Have you ever wanted to create a copy of your favourite sites that you can browse even if you are not connected to the internet? We’re talking about a one-to-one clone, not a simple copy/paste operation. There are some programs that do just that, and they can make an exact copy of even advanced sites like online casino Canada. In this article, we’ll talk about them and list which ones are the best.
What is Website Mirroring?
In its simplest form, website mirroring means creating an exact copy of a particular site. This may be necessary for many different purposes. For example, as a webmaster you may want to create a clone of your site: this clone can be used as a backup and activated immediately in case of a problem. As a programmer, you may also need a copy for use in the development process so you can test and make any changes you want without touching the running code. Of course, as a user, you may simply want offline browsing too. In such a case, with website mirroring, you can create a copy of a particular site that you can browse even if you are not online. Website mirroring tools do just that: they copy the site you choose, create an exact clone and let you use that clone for whatever purpose you want.
HTTrack Website Copier
This program describes itself as a “free offline browser.” It can run on many platforms such as Windows, Linux, OSX and Android, and there is even a portable version. In other words, you can put it on a USB stick and save the site you want to copy on the same stick. HTTrack has a very simple usage: it is enough to choose the “save” location and enter the address of the site you will copy.
After that, the program automatically downloads the entire site to your chosen location and automatically creates all the necessary directories. One of its best features is that it can automatically follow updates on the mirrored site. So, for example, let’s say that new content is added to a mirrored site in a week: HTTrack can update the existing copy by downloading only this new content, not the entire site. The program is completely free and does not contain any adware.
Pavuk
Pavuk is open-source software, and its installation file is less than 1 MB. Unfortunately, there is no Windows version, it is only developed for Linux, macOS and FreeBSD. It is free to use and can copy data over HTTP, FTP, Gopher and HTTPS. (Most programs fail to copy HTTPS websites.) In this context, it should be noted that it is one of the rare mirroring tools that can also work through a proxy.
Pavuk can be used to copy a single page or an entire website. Since it has multithreading support, we can say that it works much faster and more efficiently than many other website mirroring tools. Since it has JavaScript support, you can write special scripts that enable it to perform certain tasks, so it is possible to customize it as you wish. But as can be expected from all these explanations, it is not very suitable for beginners: it appeals to experienced users. In this respect, it is preferred by developers.
WebScrapBook
This is not a program, it’s a browser extension. It works on Firefox and Chrome, which means it can work on all other Chrome variants (Opera, Brave, etc.). As it is an extension, it does not offer as many options and features as a full-featured program, but it is more than enough for everyday use. You can edit a page before or after copying it and, for example, add your personal notes.
You can include all your saved sites in a collection. Each site registered in this collection is called a “scrapbook,” and related data is stored using a hierarchical tree structure. You can search all scrapbooks and use advanced filters (e.g., URL, metadata, keyword) for this. One of the most interesting features of the extension is that it can also work in mobile browsers. It supports Firefox for Android and Kiwi Browser, so you can do all this without the need for a desktop computer.
WebCopy
WebCopy is a free tool developed by Cyotek and is developed exclusively for Windows. It has an interface reminiscent of FTP software: you see the directories of the site you copied at the top, and the local directories that are automatically created at the bottom. The program works completely automatically, but you can pre-create certain parameters. For example, you can tell it to download only text or both text and images.
WebCopy does not contain a virtual DOM and cannot parse JavaScript. Therefore, it is not possible to say that it creates an exact copy and will not be a suitable choice for developers. However, it can download text, video and image files without any problems. If you are looking for a simple application with a modern interface for daily use, WebCopy may be the best option for you.