ArchiveBox explicitly notes that disabling Chrome-based archiving reduces memory pressure. Each concurrent snapshot can add another Chrome tab and memory/CPU pressure scales roughly with concurrency.
Users archiving JavaScript-heavy sites with screenshots/PDFs.Requisitos de hardware de ArchiveBox: RAM, CPU, almacenamiento y rastreo
Conoce los requisitos mínimos de 1 GB de RAM, la recomendación de 2 GB, el rastreo con Chrome, el almacenamiento y la concurrencia de ArchiveBox para ZimaOS.
ArchiveBox requirements at a glance
ArchiveBox currently publishes explicit hardware guidance: 1 GB RAM minimum and 2 GB+ recommended. On a 1 GB VPS, the project recommends at least 4 GB of swap before running full default crawls. CPU and RAM usage rise sharply with Chrome-based extractors and crawl concurrency, while archive storage can range from roughly 1 GB to 50 GB per 1,000 snapshots depending on media and extractor settings.
- RAM minimum
- 1 GB current official minimum.
- RAM recommended
- 2 GB+ current official recommendation.
- Swap
- On a 1 GB VPS, ArchiveBox recommends at least 4 GB swap for full default crawls.
- CPU architecture
- Current supported CPU architectures are amd64/x86_64 and arm64/aarch64.
- Storage
- Official guidance estimates roughly 1–50 GB per 1,000 snapshots depending on media/video/audio and extractor configuration.
- Best Zima starting point
- ZimaBoard 2 832 is already far above the 2 GB recommended tier; ZimaCube becomes useful when long-term archive capacity and large crawl/storage workflows dominate.
From official requirements to the right setup
ArchiveBox sizing starts with crawler features and snapshot volume, not just the Web UI.
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Official requirements
Meet the current 1 GB minimum / 2 GB+ recommended memory baseline first. Very small 1 GB hosts should add the project's recommended swap before full crawls.
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Confirm your needs
Choose extractors deliberately. Chrome-based methods use substantially more RAM/CPU, while disabling Chrome can reduce crawl-time memory pressure.
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Leave room to grow
Estimate archive storage from snapshot type. Text/static pages can be small, while yt-dlp, audio/video and rich-media extraction can push storage toward the high end of ArchiveBox's 1–50 GB per 1,000 snapshots range.
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Run it on ZimaOS
Keep index.sqlite3 on local/SSD storage, run a representative crawl and then tune concurrency before adding RAM or CPU.
Check every playback client
- 1 GB minimum / 2 GB+ recommended RAM
- Swap on 1 GB hosts
- Chrome-based extractors enabled
- yt-dlp and media capture
- Concurrent snapshot workers
- Snapshots per month/year
- Local SSD for index.sqlite3
- Bulk archive storage and backup strategy
Official minimum requirements
ArchiveBox's current install documentation gives explicit supported architectures and memory requirements.
Use 1 GB RAM as the official minimum and 2 GB+ as the official recommendation. Storage must be sized separately because extractor choices can change archive footprint by roughly fifty-fold.
| Requirement | Official minimum | What this supports |
|---|---|---|
| RAM minimum | 1 GB | Current official minimum. |
| RAM recommended | 2 GB+ | Current official recommendation. |
| Swap on 1 GB host | At least 4 GB | Recommended before running full default crawls. |
| CPU architectures | amd64 / arm64 | Current supported architectures. |
| Docker | amd64/arm64 Linux or macOS | Docker Compose is currently the recommended setup path. |
| GPU | Not required | Chrome/crawling workloads are CPU/RAM/storage oriented. |
When to upgrade your hardware
Upgrade ArchiveBox when Chrome concurrency, snapshot volume or archive storage proves the existing host insufficient.
Chrome-based crawling exhausts memory
The archive grows by tens or hundreds of gigabytes
Higher crawl concurrency is needed
Official storage guidance spans roughly 1–50 GB per 1,000 snapshots depending on media and extractor settings.
Long-term web archives and media-heavy captures.Current configuration guidance says 2–4 concurrent snapshots is sane on a typical laptop, while 8–16 can be reasonable on a dedicated 32 GB+ server.
Large scheduled crawls and institutional archives.Plan hardware growth with confidence
Scale ArchiveBox by tuning extractors, concurrency and storage layout.
Disable Chrome when high-fidelity rendering is not needed
ArchiveBox explicitly documents CHROME_ENABLED=False as a way to reduce crawl-time memory pressure.
Useful for smaller Zima hosts or bulk text/static archives.Keep index.sqlite3 local or on SSD
ArchiveBox recommends local/SSD storage for the SQLite index, while the large archive folder can live on HDD or supported network/object-backed storage.
Separate latency-sensitive index data from capacity-oriented archive data.Tune yt-dlp/media extraction to control storage growth
Media-heavy extraction is a major reason the official storage estimate ranges from 1 to 50 GB per 1,000 snapshots.
Disable or cap media extraction if long-term capacity is more important than fidelity.Increase concurrency only with memory headroom
ArchiveBox notes RAM per Chrome tab and CPU pressure scale roughly with concurrent snapshots.
Move from 8/16 GB toward larger-memory hosts only when actual crawl concurrency requires it.Can it run on ZimaOS?
ArchiveBox is currently available in the ZimaOS App Store under Productivity.
Install ArchiveBox from the ZimaOS App Store
Use the packaged self-hosted web archive and keep its data directory persistent.
Open ArchiveBox in the ZimaOS App StoreUse the current 1 GB / 2 GB+ official baseline
ArchiveBox's latest install docs provide explicit RAM, swap and CPU-architecture requirements.
Read ArchiveBox installation requirementsPlan archive storage from extractor choice
ArchiveBox's current site provides the 1–50 GB per 1,000 snapshots estimate and recommends local/SSD index.sqlite3 storage.
