Use BrowserCat’s managed browser with Playwright to open a webpage, set a capture viewport, wait for the content you need, and save a screenshot. The example below uses 1200 × 630 pixels as an illustrative canvas—not as a BrowserCat recommendation or a guaranteed requirement for any social network. Check the current image guidance for the platform where you plan to use the image.
What you need
- A BrowserCat API key. BrowserCat’s quick start connects to its remote browser at
wss://api.browsercat.com/connectand authenticates with anApi-Keyrequest header. See the BrowserCat quick start. - Node.js and the Playwright package. BrowserCat recommends Playwright as a starting point; its documentation also describes support for Puppeteer and CDP-based clients. Those are BrowserCat’s stated compatibility claims, not independent compatibility tests. See BrowserCat.
- A publicly reachable page URL and a place to save the resulting PNG.
Keep the API key in an environment variable or another secret store. Do not put it in client-side JavaScript, commit it to source control, or print it in logs.
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Connect with Playwright and save a preview image
Install Playwright in your project with npm install playwright. Save the following as preview.mjs:
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const targetUrl = process.argv[2];
const apiKey = process.env.BROWSERCAT_API_KEY;
if (!targetUrl || !apiKey) {
console.error('Usage: BROWSERCAT_API_KEY=... node preview.mjs https://example.com');
process.exit(1);
}
const browser = await chromium.connect('wss://api.browsercat.com/connect', {
headers: { 'Api-Key': apiKey },
});
try {
const page = await browser.newPage();
// Illustrative canvas only. Check the target platform's current requirements.
await page.setViewportSize({ width: 1200, height: 630 });
await page.goto(targetUrl, { waitUntil: 'load' });
await page.screenshot({ path: 'preview.png' });
console.log('Saved preview.png');
} finally {
await browser.close();
}Run it with your own page URL:
BROWSERCAT_API_KEY=your_key_here node preview.mjs https://example.comThe connection, navigation and screenshot flow follows BrowserCat’s quick start. The viewport and screenshot path are documented in its Playwright cheatsheet. The example waits for the page’s load event; that does not guarantee that every client-rendered element, animation or late-loading image is ready.
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Choose what to capture and when
Use a viewport for a fixed card composition
A social preview is usually a deliberate crop, so begin with a viewport screenshot and set its width and height before capture. The example uses 1200 × 630 only to demonstrate the mechanics. Confirm the actual aspect ratio, dimensions and file constraints with the destination platform’s current official guidance; those requirements can change, and BrowserCat’s screenshot documentation does not define them.
Wait for the content that matters
If the title, hero image or other essential content appears after the initial document load, wait for the specific element or state your page requires before calling screenshot(). For example, after navigation you can wait for a title element with Playwright:
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await page.goto(targetUrl, { waitUntil: 'load' });
await page.locator('h1').waitFor({ state: 'visible' });
await page.screenshot({ path: 'preview.png' });Replace h1 with a selector that identifies the content you need. A visible title alone does not prove that every image or font has finished loading, so inspect the output when those assets are important.
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Pick the screenshot type that matches the intended image
- Viewport: captures the current browser view and is usually the appropriate starting point for a fixed preview composition.
- Full page: Playwright supports
fullPage: true. Use it when you genuinely want the entire page; a tall capture may not suit a social card. - Element: use a locator’s screenshot method when a particular hero or pre-composed card should be isolated, for example
await page.locator('.hero').screenshot({ path: 'hero.png' });. The selector must match the page you are capturing. - Format: PNG is the default used here. Playwright also documents JPEG output and a quality setting for JPEG. Choose based on the image’s appearance and the destination’s current accepted formats.
- Framing and appearance: the cheatsheet documents clipping, masks and custom screenshot styling. These can change the captured region or presentation; a mask is not a substitute for keeping sensitive information out of the rendered page, and injected styles alter the capture rather than the page’s social metadata.
See BrowserCat’s Playwright cheatsheet for the documented screenshot options and syntax.
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Configure the remote browser only when needed
The basic connection is sufficient for a straightforward capture. BrowserCat’s configuration overview says options can be supplied as query parameters or through the BrowserCat-Opts header, with header keys taking precedence when both are set. Its examples cover browser choice and proxy configuration. Add configuration only when your workflow requires it, and check the BrowserCat configuration overview for the current interface.
Troubleshoot common capture problems
- Authentication or connection fails: confirm that
BROWSERCAT_API_KEYis set in the process environment and that the request sends it as theApi-Keyheader. Keep the key secret; do not paste it into a browser-delivered script. - The file is blank or misses page content: check the URL and inspect the page at the chosen viewport. If the needed content is rendered after navigation, wait for a selector or application state that represents readiness rather than relying only on the load event.
- A hero image is missing: confirm that the image is present at the target URL and wait for the relevant image or page state before capturing. A completed navigation event alone is not a guarantee that late assets have rendered.
- The image has the wrong composition: adjust the viewport or capture a specific element. Avoid
fullPage: trueunless the desired output is a full, tall page rather than a fixed preview. - The output does not meet a platform’s requirements: verify that platform’s current official image specifications and preview-testing workflow. A successful screenshot only confirms that an image was produced; it does not certify platform acceptance or display behavior.
- The remote browser does not accept an option: check the current BrowserCat configuration and Playwright documentation. Browser choice and connection configuration are separate from the basic screenshot flow.
Performance, reliability and cost considerations
Capture time depends on the page, its resources and the readiness condition you choose. Waiting for an element can avoid capturing an incomplete composition, but a selector that never appears can keep a job from reaching the screenshot step; use a selector that is present in the intended page state and handle failures in your application. The BrowserCat documentation cited here does not establish a speed, concurrency, uptime or pricing figure, so those should not be assumed from this example.
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For repeated captures, inspect the saved image and record failures in your own job workflow. If you need browser choice or proxy settings, consult BrowserCat’s configuration documentation before adding them.
Or skip the browser setup
ScreenshotNeo can return a website screenshot or PDF from one GET request. For example, this cURL request saves a WebP screenshot of the target page:
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does a BrowserCat screenshot set a page’s social preview metadata?
No. It captures the page as rendered in a browser; it does not by itself change the page’s social metadata.
Can I use Puppeteer or a CDP client instead of Playwright?
BrowserCat describes support for Puppeteer and CDP-based clients, while its quick start recommends Playwright as the starting point. Check BrowserCat’s current documentation for the connection details for your chosen client.
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