Use cron to run a browser script on a schedule; use Playwright in that script to visit each authorized URL and save its screenshot. For dependable daily captures, set the host to the intended timezone, install the matching Playwright browser and system dependencies, use absolute paths, and run the command as the same account that owns the crontab.
Build a reliable scheduled capture
- Make a URL inventory. Store one authorized URL per line in a text file. Decide whether each image should show a fixed viewport or the entire scrollable page.
- Install Playwright and its browser. In the project directory, run
npm init -y, thennpm install playwrightandnpx playwright install --with-deps chromiumon a supported Linux host. The browser binaries are tied to Playwright versions; repeat the browser installation workflow after upgrading. See the Playwright browser installation guide. - Create the capture script. The example below reads a URL per line, captures pages sequentially, and records failures without silently treating them as successful images.
- Test as the cron owner. Run the command manually under the same account and with the same working directory, environment, and output permissions as the scheduled job.
- Add and verify the schedule. Use the intended host timezone, redirect logs to a writable absolute path, and check successive runs for exit status, expected image count, and content readiness.
Runnable Playwright script
Save this as capture.mjs in the project directory. Create urls.txt beside it, with one URL on each line. The script uses full-page capture; remove fullPage: true for fixed-viewport screenshots.
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import { chromium } from 'playwright';
import { readFile, mkdir } from 'node:fs/promises';
import path from 'node:path';
const root = path.dirname(new URL(import.meta.url).pathname);
const urlsFile = path.join(root, 'urls.txt');
const outputDir = path.join(root, 'screenshots');
const urls = (await readFile(urlsFile, 'utf8'))
.split(/r?n/)
.map(line => line.trim())
.filter(line => line && !line.startsWith('#'));
await mkdir(outputDir, { recursive: true });
const runId = new Date().toISOString().replaceAll(':', '-');
const browser = await chromium.launch({ headless: true });
let failures = 0;
try {
for (const [index, url] of urls.entries()) {
const page = await browser.newPage({ viewport: { width: 1440, height: 900 } });
try {
const response = await page.goto(url, {
waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded',
timeout: 60000
});
if (!response || !response.ok()) {
throw new Error(`Navigation returned ${response?.status() ?? 'no response'}`);
}
// Replace or supplement this with a site-specific readiness condition.
await page.screenshot({
path: path.join(outputDir, `${runId}-${index + 1}.png`),
fullPage: true
});
console.log(`OK ${url}`);
} catch (error) {
failures++;
console.error(`FAIL ${url}: ${error.message}`);
} finally {
await page.close();
}
}
} finally {
await browser.close();
}
if (failures) process.exitCode = 1;domcontentloaded is a starting point, not proof that a site’s charts, images, or client-rendered data are ready. When a page has a stable landmark, wait for it before capturing—for example, add await page.locator('main').waitFor({ state: 'visible', timeout: 30000 }); after navigation, replacing main with a selector that genuinely indicates readiness on that site. For pages with no reliable landmark, choose and document an appropriate delay or other condition instead of assuming one wait strategy fits every URL. The Playwright Page API documents navigation and screenshot methods, and its screenshot guide covers viewport and full-page capture.
Choose the screenshot shape and naming strategy
Viewport or full page
| Choice | Use it when | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Viewport | You need a consistent visible frame for repeated comparison. | Content below the viewport is not included; output is bounded by the chosen viewport. |
| Full page | You need the complete scrollable document in one image. | Long pages can produce very tall images and larger files. |
Playwright rendering can vary with operating system, browser version, settings, hardware, power source, and headless mode. For visual comparisons, keep the capture environment and browser version consistent with the baseline; record those details with the output if others will compare images. See Playwright’s visual comparison guidance.
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The example names files with a run timestamp and sequence number. For larger inventories, a sanitized hostname can make files easier to identify, but include a collision-safe component: multiple URLs may share a host, and repeated runs should not overwrite prior evidence. Ensure the output directory is writable by the crontab owner.
