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Thumbalizr’s documented way to create thumbnails in bulk is to automate its Embed API: keep a list of target URLs, sign and encode one request per URL, then check each response before storing or embedding the result. Its reviewed documentation describes per-URL API requests, not a bulk-upload control. The steps below cover the request workflow, settings, response handling, and plan limits.
What you need before starting
- A Thumbalizr account and its API key and secret, available from the member area described in the official API documentation. Thumbalizr’s homepage says registration for a basic API key is free: Thumbalizr.
- A list of target website URLs and a place to run a script that can make HTTP requests.
- A server-side environment for generating signed requests. Keep the API secret private; do not put it in browser-side JavaScript or public page source.
Thumbalizr’s homepage describes the service as a way to screenshot websites and embed their thumbnails. The API documentation provides examples in PHP, Python, Ruby, Perl, and Bash. Check the current documentation and account area for the exact request format and credentials; the token depends on the query string and secret.
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Build a repeatable per-URL workflow
- Get credentials. Create an account and retrieve the API key and secret from the member area, following the official API documentation.
- Prepare the URL list. Store one target URL per item. Validate that each is a complete, properly formed URL and decide how to handle duplicates before making requests.
- Choose consistent capture options. Set output width, image format and quality, capture size, viewport, delay, and country as needed. Unless a particular page needs different treatment, use the same settings across the run so thumbnails are comparable.
- Encode and sign each request. Generate one API request for each target, correctly encoding the query string—especially the target URL—and calculating the documented MD5 token from the URL query string and secret. Follow the API page’s examples for the precise parameter ordering and encoding conventions; a mismatched signature or altered query string can invalidate the token.
- Process responses individually. Read the response headers for status and error information. Save or embed a result only when the request has succeeded and the returned image is usable.
- Record outcomes. Keep the original URL, chosen settings, response status, generation date, and any error reason together. This makes failed captures identifiable and lets you retry only the affected URLs.
The API documentation reviewed here demonstrates one request per capture. Treat “bulk” as a script or job queue that repeats those requests; do not assume there is a separate bulk-upload interface.
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The Embed API documentation says that only the target URL is required; other values fall back to the user’s profile settings. Explicit settings are preferable for a batch because they make the output consistent and reproducible.
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| Setting | What it controls | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Thumbnail width | Output width in pixels. | The documented range depends on plan, with widths listed from 1 to 2,000 pixels across tiers. Check your tier rather than treating 2,000 as universal. |
| Format and quality | JPG or PNG output; JPEG quality from 10 to 100. | Quality applies to JPEG. Pick one format and quality for comparable files unless transparency or file size calls for a different choice. |
| Refresh timestamp | Requests a refreshed capture using a timestamp parameter. | The documentation lists this for paid tiers; confirm availability on your plan. |
| Capture size | screen captures the visible screen; page captures the full page. |
The plan table lists screen-size capture for Free and full-page capture on paid plans. |
| Delay | Waits before capture so page content has time to render. | The documented range is 1–30 seconds. The documentation shows a five-second default for Free and Silver; check profile defaults and tier behavior. |
| Browser viewport | bwidth and bheight set the browser viewport dimensions. |
Viewport options and maximum dimensions can vary by tier. Viewport size is distinct from the final thumbnail width. |
| Capture country | Selects the listed capture location. | The plan table lists US or Germany locations for the plans shown; confirm the location options attached to your account. |
| Watermark | Controls watermark availability. | Availability depends on plan; check the current feature table before a branded or unbranded run. |
For a site-wide thumbnail set, choose the viewport to match where the images will be displayed, and use full-page capture only when the whole page—not just its initial visible area—is needed. If one page needs a longer render delay or a different viewport, override that setting for that request and record the exception.
Automate response checks and retries
Thumbalizr documents these response headers: X-Thumbalizr-Status, X-Thumbalizr-Generated, and X-Thumbalizr-Error. Use them to distinguish completed captures from queued or failed ones rather than assuming that an HTTP response alone means the thumbnail is ready.
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X-Thumbalizr-Status: OK: treat as a successful capture, then verify the body is an image before publishing or embedding it.X-Thumbalizr-Status: QUEUED: the capture is not yet reported as complete. Follow the current API documentation for how to retrieve or poll the result; do not label it successful prematurely.X-Thumbalizr-Status: FAILED: inspectX-Thumbalizr-Error, preserve the error with the target URL, and retry only after addressing the likely cause.X-Thumbalizr-Generated: record the generation date if you need to identify stale thumbnails or confirm refreshes.
