HTTrack facts for kids
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Developer(s) | Xavier Roche |
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Initial release | May 1998 |
Stable release |
3.49.5 / Error: first parameter is missing.
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Written in | C |
Operating system | Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD and Android |
Type | Offline browser and Web crawler |
License | GNU General Public License Version 3 |
HTTrack is a free computer program that lets you download websites. It's like making a copy of a website to keep on your own computer. This means you can look at the website later, even if you are not connected to the internet.
HTTrack was created by Xavier Roche. It is open-source, which means its code is available for anyone to see and use. This program is very useful for saving information or looking at websites offline.
Contents
What is HTTrack and How Does It Work?
HTTrack is a special tool called a Web crawler. It goes through a website and downloads all its pages, pictures, and files. It saves them on your computer in a way that keeps the original website's structure. This saved copy is called a "mirror" of the website.
Once you have a mirrored website, you can open it with your regular internet browser. It will look just like the original site, but it's stored on your computer. This is great for studying websites or keeping a copy of information.
Cool Features of HTTrack
HTTrack has many helpful features. If you've already downloaded a website, it can update your copy. This way, you get any new changes from the original site. It can also pick up where it left off if a download was stopped.
You can tell HTTrack exactly what to download or what to skip. It has simple settings and a built-in help guide. There are different versions of HTTrack. One is a basic text-based version for advanced users. There are also easy-to-use versions with a graphical interface, like WinHTTrack and WebHTTrack.
How HTTrack Downloads Websites
HTTrack uses its web crawler to explore and download a website. Sometimes, websites have rules about what can be downloaded. These rules are called the Robots Exclusion Standard. HTTrack usually follows these rules, but you can choose to turn them off.
The program can follow most links on a website. This includes links made with basic JavaScript or found inside Applets or Flash content. However, it might not download very complex links. These are links created using advanced programming code or server-side image maps.
See also
- Robots Exclusion Standard
- Website mirroring software