The Canadian Encyclopedia — neutral, cited, updated
July 26, 2026Sources cited
Canadianwire.
Canada’s encyclopedia & explainer
Home›Technology & Internet›Search Engine›AltaVista
Technology & Internet • Search Engine

AltaVista

AltaVista was a web search engine launched in 1995 by Digital Equipment Corporation’s research laboratory in Palo Alto, California.

By Ethan Anderson| Reviewed by Olivia Bennett, Standards & Fact-Checking Lead| Updated July 26, 2026|2 min read| Fact-checked

AltaVista was a web search engine launched in December 1995 by Digital Equipment Corporation's research laboratory in Palo Alto, California. It became one of the first major search engines to offer full-text indexing of the web. Yahoo acquired AltaVista in 2003 and shut it down on 8 July 2013.

History

AltaVista began as a research project at Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) in 1995 and was publicly launched in December of that year. It quickly became one of the best-known web search engines of the late 1990s.

Features

AltaVista was notable for full-text indexing of web pages and for being able to handle natural-language style searches. It was considered unusually fast and comprehensive compared with many contemporaries.

Ownership and decline

The service was acquired by Yahoo in 2003. After losing market share to rivals, Yahoo ended the standalone AltaVista service in 2013 and redirected the domain to Yahoo Search.

Legacy

AltaVista is remembered as an important early search engine that helped define expectations for web search. It is often cited as a pioneer of large-scale web indexing before the rise of Google.

Key facts

  • AltaVista was one of the earliest major search engines on the World Wide Web.
  • It launched in December 1995 from DEC research laboratories in Palo Alto.
  • It was known for full-text indexing and advanced search capabilities for its time.
  • Yahoo acquired AltaVista in 2003 and later redirected the domain to Yahoo Search.
  • AltaVista was shut down on 8 July 2013.

Frequently asked questions

What was AltaVista?
AltaVista was an early web search engine that indexed and searched large parts of the World Wide Web.
Who created AltaVista?
AltaVista was developed by researchers at Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC).
When was AltaVista launched?
It was launched in December 1995.
Who owned AltaVista later?
Yahoo acquired AltaVista in 2003.
When did AltaVista shut down?
Yahoo shut down the standalone AltaVista service on 8 July 2013.
Why is AltaVista notable?
It was among the first major search engines to offer full-text web indexing and helped shape early web search.

References

  1. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AltaVista
    Supports: Launch date, origin, acquisition by Yahoo, shutdown date, and general description.
  2. USENIX — https://www.usenix.org/conference/usenix-1997-annual-technical-conference/altavista-web-search-engine
    Supports: Research origins, technical design, crawl/indexing scale, and early traffic figures.
  3. BBC News — https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-23127361
    Supports: AltaVista as a pioneering search engine and its shutdown by Yahoo.
  4. History of Information — https://www.historyofinformation.com/detail.php?id=1120
    Supports: Launch date, early popularity, Yahoo acquisition, and shutdown/redirect.
  5. PCMag — https://www.pcmag.com/news/yahoo-bids-farewell-to-vintage-search-engine-altavista
    Supports: DEC origins, later ownership, and final shutdown/redirect.