Read ArchiveBox storage requirementsChoose Zima hardware for ArchiveBox
ArchiveBox's base RAM requirement is modest, but Chrome concurrency and years of archive storage can make it a substantial long-term server workload.
Are you archiving a modest collection or running large Chrome/media-heavy crawls?
Normal personal archive
ZimaBoard 2 832 is far above ArchiveBox's 2 GB+ recommended memory tier.
- Normal ArchiveBox serverZimaBoard 2 832
- More crawl/container headroomZimaBoard 2 1664
Large long-term archive / high crawl concurrency
Use ZimaCube for integrated storage and a stronger CPU/RAM platform.
- Large archive storage serverZimaCube 2 Standard
- Higher concurrency / larger stackZimaCube 2 Pro
No fixed crawl speed or snapshots-per-server limit is guaranteed. Website complexity, Chrome, yt-dlp, media size, concurrency, network, storage and extractor selection all matter.
| Zima hardware | Best for | Example workload | Core configuration | Recommended boundary | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZimaBoard 2 832 | A normal personal ArchiveBox deployment. | Scheduled web snapshots and moderate Chrome/static extraction. |
|
Archive data should move to larger attached storage as snapshot volume grows. | Get Now |
| ZimaBoard 2 1664 | More concurrent ArchiveBox crawling and a larger app stack. | More Chrome/extractor headroom and background services. |
|
Long-term media archive capacity still depends on external/multi-drive storage. | Get Now |
| ZimaCube 2 Standard | A large long-term ArchiveBox collection. | Multi-drive snapshot storage, backups and normal crawl workloads. |
|
8 GB is already above the official RAM recommendation; choose this primarily for storage. | Get Now |
| ZimaCube 2 Pro | A larger ArchiveBox server with heavier concurrent crawls. | More Chrome concurrency, stronger CPU and large archive storage. |
|
Very high concurrency can still need more than 16 GB; tune workers from measured memory use. | Get Now |
What the Press Says
Highlights from trusted reviewers worldwide.
“ZimaCube 2: Not just another NAS, tested with 25TB storage, local AI agents, 4K transcoding, and real homelab workflows.”Read full review
“The ZimaBoard 2 is a compact x86 server board that can be turned into a mini NAS, home server, media box, or self-hosting hub.”Read full review
“ZimaCube 2: A modern, high-performance NAS with plenty of room to grow—built for users who want more than basic storage.”Read full review
“Coverage focused on ZimaCube 2's open hardware foundation, no monthly fee, and self-hosting flexibility.”Read full review
Loved by the Community
Stories and reviews from people who build with Zima every day.
★★★★★
Zima Blade Little yet Powerful
Maybe I am not digital natives but I live with PCs since 12 years old in 1984 when IBM PC clone come to my home. Many years have passed and many operating system I've tried. For me Zima blade and CasaOS was a quantum leap for home PC enthusiast and server lab machine to make me stay curious and relevant for this era.
★★★★★
Very good!!
I use ZimaCube Pro as 5th Proxmox cluster node. It runs several VMs and containers, including a VM with GPU passthrough to run a self-hosted LLM. A specific LXC container runs a Samba server for NAS capabilities using four of six RAID 6 SATA HDDs with ZFS.
★★★★★
Great innovation for mini server!
It is very useful and makes a powerful mini server for many purposes, including university and college students in engineering and electronics. Thank you so much for making this server.
★★★★★
Avaliação ZimaBoard 2
Construí um servidor de uso pessoal. O desempenho está muito bom e funciona perfeitamente onde quer que eu esteja. A surpresa é não dependermos de grandes estruturas para termos nosso próprio servidor de dados. Como iniciante, estou gostando bastante do ZimaOS, pois ele é simples e eficiente.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ topics follow query fan-out around ArchiveBox's current 1 GB/2 GB+ memory guidance, Chrome RAM, storage growth, concurrency, SQLite placement and media extraction.
How much RAM does ArchiveBox need?
Current ArchiveBox docs specify 1 GB RAM minimum and 2 GB+ recommended.
Can ArchiveBox run on a 1 GB VPS?
Yes, but current docs recommend at least 4 GB of swap before running full default crawls on a 1 GB VPS.
Why does ArchiveBox use so much RAM during crawls?
Chrome-based extractors open browser tabs and consume much more memory than static tools. ArchiveBox explicitly recommends disabling Chrome to reduce crawl-time memory pressure.
How much storage does ArchiveBox need?
Official guidance estimates roughly 1–50 GB per 1,000 snapshots depending on media, video, audio and extractor settings.
Should index.sqlite3 be on SSD?
Yes when possible. ArchiveBox recommends keeping the SQLite index on local/SSD storage, while the large archive folder can live on HDD or supported network/object-backed storage.
How many concurrent ArchiveBox crawls should I run?
Current configuration guidance says roughly 2–4 is sane on a typical laptop; 8–16 can be reasonable on a dedicated server with 32 GB+ RAM.
Can ZimaBoard 2 832 run ArchiveBox?
Yes. Its 8 GB RAM is four times ArchiveBox's current 2 GB+ recommended tier and provides useful headroom for Chrome-based crawls.
When is ZimaCube 2 useful for ArchiveBox?
When long-term snapshot storage, media-heavy archives and backups require multiple drive bays. Storage growth is often a stronger upgrade reason than base RAM.
What sources and further reading informed this ArchiveBox hardware guide?
ArchiveBox's current installation docs provide the 1 GB minimum, 2 GB+ recommendation, 4 GB swap guidance and supported architectures. The official site provides the 1–50 GB per 1,000 snapshots estimate, while configuration docs explain concurrency/Chrome scaling. ZimaOS confirms the current Productivity app.
