Building DownloadStuffs: A Modern UI for the Internet Archive

Source: Dev.to

Introduction

The Internet Archive is one of the most valuable public libraries on the web, but using it efficiently can be surprisingly hard. Slow browsing, unclear “best” files, broken downloads, and poor UX for multi‑file items (series, playlists) were common pain points. To address these issues, I built DownloadStuffs, a modern, open‑source interface focused on speed, clarity, and reliable downloads.

Live demo: (link not provided in the original post)

Pain Points with Archive.org UI

• Performance on large result sets
• Difficulty discovering the right file among many formats
• Lack of preview for long‑form or episodic content
• Unreliable downloads in modern browsers (CORS, timeouts)

These frictions add up for both developers and end users.

DownloadStuffs Overview

DownloadStuffs is designed around three core principles:

1. Speed
2. Clarity
3. Completion

Core Principles

Speed

• Fast search with media‑type filters and sorting
• In‑page video/audio previews

Clarity

• Playlist queue with keyboard controls
• Clear UI for multi‑file items

Completion

• Reliable download proxy (no CORS issues)
• Batch ZIP downloads for multi‑file items

Features

• Search: IA Advanced Search API
• Metadata: IA Metadata API
• Streaming: Direct IA download endpoints
• Streaming ZIP generation and proxying large files

Technical Stack

• Backend: Bun + TypeScript
• Frontend: Vite + modern SPA routing
• Deployment: Vercel

Open Source

• Repository: (link not provided in the original post)
• Live site: (link not provided in the original post)

I’d love feedback, ideas, and contributions 🚀