish once, preserve forever

by | Oct 16, 2025 | Censorship, Technology

Archive Forge for the Internet archive

I have lost work online. Domains went dark. Accounts vanished. Some of that was on me. Some of it was gatekeepers doing what they do. So I built a tool I wish I had years ago, and I am giving it to you for free.

I am Ryan “Dickie” Thompson. I run Spun Web Technology and Veracity Integrity. We build software that keeps creators in control. Archive Forge SWT is our free, open source WordPress plugin that automatically submits your posts and pages to the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine. Version 1.0.14 is production ready, tested with modern WordPress, and released under the GPL.

Get the code, improve it, fork it, or install it now: https://github.com/veracitylife/Archive-Forge-SWT .

Why this plugin exists

If you create online, you need redundancy. Not another promise from a platform, a record you control. Archiving is proof, not nostalgia. It time stamps your work in a public library so you have receipts when pages vanish or get “moderated.” Paying taxes is like handing the town drunk your wallet and hoping he buys groceries instead of whiskey. Trusting centralized platforms with your body of work is not much better.

I built Archive Forge SWT after losing domains and accounts. Some due to neglect, some due to censorship. I do not want you to learn the hard way.

What Archive Forge SWT actually does

Short version: it submits WordPress URLs to the Wayback Machine automatically and on demand, then tracks the results in your dashboard with real feedback and recovery tools.

Under the hood it brings reliability that real sites need:

  • Major fix for “stuck processing.” 1.0.14 overhauled validation, raised API timeouts to 30 seconds, added rate limit protection, improved cron cleanup, and added a one-click reset for stuck items.
  • Queue management that respects the Archive. Smarter spacing between calls, retries, and five minute sweeps to reconcile pending items keep submissions moving without tripping limits.
  • Submission history and visibility. A beefed-up submissions table stores job_id, snapshot_url, timestamps, error codes, and audit flags, with a “Validate now” control for quick fixes.
  • Widgets and shortcodes for the front end. Drop archive links, counts, and lists into any page with [archive-link], [archive-status], [archive-list], and [archive-count].
  • Memory tools for bigger sites. A memory dashboard, utilities, and thresholds help you run long queues without drama.

Compatibility: Requires WordPress 5.0+ and PHP 7.4+. Tested up to WordPress 6.8.2. Licensed GPL v2 or later.

How it works, in plain English

When you publish or update a post, WordPress fires a hook. Archive Forge SWT listens, adds the URL to a queue, and submits it to the Internet Archive. The plugin records the job, verifies the snapshot when the Archive finishes, and stores the result. If something fails, it retries with sane limits and logs the reason so you can act. A five minute cron schedule helps resolve pending items on its own.

Think of it like certified mail to a public library. The librarian stamps it with a date. Even if your site goes down, the library still has your letter.

Setup in five minutes

  1. Install the plugin from the GitHub ZIP, then Activate.
  2. Connect to Archive.org. Create an account, generate S3 API keys, paste them into Spun Web Archive Forge → API Credentials, and hit Test Connection. Credentials are stored securely.
  3. Choose auto and manual options. Pick post types, delay, and retry settings.
  4. Publish. Watch the submission history populate and confirm the Wayback snapshot once it is ready.

Features you will actually use

Automatic and manual submissions
Auto submit on publish. Click to archive older posts and pages from your All Posts or All Pages screens.

Real submission tracking
You get job IDs, snapshot URLs, timestamps, error codes, and a validate-now button. There is also cron-based cleanup.

Clean widgets and shortcodes
Embed recent archives, show counts, or link to your Wayback snapshots without touching code.

Secure background processing
Submissions use WordPress cron so visitors are never blocked. Credentials are handled through WordPress features.

Scaled-sites ready
Monitoring and memory utilities are built in. You can run large queues without baby-sitting.

Who should run this

  • Writers and journalists who want receipts, not promises
  • Investigators and activists who need a public record
  • Site owners burned by takedowns, hacks, or sloppy hosts
  • Creators who value speech over the whims of centralized moderators

Silencing speech is like putting duct tape over a smoke alarm. The fire still burns; you just cannot hear the warning.

Related projects you may like

These are solid neighbors in the same space. Different approaches, same goal of keeping the record intact.

  • Archiver by Mickey Kay, a classic plugin that triggers Wayback snapshots from WordPress. Good for simple auto-captures and manual triggers. (GitHub)
  • Amber from the Berkman Klein Center, a free plugin that preserves snapshots of links on your site and provides fallbacks when pages die. Works with WordPress and Drupal. (amberlink.org)
  • Perma.cc, widely used in legal and academic settings for durable citations. Not a WordPress archiver for your whole site, but powerful for permanent outbound links. (Perma)
  • Official Wayback Machine browser extension, handy for quickly saving or viewing snapshots while you browse. (GitHub)
  • Save Page Now resources to understand the Internet Archive’s capture endpoints and workflows. (Internet Archive)

A quick, honest promo: support the Internet Archive

You know what? The Internet Archive keeps the lights on for our collective memory. It is a 501(c)(3) library, not a Big Tech product. They run the Wayback Machine that makes all of this possible. If you can, donate a few dollars to help them keep crawling, storing, and serving the history that everyone else forgets to protect: https://archive.org/donate. (Wayback Machine)

Download, fork, and make it yours

I will keep building tools that solve real problems in clear ways. If you have an idea that would make this better, say it. If you find a bug, file it. If you want a feature, help spec it. That is how open source should work.

Sources and references

Spun Web Technology SMART SEO

Spun Web Technology SMART SEO

Disruptarian on Rumble

eChaos Music cosplay and steampunk gear and clothing

eChaos Music cosplay and steampunk gear and clothing