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How to Add Authentication to Browserless Screenshot Requests

Use Browserless’s current Screenshot REST API by sending a POST with your API token as ?token= and a JSON body. Learn how to do it in JavaScript, Python and cURL—and why that token does not sign into the captured website.

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For Browserless’s current Screenshot REST API, pass your Browserless API token as the token query parameter. A JSON request should also include Content-Type: application/json, but that header describes the body—it does not authenticate you.

Authenticate a current Browserless screenshot request

Send a POST request to the /screenshot endpoint and add your token to the URL as ?token=YOUR_API_TOKEN. Browserless documents that pattern for the Screenshot REST API; see the Screenshot API reference and its REST API quickstart.

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Use the host assigned to your account and region. For example, the shared-fleet URL shape is https://REGION.browserless.io/screenshot?token=YOUR_TOKEN. A private-fleet customer should use the assigned private host; a private-fleet token sent to a shared-fleet URL can produce HTTP 401. See Browserless’s private fleet documentation.

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JavaScript with fetch

const token = process.env.BROWSERLESS_TOKEN;
if (!token) throw new Error("Set BROWSERLESS_TOKEN first");

const endpoint = new URL("https://production-sfo.browserless.io/screenshot");
endpoint.searchParams.set("token", token);

const response = await fetch(endpoint, {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
    "Cache-Control": "no-cache",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    url: "https://example.com/",
    options: { fullPage: true, type: "png" },
  }),
});

if (!response.ok) {
  throw new Error(`Browserless returned HTTP ${response.status}`);
}
const image = await response.arrayBuffer();
await Bun.write("screenshot.png", image);

The example uses Bun’s Bun.write to save the returned bytes. In Node.js, replace the last two lines with import { writeFile } from "node:fs/promises"; and await writeFile("screenshot.png", Buffer.from(image));. Set BROWSERLESS_TOKEN in your environment or secret store; do not put a real credential in source code.

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Python with requests

import os
import requests

response = requests.post(
    "https://production-sfo.browserless.io/screenshot",
    params={"token": os.environ["BROWSERLESS_TOKEN"]},
    headers={
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
        "Cache-Control": "no-cache",
    },
    json={
        "url": "https://example.com/",
        "options": {"fullPage": True, "type": "png"},
    },
    timeout=90,
)
response.raise_for_status()
with open("screenshot.png", "wb") as image_file:
    image_file.write(response.content)

The params argument handles query-string encoding. raise_for_status() prevents an HTTP error response from being saved as if it were an image.

cURL

curl --fail-with-body -X POST 
  'https://production-sfo.browserless.io/screenshot?token=YOUR_API_TOKEN' 
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' 
  -H 'Cache-Control: no-cache' 
  --data '{"url":"https://example.com/","options":{"fullPage":true,"type":"png"}}' 
  -o screenshot.png

Replace the host with the one for your account. Avoid putting a real token into a shared shell history or a public script.

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What the headers and request body do

  • token in the URL authenticates your caller to Browserless.
  • Content-Type: application/json tells the endpoint that the POST body is JSON. It is not an auth credential.
  • Cache-Control: no-cache is optional in the documented examples; it is not required for token authentication.
  • The JSON body supplies the page URL and screenshot settings. The endpoint returns image bytes; PNG is the default, and supported options can select another image format.

For a full-page capture, set options.fullPage to true. The screenshot reference also documents a top-level selector for capturing an element and options.clip for a fixed rectangle. REST requests do not require Puppeteer or Playwright client libraries.

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Browserless authentication is not target-site authentication

The query token authorizes the request to Browserless. It does not sign the browser into the website being captured. If the screenshot shows a login page, that is a separate destination-site authentication problem.

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The current /screenshot documentation cited above does not establish that arbitrary headers in the API request are forwarded to the destination website. Do not assume that putting a site’s cookie or bearer token in Browserless’s Authorization header will authenticate the rendered page. Check the endpoint’s current request schema for an explicitly supported way to set page request headers; if it does not offer one, use a documented browser workflow that can set them.

Do not substitute legacy Basic Authorization examples

Older Browserless BaaS v1 guidance describes a Base64-encoded Authorization: Basic ... form, but that documentation says BaaS v1 is no longer actively supported. It is not the current Screenshot REST API pattern. For this endpoint, use the ?token= query parameter rather than treating the legacy header and current token location as interchangeable. See the BaaS v1 documentation and the current API reference FAQ.

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Troubleshoot failed screenshot requests

  • HTTP 401: Confirm the token is valid and in the token query parameter. Check that you are using the correct fleet host; private-fleet credentials may fail on a shared-fleet URL.
  • HTTP 404 or unexpected route response: Verify that the method is POST and the path is /screenshot, not a different Browserless product endpoint.
  • Request rejected or body not parsed: Send valid JSON and set Content-Type: application/json. Keep the token out of the JSON body.
  • Saved file is not an image: Check the HTTP status before writing response bytes. Inspect the error response rather than treating it as screenshot output.
  • Screenshot contains a sign-in page: Browserless authentication may have succeeded while the target site remains unauthenticated. Investigate page-level authentication separately; arbitrary target-site header forwarding is not established for this endpoint in the cited docs.

Or skip the browser setup

ScreenshotNeo offers a one-request screenshot API. Its request uses its own access key and API—not Browserless credentials:

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

See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options. It removes cookie banners, newsletter popups and chat widgets before capture; bot checks, blank pages and failed loads are not billed. 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. Sign up for free.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Browserless Screenshot API use a Bearer token?

For the current /screenshot REST endpoint, the documented credential is the token query parameter, not a Bearer token header.

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Can I use a Browserless REST screenshot call without Puppeteer or Playwright?

Yes. Browserless documents the REST request as a standalone HTTP call; the examples above use standard HTTP clients.

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