To make an Orshot API render, you need two values: an API key to authenticate the request and a template ID to select the design. The quickest way to copy both is to sign in to Orshot, open the template, click Connect, and copy the values shown in the Quick Connect sheet. This guide shows exactly where they are, how to manage keys safely, and how to use the credentials in API, Zapier, Make, n8n, and other workflows.
Find both values in Quick Connect
- Sign in to your Orshot workspace.
- Open the template you plan to render.
- On the template card, click Connect.
- In the Quick Connect sheet, copy the API key and template ID displayed at the top.
- Check that the template ID belongs to the design you actually want to render. Quick Connect is template-specific, so copying credentials from another template can send valid requests to the wrong design.
This is the fastest retrieval method when you already know which template you need. Save the values in a password manager or your server’s secret store rather than in a shared document or screenshot.
What the API key and template ID do
API key: authentication
The API key proves that the request is authorized to use your Orshot account. Orshot says anyone who has the key can render with the account’s credits, so treat it like a password. Do not put it in browser JavaScript, a mobile app bundle, public source control, client-side HTML, or a screenshot you intend to share.
Template ID: design selection
The template ID identifies the Orshot design to render. It is not a replacement for the API key: every render request needs both values. If the ID is copied from a different template, the request can authenticate successfully while producing the wrong design.
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Manage keys from the API Keys page
For administration rather than one-time copying, open API Keys in the workspace sidebar. The page lets you:
- Create a new key.
- Give a key a label that identifies its integration or environment.
- Copy an existing key.
- Revoke a key that is no longer needed or may have been exposed.
Use separate, clearly labeled keys for separate integrations. For example, keep one key for a production website and another for an internal automation. If one is leaked or retired, you can revoke it without interrupting every connection.
Make a direct API request
Orshot’s documented endpoint accepts a POST request with a Bearer token and a JSON body. Replace YOUR_API_KEY and 1227 with your own values:
curl -X POST "https://api.orshot.com/v1/studio/render"
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
-H "Content-Type: application/json"
-d '{
"templateId": "1227",
"response": { "type": "url", "format": "png", "size": "instagram-story" }
}'A successful response can return a URL for the generated PNG when response.type is url. The example uses the named instagram-story size. Orshot also documents presets such as og-image and youtube-thumbnail, plus exact dimensions such as 1080x1920.
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Python
import requests
api_key = "YOUR_API_KEY"
template_id = "1227"
payload = {
"templateId": template_id,
"response": {
"type": "url",
"format": "png",
"size": "instagram-story"
}
}
response = requests.post(
"https://api.orshot.com/v1/studio/render",
headers={
"Authorization": f"Bearer {api_key}",
"Content-Type": "application/json"
},
json=payload,
timeout=90
)
response.raise_for_status()
print(response.json())Node.js
const apiKey = 'YOUR_API_KEY';
const templateId = '1227';
const res = await fetch('https://api.orshot.com/v1/studio/render', {
method: 'POST',
headers: {
'Authorization': `Bearer ${apiKey}`,
'Content-Type': 'application/json'
},
body: JSON.stringify({
templateId,
response: { type: 'url', format: 'png', size: 'instagram-story' }
})
});
if (!res.ok) {
throw new Error(`${res.status} ${await res.text()}`);
}
console.log(await res.json());Keep these examples on a server or in a private worker. If your application accepts a template ID from a user, validate that it is one your account is meant to expose; never accept an API key from the browser.
Choose the setup that fits your workflow
| Approach | Setup speed | Coding | Credential control | Dynamic field mapping | Output control |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quick Connect | Fastest for a known template | Little or none | Uses the values shown for that template; manage keys in API Keys | Available through the integration tabs | Less explicit than constructing the request yourself |
| Direct API | Requires server setup | Most | You control storage, rotation, and revocation | You build the mapping | Most explicit control over request fields, format, and size |
| No-code integrations | Quick after connection | Little or none | Depends on the connected workflow platform and key you provide | Pre-mapped fields reduce manual work | Constrained by the integration’s available fields |
Use Quick Connect integrations
Orshot’s workspace has an Integrations area with one-click setup. Quick Connect provides template-specific integration tabs:
- n8n: download a workflow and adapt its inputs.
- Zapier: use the pre-mapped setup for a connected automation.
- Make: use the pre-mapped setup for a connected scenario.
Dynamic parameters in a template become fields that can be mapped from spreadsheet rows, form answers, or CMS data. Documented examples include generating a personalized certificate from a spreadsheet row, creating an OG image when a blog post is published, and producing a branded social card after a form submission.
Security and key rotation checklist
- Copy keys only over an authenticated Orshot session.
- Store them in environment variables or a secrets manager on the server.
- Use a different labeled key for each integration or environment.
- Review logs and repository history for accidental exposure.
- Revoke a key immediately from API Keys if it appears in public code, a ticket, or a shared screenshot.
- Issue a replacement key, update the affected integration, and test one render before deleting the old configuration.
Revocation stops future use of that key, but it does not remove copies already stored elsewhere. Rotate any system where the exposed key may have been cached.
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“Unauthorized” or an authentication error
Confirm the header is exactly Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY, with one space after Bearer. Check for a truncated key, an extra quote, or a revoked key. Copy a fresh key from API Keys and retry from your server, not a browser page.
The request succeeds but renders the wrong design
Return to the intended template, click Connect, and compare its template ID with the value in your request. Quick Connect is template-specific, so an ID copied from another card is a common cause.
The API reports a missing template ID
Send templateId in the JSON body, not as an unrelated header or misspelled field. Keep the ID as a string, as in the official example, and verify that your JSON is valid.
The output size is rejected or unexpected
Use a documented preset such as instagram-story, og-image, or youtube-thumbnail. For custom output, use the exact-dimension form such as 1080x1920 and confirm that the size value is in the request body.
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A no-code workflow has no fields for your data
Check that the template’s dynamic parameters are defined and that you connected the template-specific Quick Connect tab. Reconnect the integration after adding parameters so the mapped fields can be refreshed.
A key was exposed
Do not wait to see whether it is misused. Revoke it in API Keys, create a replacement with a clear label, update the integration’s secret, and remove the leaked value from public files and logs.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Or skip the browser setup
If your actual goal is obtaining a clean image of a webpage rather than rendering an Orshot design, ScreenshotNeo provides a one-request website screenshot API. It accepts a URL and can return PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF; it is a different tool from Orshot’s template-rendering API.
cURL:
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpPython:
import requests
r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"}, timeout=90)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)Node.js:
const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);See the ScreenshotNeo documentation for request options. Before capture it accepts cookie and consent banners and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets; each cleanup step can be disabled. Bot checks, CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and response headers identify the page verdict and whether it was billed. An MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf tools for Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients. The Free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots. Create a free ScreenshotNeo account to try it.
Current plan note
Orshot’s help pages advertise a free plan with 30 free credits and no credit card. Treat that offer as time-sensitive and verify the current pricing page before relying on it for a production budget.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a template ID without an API key?
No. The template ID selects the design, while the API key authenticates the request; an API render needs both.
Where do I revoke an Orshot key?
Open API Keys from the workspace sidebar, select the exposed or retired key, and revoke it there.
Is Quick Connect the same as the API?
Quick Connect is the fastest template-specific way to copy credentials and configure integrations; direct API calls give you explicit control over the request body and output settings.
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