There are three ways to access the Archie database. This may be achieved by use of a local client , by an interactive telnet session or by electronic mail . Local clients Usage of local clients is encouraged since they provide quickest and very easy access to the archie servers. This non-interactive use of the servers facilities provides good performance of the servers and therefore better response time for the user. Public domain clients for accessing archie servers are available for all common platforms.
All platforms support a simple command line client.
In addition, graphical interfaces are available for most platforms. Recently very comfortable Archie gateways have been developed in the World Wide Web for easiest use of the Archie database. Dependent on the capability of the WWW-browser used to handle forms, file search can be performed by filling out simple query forms or otherwise by using searchable documents. The server is now ready for user requests using designated Archie commands . The Archie commands are sent in the body part of the mail.