Keep concurrency conservative until you know how your account handles volume and queued results. The reviewed materials establish monthly plan quotas but do not specify a universal request-rate limit or bulk-job behavior. Avoid launching a large run without first testing a small sample and confirming your remaining monthly capacity.
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Thumbalizr’s Features & Pricing page, accessed in 2026, displayed the following monthly quotas and prices. These are the page’s published figures, not a guarantee of today’s checkout total or currency conversion; confirm the live account page before a large run. The page says premium plans can be monthly subscriptions or one-time payments.
| Plan or capacity shown | Published screenshots per month | Displayed price |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 100 | No price listed here |
| Silver | 2,000 | €8 / $9 for one month |
| Gold | 3,000 | €12 / $13 for one month |
| Platinum | 5,000 | €18 / $20 for one month |
| Platinum higher-capacity option | 10,000 | €34 / $37 for one month |
| Platinum higher-capacity option | 25,000 | €80 / $86 for one month |
Source for these displayed figures: Thumbalizr Features & Pricing, accessed in 2026. Its page also describes Platinum as “5,000 and more” screenshots per month. Compare expected captures—not just the number of URLs—to the allowance: refreshing a page or generating another version may require another capture.
Embed or download the resulting thumbnails
The service’s homepage says thumbnails can be embedded on your own website, and the Embed API returns a URL for each capture. For embedding, use the resulting URL in the image markup or embed pattern described in Thumbalizr’s current documentation. For a local archive, have your server fetch and store the returned image only after confirming the capture succeeded. Do not expose the API secret in an embed URL or client-side code; the documented signed-request workflow is intended to authenticate API requests.
If you store copies, retain a mapping from each original URL to the capture URL or file path, output settings, and generation date. This helps update thumbnails without confusing a changed source page with an old capture.
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Troubleshoot common batch failures
- Invalid token or authentication failure: Recreate the signature from the exact query string and secret as documented. Ensure URL encoding is complete before signing, and avoid changing parameter order or values after calculating the token.
- Target URL is malformed or misread: Encode the full target URL as a query parameter. Characters such as ampersands must not be allowed to split the outer API query string.
- A request is queued rather than finished: Treat
QUEUEDas pending, not success. Follow the current documentation’s retrieval process and make retry logic aware of queued jobs. - A request is marked failed: Read
X-Thumbalizr-Errorand preserve it in the job log. Correct the cause shown before retrying; repeated identical requests will not resolve a persistent target or setting problem. - The image looks cropped or incomplete: Check whether the request uses screen or page size, then verify the browser viewport and delay. Full-page capture is listed for paid tiers, while Free is listed as screen-size.
- The batch stops before all URLs are captured: Compare the planned volume with the account’s monthly quota and check whether failures or refresh requests are consuming the available capacity. Confirm current quota in the live account area.
- Expected capture location is unavailable: The documented plan table lists US or Germany locations for the plans shown. Check your current plan’s choices rather than assuming another location is supported.
Account for Thumbalizr’s announced backend transition
Thumbalizr’s April 8, 2026 blog post announced a phased move of its screenshot engine from Browshot infrastructure to ScreenshotCenter. It said new accounts would use ScreenshotCenter first and existing accounts would move in batches over the following weeks; the post does not independently confirm that rollout is complete. Thumbalizr said in that announcement that existing integrations, API calls, embed codes, and settings were intended to remain unchanged. Confirm the current status with Thumbalizr if your automation depends on backend-specific behavior. The same post described additional locations, ad and popup filtering, video recordings, PDF exports, and expanded device emulation as planned later rollout items, not capabilities to assume are available today. See the April 8, 2026 migration announcement.
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Or skip the browser setup
If you would rather use a single screenshot API request than maintain Thumbalizr’s per-request signing workflow, try ScreenshotNeo. For example, this cURL request returns a WebP capture for a URL:
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpSee the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options and response behavior. ScreenshotNeo removes cookie banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; bot checks, blank pages, and failed loads are never billed. Its MCP server lets AI agents use screenshot tools, and the Free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000. Sign up for ScreenshotNeo’s free plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Thumbalizr have a bulk-upload button?
The reviewed API documentation shows individual capture requests; automate one request per URL rather than relying on a documented bulk-upload control.
Which programming languages does the Thumbalizr API documentation illustrate?
The documentation includes PHP, Python, Ruby, Perl, and Bash examples.
Has Thumbalizr completed its move to ScreenshotCenter?
Its April 8, 2026 post announced a phased transition but did not independently confirm completion; check Thumbalizr for the current rollout status.
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