The Tool Desk
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Before you start
You need a Screenshotlayer account and access key, a Linux or Unix host that stays available at the scheduled time, and a user account that can run scripts and write to the image directory. The Screenshotlayer API details referenced here come from a GitHub repository archived on June 20, 2024; they are useful implementation guidance, not confirmation of the service’s current endpoint, plan terms, or parameters. Check the live account or current documentation before relying on them.
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The archived specification lists http://api.screenshotlayer.com/api/capture as the base endpoint and describes HTTPS access at the corresponding https:// endpoint for paid customers. Verify which endpoint your current plan supports. The request requires an access key and the target page’s complete URL, including https:// or http://.
Choose what each daily capture should contain
The archived Screenshotlayer specification documents parameters for capture size, output, rendering delay, and cache behavior. Confirm their current names and semantics before deploying a recurring job.
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fullpage=1requests a full-page capture; otherwise, select a viewport with the documentedviewportoption.formatselects an output format. The project README lists PNG, JPEG, and GIF; use a format supported by your current account.delaycan allow a page time to render before capture.ttlcontrols caching. The archived specification gives a default of 2,592,000 seconds, or 30 days.force=1is documented as an option to force a fresh capture.
A daily cron run does not necessarily mean a newly rendered screenshot every day: with a long cache TTL, an API may return a cached result. Choose a shorter TTL if appropriate or use the documented fresh-capture option, after confirming current API behavior and any plan constraints.
Create a script for cron
The example below is a Bash script using curl. It creates a dated PNG in a local directory, checks for HTTP errors, and detects a JSON error response rather than quietly treating it as an image. The API documentation describes error responses for missing or invalid keys, invalid URLs, and usage-limit exhaustion. Because response formats can change, verify the current error format before depending on this check.
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Save this as /absolute/path/to/screenshot.sh, update the endpoint and target URL as needed, and create the output directory. This example expects the key to be supplied as an environment variable named SCREENSHOTLAYER_ACCESS_KEY.
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set -u
API_ENDPOINT="https://api.screenshotlayer.com/api/capture"
TARGET_URL="https://example.com"
OUTPUT_DIR="/absolute/path/to/screenshots"
LOG_FILE="/absolute/path/to/screenshot-script.log"
log() {
printf '%s %sn' "$(date -Is)" "$*" >> "$LOG_FILE"
}
if [[ -z "${SCREENSHOTLAYER_ACCESS_KEY:-}" ]]; then
log "ERROR: SCREENSHOTLAYER_ACCESS_KEY is not set"
exit 1
fi
if ! mkdir -p "$OUTPUT_DIR"; then
log "ERROR: cannot create output directory: $OUTPUT_DIR"
exit 1
fi
OUTPUT_FILE="$OUTPUT_DIR/site-$(date +%F).png"
TEMP_FILE="$OUTPUT_FILE.tmp"
if ! HTTP_CODE=$(/usr/bin/curl --silent --show-error --location
--output "$TEMP_FILE" --write-out '%{http_code}'
--get "$API_ENDPOINT"
--data-urlencode "access_key=$SCREENSHOTLAYER_ACCESS_KEY"
--data-urlencode "url=$TARGET_URL"
--data-urlencode "format=PNG"
--data-urlencode "ttl=86400"); then
rm -f "$TEMP_FILE"
log "ERROR: curl request failed"
exit 1
fi
if [[ "$HTTP_CODE" != 2* ]]; then
log "ERROR: API returned HTTP $HTTP_CODE"
rm -f "$TEMP_FILE"
exit 1
fi
if /usr/bin/grep -a -q '"error"' "$TEMP_FILE"; then
log "ERROR: API response contains an error; inspect the response securely"
rm -f "$TEMP_FILE"
exit 1
fi
if [[ ! -s "$TEMP_FILE" ]]; then
log "ERROR: API returned an empty response"
rm -f "$TEMP_FILE"
exit 1
fi
mv "$TEMP_FILE" "$OUTPUT_FILE"
log "Saved screenshot: $OUTPUT_FILE"The ttl=86400 value illustrates a one-day cache lifetime; it is not a guarantee of a fresh capture at every run. If the current API supports force=1 and that is the desired behavior, substitute or add it according to the current parameter rules. Avoid enabling both refresh controls without checking how the service interprets them.
