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How to Add Authentication Cookies to a Website Screenshot API Request

A screenshot API key authenticates you to the provider; a session cookie authenticates the rendered browser to the target site. Here are provider-specific request examples and troubleshooting checks.
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To capture a page that requires login, pass the target site’s valid session cookie in the screenshot provider’s documented cookie field. Separately, authenticate your request to the screenshot provider with that provider’s API key or bearer token. The two credentials serve different purposes, and cookie syntax varies by service.

Separate screenshot API authentication from website login

Your screenshot API key authorizes you to use the screenshot service. A session cookie is sent to the website being captured so its rendered browser can access the signed-in page. Putting one credential where the other belongs will not log the screenshot browser into the target site.

First confirm that the screenshot endpoint supports cookies or another authentication method appropriate to the site. For example, ScreenshotEngine says its documented endpoint has no custom-cookie option. See its API documentation for the endpoint’s limits. If a service does not document the mechanism you need, do not assume that an API key can substitute for it.

Prepare a valid cookie safely

  1. Sign in through an authorized flow. Obtain the session cookie issued by the website after login; do not guess its name or value.
  2. Check its scope. A cookie must apply to the target host and path. Confirm the target URL uses the host for which the cookie is valid, and follow the provider’s instructions for setting domain and path.
  3. Keep credentials private. Do not put a live cookie or API key in browser-side code, public repositories, or logs. Send them only through a trusted, protected request path.

Cloudflare Browser Run: JSON cookie array

Cloudflare Browser Run’s REST screenshot example sends the target URL and a structured cookie array in JSON, while the caller’s Cloudflare API token goes in the HTTP Authorization header. This is Cloudflare’s format, not a universal screenshot API schema. Consult Cloudflare’s screenshot quick-action documentation and its quick-actions authentication guide for current endpoint details.

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curl -X POST 'https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/accounts/<accountId>/browser-run/screenshot' 
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer <apiToken>' 
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' 
  -d '{
    "url": "https://example.com/protected-page",
    "cookies": [
      {
        "name": "session_id",
        "value": "<session-cookie-value>",
        "domain": "example.com",
        "path": "/"
      }
    ]
  }' 
  --output screenshot.png

Replace the placeholders with your account ID, API token, and an authorized session cookie. Store secrets outside the command or source file when using this in a real workflow. Cloudflare also documents authenticate for HTTP Basic authentication and setExtraHTTPHeaders for custom authorization headers; those are different mechanisms from a session cookie.

Other providers use different cookie formats

Screenshot API at screenshot-api.net documents cookies as a semicolon-separated name=value parameter, repeated header parameters sent to the target host, and a separate basic_auth option for HTTP Basic authentication. Check its API documentation for the endpoint syntax. Do not copy Cloudflare’s JSON array into this provider’s request or assume the semicolon format works elsewhere.

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ScreenshotEngine’s documentation says its API key authenticates the screenshot request, but does not log in to the target website; its documented endpoint does not expose custom cookies, target-site Authorization headers, or login scripts. If your provider does not expose the authentication method your page requires, use a service or browser-rendering workflow that explicitly supports it.

Check what the capture actually rendered

A successful screenshot response does not by itself prove that the browser reached the intended signed-in content. Screenshot API at screenshot-api.net documents an X-Page-Status response header; its documentation notes that a final 401 or 403 can indicate that the capture landed on a login or error page. Check the response status information provided by your own service as well as the image.

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  • If the capture shows a login page, confirm the cookie is current, belongs to the right account, and applies to the target host and path.
  • If it shows an error page, verify the exact target URL and whether the site requires a different mechanism, such as Basic authentication or a custom request header.
  • If the provider reports a final 401 or 403, treat that as evidence the target page may still be rejecting access, not as proof that the screenshot API key is invalid.

Or skip the browser setup

ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server. Its one-call request captures a URL without requiring you to configure a browser-rendering workflow:

curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webp

See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options. ScreenshotNeo accepts cookie and consent banners and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; each cleanup step can be turned off. Bot checks and CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and responses include X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed headers. It also offers an MCP server with take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf tools for Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does a screenshot API key log me in to the website being captured?

No. The service API key authenticates your caller to the screenshot provider; the target website needs its own session cookie or another supported login mechanism.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Can I use the Cloudflare cookie JSON with any screenshot API?

No. Cookie schemas differ by provider. Use the format documented for the exact endpoint you call.

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