Schedule the script with cron
For a daily run at 06:30 on a host whose cron daemon uses Indian Standard Time, an illustrative crontab entry is:
30 6 * * * cd /absolute/path/to/project && /usr/bin/node /absolute/path/to/project/capture.mjs >> /absolute/path/to/project/capture.log 2>&1Edit the crontab for the account that should own the job with crontab -e. Cron runs commands as that crontab’s owner and uses the configured shell; setting the directory explicitly and using absolute paths avoids relying on an interactive shell’s working directory or PATH. Confirm the actual Node path with command -v node while logged in as the job owner.
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A crontab uses five schedule fields—minute, hour, day of month, month, and day of week—before the command. In the Cronie manual, when both day-of-month and day-of-week are restricted, either matching field can trigger a run. Confirm the behavior of the cron implementation installed on your host. Cronie documents crontab -T as a syntax check where supported. The crontab(5) manual also documents CRON_TZ for Cronie, but that extension is not portable to every cron implementation. Check the daemon’s timezone and implementation rather than assuming a setting will be honored; job log timestamps in the cited manual use the daemon’s local timezone.
Run locally or on an always-on host
| Environment | Advantages | Considerations |
|---|---|---|
| Existing Linux machine or server | Uses infrastructure and access you already control. | It must be on and reachable at the scheduled time, with browser dependencies installed and storage available. |
| Hosted Linux environment | Can run independently of a personal computer’s availability. | Requires hosting setup and may add service and maintenance costs; no provider or price is implied here. |
For a large URL list, the script above intentionally captures sequentially. Parallel browser sessions can reduce elapsed time but increase CPU and memory use, affect stability, and create more load on destination sites. Start sequentially, observe run duration and host resources, then introduce limited concurrency only if the machine has capacity and the sites’ policies permit the request rate. Playwright’s CI guidance recommends one worker for stability and reproducibility in CI, while allowing parallel work on capable self-hosted systems; that advice is a useful starting point, not a universal limit for screenshot scripts.
Troubleshoot missed or misleading captures
- The job works interactively but cron produces no files: run it as the crontab owner, set the project directory in the command, use absolute paths, and inspect the redirected log. Check write permissions for both the screenshots directory and log.
- Chromium fails to launch: install the browser version matching the installed Playwright package and the required Linux system dependencies. After a Playwright upgrade, rerun the documented browser installation command; see the browser guide.
- The screenshot is blank or incomplete: navigation completion may precede client-side rendering or image loading. Wait for a site-specific visible selector or another meaningful readiness condition, and log failures instead of saving a partial result as valid.
- A URL times out: inspect the URL and the logged navigation failure, set a bounded timeout appropriate to the target set, and decide whether that URL should be retried on a later run. No single timeout or retry count suits every site.
- Images differ between runs: control the operating system, Playwright/browser versions, viewport, and headless settings. Hardware and power conditions can also affect rendering, so keep the environment consistent when comparing images.
- The run misses the intended local time: verify the daemon’s timezone and cron implementation. Do not rely on Cronie’s
CRON_TZextension unless the host supports it; validate the scheduled time with observed runs. - Only some URLs fail: preserve each URL’s status in the log and inspect failures individually. Capture only pages you are authorized to access, respect site terms and access controls, and do not attempt to evade technical restrictions.
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FAQ
Can one cron job capture a list of websites?
Yes. Have the scheduled command run one script that reads the URL inventory and processes each entry, as in the example. A single job makes it easier to manage one schedule and one log.
Will a full-page screenshot always include lazy-loaded images?
Not necessarily. Full-page capture includes the scrollable document, but pages may load images or other content only after scrolling or waiting. Add site-appropriate scrolling or readiness logic when the page requires it.
How can I check whether cron ran?
Inspect the log file configured by the crontab entry, then check the output directory for the expected run’s files. A nonzero script exit status also signals that at least one URL failed in the sample script.
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