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Protect the key and files
The archived API uses the access key in query parameters. Do not commit a real key to a public repository or print the complete request URL to logs. A protected environment file or a host’s secret manager is preferable. If using an environment file, restrict its permissions and load it only for the job’s execution.
chmod 700 /absolute/path/to/screenshot.sh
mkdir -p /absolute/path/to/screenshots
chmod 700 /absolute/path/to/screenshotsThe script uses absolute paths for curl and grep because cron provides a limited environment. Confirm those executable locations on your host with command -v curl and command -v grep; replace the paths in the script if necessary. The cron user must be able to read the key configuration, execute the script, and write to both the output and log locations.
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Schedule the script with cron
- Run
crontab -eas the user who should own and run the job. - Add an entry such as
30 2 * * * /absolute/path/to/screenshot.sh >> /absolute/path/to/screenshot.log 2>&1. - Save the crontab, then run
crontab -lto check that the entry is installed. - Run the script manually once as that same user and verify that it creates the expected dated file and log entry.
Cron’s five fields are minute, hour, day of month, month, and day of week. In the example, 30 2 * * * means every day at 02:30 according to the host’s cron time basis. Confirm the host’s timezone and scheduler configuration rather than assuming the time is local to you. The cron entry appends standard output and errors to a separate log; the script also writes concise status messages to its own log.
Storage, quotas, and failure visibility
The example stores one file per calendar date on the host. This avoids overwriting earlier captures, but files accumulate: set a retention policy that fits your disk capacity and recordkeeping needs. The archived Screenshotlayer documentation also describes optional S3 or FTP export; it does not establish their current availability, comparative reliability, or cost. Choose local storage or remote export based on your access, backup, and retention requirements.
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Multiple target sites or viewport variations increase the number of capture requests. The archived README reports a free allowance of 100 website snapshots per month, but that is a historical figure, not a verified 2026 quota. Check your current account or dashboard before estimating usage. The archived specification lists usage-limit, authentication, and invalid-URL errors; configure log monitoring or an alert so the job’s nonzero exit status is noticed.
Troubleshooting
- No screenshot appears: run the script manually as the cron user, check the cron and script logs, and confirm that the output directory exists and is writable.
- The job works manually but not under cron: use absolute paths, ensure the access-key environment is loaded for cron, and confirm the crontab belongs to the intended user.
- The API rejects the request: confirm the current endpoint, key, and complete target URL. The archived specification documents missing or invalid access keys and invalid URLs as errors.
- The same image appears on successive days: inspect the cache settings. The archived default TTL is 30 days; verify the current
ttlandforcebehavior and choose a refresh strategy deliberately. - The service reports a usage limit: check the current account allowance and the number of URLs and variants being captured; do not rely on the archived free-tier figure.
- The saved file is unusable: confirm the selected format is supported and inspect the response safely before saving it as an image. An API error body should not be kept under an image extension.
- The run time is unexpected: check the host’s timezone and cron configuration; the schedule is interpreted by the host, not necessarily your workstation’s timezone.
Or skip the browser setup
ScreenshotNeo is an alternative website screenshot API: it removes cookie and consent banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture, and bot checks, blank pages, and failed loads are not billed. An MCP server provides screenshot tools for AI agents, and every plan includes the product’s features.
For example, this one-call cURL request returns a screenshot file; see the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for parameters and response details:
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchcurl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://example.com -o shot.webpScreenshotNeo includes 1,000 screenshots per month on its free plan with no card required; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 screenshots. It also offers an MCP server for AI agents that need to take screenshots.
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