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How to Add Custom Headers and Cookies to an ApiFlash Request

Pass target-site tokens with ApiFlash’s headers parameter or session cookies with cookies. Learn GET and POST examples, encoding rules, and common fixes.
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To capture an authenticated page with ApiFlash, send the target page’s credentials in either the headers or cookies parameter to https://api.apiflash.com/v1/urltoimage. Use headers for token or other header-based authentication, and cookies for an existing session. Encode the parameter value with your HTTP client’s query or form encoder.

Choose headers or cookies for the target site

The ApiFlash access_key authenticates your API request; it is separate from any credentials the target website requires. Supply a target-site token or custom request header through headers. Supply session-cookie pairs through cookies. The right choice depends on how the target site authenticates requests. ApiFlash’s FAQ discusses token and session-cookie approaches.

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  • Use headers when the target site expects a token such as a bearer token in an Authorization header, or another custom header.
  • Use cookies when you have authenticated through the site’s normal process and need to pass the resulting session cookie or cookies.

ApiFlash represents each parameter as semicolon-separated name/value pairs: for example, Authorization=Bearer TOKEN or sessionid=VALUE;theme=dark. Its documentation requires URL encoding the parameter value so characters such as = and ; are transmitted correctly.

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Send headers with a GET request

The endpoint accepts GET parameters in the query string. This example uses a query-parameter encoder rather than manually assembling an encoded URL:

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curl -G "https://api.apiflash.com/v1/urltoimage" 
  --data-urlencode "access_key=YOUR_ACCESS_KEY" 
  --data-urlencode "url=https://example.com" 
  --data-urlencode "headers=Authorization=Bearer YOUR_TOKEN;X-Preview-Key=YOUR_SECRET" 
  -o shot.png

Replace the access key, target URL, and header values with your own. The header parameter’s unencoded value is a semicolon-separated list; --data-urlencode handles encoding it for the query string.

Send cookies with a GET request

For session-based authentication, pass the cookie names and values as the cookies parameter:

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curl -G "https://api.apiflash.com/v1/urltoimage" 
  --data-urlencode "access_key=YOUR_ACCESS_KEY" 
  --data-urlencode "url=https://example.com" 
  --data-urlencode "cookies=sessionid=YOUR_SESSION;theme=dark" 
  -o shot.png

Obtain session cookies by authenticating with the target site through its normal process. Treat them as secrets: anyone who obtains an active session cookie may be able to use that session.

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Use POST form data instead

ApiFlash also accepts POST parameters as form fields. Send access_key, url, and the relevant authentication parameter as form data, letting the HTTP client encode the fields:

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curl -X POST "https://api.apiflash.com/v1/urltoimage" 
  --data-urlencode "access_key=YOUR_ACCESS_KEY" 
  --data-urlencode "url=https://example.com" 
  --data-urlencode "headers=Authorization=Bearer YOUR_TOKEN;X-Preview-Key=YOUR_SECRET" 
  -o shot.png

To use cookies instead, replace the headers form field with cookies=sessionid=YOUR_SESSION;theme=dark. ApiFlash documents POST parameters as form data, including the access key, at https://apiflash.com/documentation.

Encoding and credential handling

  • Use a library or command-line option that encodes query parameters or form fields. Avoid concatenating raw values into a URL: reserved characters in tokens, cookies, or pair separators can change how a request is parsed.
  • Encode the full value of headers or cookies, not just individual pieces. For example, ApiFlash’s documentation shows Header1=value1;Header2=value2 encoded as Header1%3Dvalue1%3BHeader2%3Dvalue2.
  • Keep the ApiFlash access key, target-site tokens, and session cookies out of public client-side code, logs, and shared URLs. Use a server-side request when credentials must remain private.
  • Use the least-privileged target-site credential available, and revoke or rotate it if it is exposed.

Important behavior and limits

Headers can affect other page requests

ApiFlash’s FAQ says custom headers apply to all requests made for the page, not just the main document. That can include requests for fonts from Google Fonts or other CDNs; a header intended for the target site may cause a browser security restriction to block those resources. If the site supports session-cookie authentication, using cookies may avoid this issue. Another option noted in the FAQ is to self-host fonts.

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Documented request limits and errors

ApiFlash’s documentation, which does not state a publication year, lists a rate of 20 requests per second with a burst size of 400. It says requests above the ordinary rate are delayed and requests beyond the burst size are terminated with HTTP 429. The same documentation lists rate limiting for five identical failed captures per hour. Treat these as the limits stated on the documentation page, and check it for current details before designing around them.

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The documentation lists these API errors:

  • 401: the ApiFlash access key is invalid or revoked. Check that key; a target-site token belongs in headers, not in place of access_key.
  • 403: the plan does not support a requested feature. Review the parameters and plan access in the documentation.
  • 429: the request rate or burst limit was exceeded. Reduce or spread out requests, and avoid repeatedly issuing identical failed captures.

Troubleshoot an authenticated capture

  • The page still looks logged out: confirm the target site expects the credential type you sent. Use the session cookie produced by a valid login for cookie-based authentication, or the exact expected header format for token-based authentication. Check that the cookie has not expired.
  • The request fails or credentials seem corrupted: pass the full parameter value through a query or form encoder. Semicolons and equals signs are part of the encoded value, not separators to leave unescaped in a manually assembled URL.
  • Fonts or other external assets are missing: consider whether a custom header is being applied to those external requests. If suitable for the target site, switch to cookie authentication; ApiFlash’s FAQ also suggests self-hosting fonts.
  • The API reports an authentication error: distinguish ApiFlash’s access_key from the target page’s credential. The former authorizes the API call; the latter goes in headers or cookies.
  • The API returns 429: reduce request frequency, account for the documented burst behavior, and do not loop rapidly over identical failing parameters.
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ScreenshotNeo offers a different way to capture pages: a GET request can return a screenshot or PDF, and its cleanup options can accept cookie or consent banners and remove more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture. Those cleanup steps can be turned off. Only clean shots are billed; bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits cost nothing, with the result identified in response headers. ScreenshotNeo also provides an MCP server for AI agents, including Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients.

Here is the one-call cURL example, using the required API key and target URL parameters:

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

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use both headers and cookies in one ApiFlash request?

The official material summarized here establishes each parameter separately but does not specify whether combining them is supported. Consult ApiFlash’s current documentation for that case.

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

Does ApiFlash perform the login for me?

The documented approach covered here passes an existing target-site token or session cookie. The guides index also lists automated login among authenticated-page approaches, but consult the specific guide for its details: https://apiflash.com/guides.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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