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FUSE Filesystem

WebArc can expose an archive as a read-only FUSE filesystem. This allows archived HTTP data to be inspected and processed using standard filesystem tools.

The FUSE mount is a view of the archive — it does not modify or reinterpret data.

What the FUSE Mount Is

The mounted filesystem presents archived HTTP requests and responses as a structured directory tree.

This makes it possible to:

  • Inspect responses using standard UNIX tools
  • Process archives with scripts and pipelines
  • Integrate WebArc archives into existing workflows

The filesystem is read-only by design.

Mounting an Archive

Mount an archive at a given path:

webarc mount <mountpoint>

The command runs in the foreground and keeps the filesystem mounted until it is terminated.

To unmount, use your system’s standard FUSE unmount mechanism.

Filesystem Layout

The mounted filesystem mirrors the structure of archived URLs.

At a high level:

<mountpoint>/
└── <domain>/
    └── <path>/
        └── <method>_<timestamp>_RESPONSE

Example:

webarc-fs/
└── en.wikipedia.org/
    └── wiki/
        └── Website/
            ├── GET_2021-05-01T12:34:56Z_RESPONSE
            └── GET_2022-03-10T09:18:42Z_RESPONSE

Each response file corresponds to a single archived HTTP response.

Working with the Archive

Because the archive is presented as files, you can use standard tools:

ls en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Website/

ripgrep "example" webarc-fs/

file GET_2021-05-01T12:34:56Z_RESPONSE