To turn a public webpage into an image with Cloudinary, use its URL2PNG Website Screenshots add-on—not the regular fetch feature. Set the delivery type to url2png and use the webpage URL as the public ID; Cloudinary renders and caches the screenshot, which you can then resize, crop, and deliver through its image pipeline. You need a Cloudinary account and URL2PNG registration. The default security setup requires a signed request or authenticated eager generation.
What you need before capturing a webpage
- A Cloudinary account and registration for the URL2PNG Website Screenshots add-on.
- A publicly accessible page to capture. The available documentation does not establish support for authenticated or private pages, pages behind bot challenges, or pages that require interactive steps.
- Your Cloudinary cloud name and credentials configured in a server-side environment for signed requests or eager generation. Never expose your API secret in browser code.
Cloudinary’s regular fetch delivery retrieves remote media such as an existing image or video. It does not render webpage HTML. URL2PNG is the add-on that turns the webpage into a screenshot.
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Generate a website screenshot with URL2PNG
URL2PNG uses the website URL as the screenshot request’s public ID and url2png as its delivery type. In the Cloudinary SDK, the general URL shape is:
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https://res.cloudinary.com/CLOUD_NAME/url2png/OPTIONS/PUBLIC_ID
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For example, with a configured Cloudinary SDK and a public target page:
// Node.js example using the Cloudinary SDK's URL builder
const { v2: cloudinary } = require('cloudinary');
cloudinary.config({
cloud_name: process.env.CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME,
api_key: process.env.CLOUDINARY_API_KEY,
api_secret: process.env.CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET
});
const screenshotUrl = cloudinary.url('https://stripe.com', {
type: 'url2png',
sign_url: true
});
console.log(screenshotUrl);This illustrates the URL-building pattern; use your own Cloudinary account configuration and SDK version. The target is an example public URL, not a guarantee that every site can be captured. See Cloudinary’s URL2PNG documentation for its current setup details and option syntax.
Authorize the screenshot request
By default, a dynamic URL2PNG transformation must be signed, or the screenshot must be eagerly generated through an authenticated API request. Cloudinary documents this restriction because arbitrary screenshot URLs can trigger unplanned add-on usage. Keep signing and authenticated API calls on your server.
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Signed delivery URL
Use a Cloudinary SDK configured with the cloud name, API key, and API secret to generate a signed URL. The example above requests a signed URL with sign_url: true. Deliver the resulting URL to the client only after your server has built it; do not send the API secret to the browser.
Eager generation
Alternatively, use Cloudinary’s authenticated explicit API operation to generate the screenshot ahead of delivery. This suits workflows where a server accepts a URL, creates its screenshot once, and saves or returns the resulting asset URL. After the screenshot has been created, additional transformations of that existing image can use unsigned delivery URLs.
Unsigned add-on transformations
Cloudinary lets account administrators change the security setting to permit unsigned add-on transformations. That is an optional configuration change, not the documented default. Consider the risk of unplanned dynamic screenshot requests and associated costs before enabling it.
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Set capture options, then transform the image
URL2PNG capture controls and Cloudinary image transformations do different jobs. The add-on options affect how the webpage is rendered; image transformations affect the screenshot after capture.
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Cloudinary documents an option pattern in the public ID of <Website URL>/url2png/<option1=value1>|<option2=value2>|.... Options shown in its guide include:
viewportto set the capture viewport.user_agentto supply a user-agent string.delayto wait before capture.fullpage=falseas an example of requesting something other than a full-page capture.
These are examples, not a complete option list. Check Cloudinary’s URL2PNG guide for supported values and current syntax. The documentation’s example gives slightly different viewport heights in its prose and URL, so treat the measurements there as illustrative rather than a required preset.
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Image transformations
Once URL2PNG has produced the screenshot, Cloudinary’s image pipeline can resize, crop, and apply other image transformations. Choose capture dimensions for the page rendering first, then apply image dimensions or crop behavior appropriate to the destination, such as a link-card thumbnail. SDK URL builders can assemble transformation URLs; Cloudinary documents the general delivery-type and transformation structure at Image transformations.
Deliver dynamically or save a reusable preview
A signed dynamic URL is convenient when you need a screenshot on demand. For repeated gallery or link-card views, consider generating the screenshot once and persisting it as an asset instead of initiating capture each time someone opens the page. Cloudinary’s January 2026 Next.js tutorial uses that pattern for link previews; it is an implementation example, not a requirement for every application.
Choose the approach based on how often source pages change, how often previews are requested, and whether your app needs a stable image asset. A saved preview requires a refresh policy of your own if you want it to reflect later changes on the source website.
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URL2PNG plan quotas and cost
Cloudinary’s add-ons marketplace listed the following URL2PNG quotas and monthly prices when checked on October 3, 2026. These are vendor plan figures, not independent usage estimates; confirm availability and base-account requirements in the Cloudinary add-ons console before choosing a plan.
| Marketplace tier | Monthly screenshot quota | Listed price |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 50 | Free |
| Bronze | 1,000 | $6/month |
| Silver | 5,000 | $30/month |
| Gold | 15,000 | $75/month |
| Titanium | 50,000 | $200/month |
Cloudinary’s add-on guidance says higher-quota paid plans generally require a paid Cloudinary account and that mid-cycle upgrades are prorated. The console is the place to verify what your account can purchase.
Troubleshoot a missing or unexpected screenshot
- The request is rejected or no screenshot is generated: Confirm that URL2PNG Website Screenshots is registered for the Cloudinary account and that the request uses the
url2pngdelivery type. - A dynamic URL is unauthorized: Sign the transformation with the configured SDK or generate it through the authenticated API. Check whether an administrator intentionally enabled unsigned add-on transformations.
- The target URL is interpreted incorrectly: Ensure the webpage address is passed as the public ID according to URL2PNG’s documented URL structure. When constructing URLs manually, encode URL characters that would otherwise be parsed as transformation delimiters or path separators; prefer an SDK URL builder where possible.
- You receive an existing image rather than a webpage screenshot: Check that you are using URL2PNG. Regular Cloudinary
fetchretrieves remote media files; it is not a webpage renderer. See Cloudinary’s remote image fetch documentation. - The rendered page is incomplete or unlike the browser view: Confirm the target is publicly reachable and try an appropriate viewport, user agent, or delay. The documentation does not promise exact browser fidelity or establish support for pages that require login, special interactions, or bypassing bot checks.
- The screenshot looks right but its delivered dimensions are wrong: Separate the URL2PNG viewport used to render the page from downstream Cloudinary resize or crop transformations applied to the resulting image.
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ScreenshotNeo takes a webpage screenshot through one GET request. It removes cookie banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; bot checks, blank pages, and failed loads are never billed; and its MCP server lets AI agents take screenshots. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card, and paid plans start at $5 for 3,000.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can URL2PNG capture a page that requires login?
Cloudinary’s available URL2PNG documentation does not establish support for authenticated or private pages, so do not assume it can capture them.
Does Cloudinary fetch create a screenshot of a webpage?
No. Cloudinary’s regular fetch feature retrieves remote media such as images or videos; URL2PNG renders a webpage.
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