API Reference

Everything you need to start taking screenshots programmatically.

Introduction

SnapAPI is a REST API that renders any public URL in a real Chromium browser and returns the result as an image or PDF. No browser to install, no Puppeteer to maintain.

Base URL: https://api.snappapi.dev

All responses are either raw image bytes (on success) or a JSON error object.

Authentication

Pass your API key in the x-api-key request header.

http

GET /screenshot?url=https://example.com
x-api-key: snap_your_api_key_here

Get your free API key at snapapi-landing.netlify.app.

Quick Start

curl

# Basic PNG screenshot
curl "https://api.snappapi.dev/screenshot?url=https://example.com" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_KEY" \
  --output screenshot.png

GET /screenshot

Renders a URL and returns the image or PDF as a binary response.

GET/screenshot

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`url` required	string	—	The URL to screenshot. Must be a public URL.
`format` optional	string	`png`	Output format: `png`, `jpg`, `webp`, `pdf`
`width` optional	integer	`1280`	Viewport width in px. Range: 320–3840.
`height` optional	integer	`800`	Viewport height in px. Range: 200–2160.
`full_page` optional	boolean	`false`	Capture the full scrollable page, not just the viewport.
`dark_mode` optional	boolean	`false`	Render the page with `prefers-color-scheme: dark`.

Response headers

Header	Description
`Content-Type`	`image/png`, `image/jpeg`, `image/webp`, or `application/pdf`
`X-Credits-Used`	Credits used this month
`X-Credits-Remaining`	Credits remaining this month

Examples

examples

# Full-page WebP
/screenshot?url=https://github.com&format=webp&full_page=true

# PDF export
/screenshot?url=https://myapp.com/invoice/123&format=pdf

# Mobile viewport
/screenshot?url=https://example.com&width=390&height=844

# Dark mode
/screenshot?url=https://example.com&dark_mode=true

GET /me

Returns your account info and current usage.

GET/me

{ "email": "[email protected]", "plan": "starter", "credits_used": 42, "credits_limit": 100, "credits_remaining": 58 }

POST /register

Create an account and get an API key.

POST/register

Body field	Type	Description
`email` required	string	Your email address. We'll send your API key here.

{ "api_key": "snap_abc123...", "plan": "free", "credits": 1, "message": "Welcome to SnapAPI!" }

Output Formats

Format	MIME type	Best for
`png`	image/png	High quality, lossless. Default.
`jpg`	image/jpeg	Smaller file size, slight quality loss.
`webp`	image/webp	Best size/quality ratio for web.
`pdf`	application/pdf	Document export, print-ready.

Errors

Status	Error	Meaning
401	Missing API key	No `x-api-key` header provided.
401	Invalid API key	Key not found in the system.
400	url param required	Missing `url` parameter.
400	Invalid URL	URL is malformed or targets a private IP.
429	Monthly limit reached	You've used all credits for this month. Upgrade to continue.
429	Rate limit exceeded	Too many requests per minute.
500	Screenshot failed	The browser couldn't render the page.

Rate Limits

Endpoint	Limit
GET /screenshot	60 requests / minute per IP
POST /register	5 requests / hour per IP
All endpoints	200 requests / minute per IP (global)

On top of rate limits, each plan has a monthly credit cap that resets on the 1st of each month.

curl

# PNG screenshot
curl "https://api.snappapi.dev/screenshot?url=https://example.com&format=png" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_KEY" --output out.png

# Full-page PDF
curl "https://api.snappapi.dev/screenshot?url=https://example.com&format=pdf&full_page=true" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_KEY" --output out.pdf

JavaScript

javascript

const res = await fetch(
  'https://api.snappapi.dev/screenshot?url=https://example.com&format=png',
  { headers: { 'x-api-key': 'YOUR_KEY' } }
);
const buffer = await res.arrayBuffer();
fs.writeFileSync('screenshot.png', Buffer.from(buffer));

Python

python

import requests

res = requests.get(
    'https://api.snappapi.dev/screenshot',
    params={'url': 'https://example.com', 'format': 'png'},
    headers={'x-api-key': 'YOUR_KEY'}
)
with open('screenshot.png', 'wb') as f:
    f.write(res.content)