ScreenshotAPI can capture some password-protected pages when you provide credentials in the format the target site uses: HTTP Basic Authentication, a session cookie, or a custom header. Send those credentials in a POST request, then check the final page’s HTTP status. A returned image alone does not prove you reached the protected content: a 401 or 403 indicates a login or error page.
Choose the credential method that matches the site
Protected pages do not all authenticate the same way. Identify the mechanism before you construct the request; the credential fields are not interchangeable, and they do not guarantee that every login flow can be automated.
- HTTP Basic Authentication: Use
basic_authwhen the target origin prompts for a username and password using HTTP Basic Auth. - Session-based access: Use
cookieswhen an already-authenticated browser session is represented by cookies. ScreenshotAPI documents these cookies as being set for the target host before navigation. - Custom-header access: Use
headersin the POST body, or the documentedheaderinput where applicable, when the site requires a custom request header. Custom headers are scoped to requests for the target host and do not follow redirects to a different host.
ScreenshotAPI’s help page emphasizes that the right method depends on how the site protects the page: ScreenshotAPI Help.
Send credentials in a POST request
Use the ScreenshotAPI endpoint documented at Screenshot API documentation. Its documentation recommends POST for credential-bearing requests because query strings can be recorded in access logs. A JSON request body keeps credentials off the URL, but it does not eliminate the need to protect them: send requests from trusted server-side code and avoid exposing session cookies or passwords in client-side source.
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Include the target URL and only the credential field needed for that site. The following are request-body examples; supply the endpoint and any required API authentication as described in the current API documentation.
HTTP Basic Authentication
POST https://screenshot-api.net/api/v1/screenshot
Content-Type: application/json
{
"url": "https://example.com/private/",
"basic_auth": {
"username": "YOUR_USERNAME",
"password": "YOUR_PASSWORD"
}
}Session cookie
POST https://screenshot-api.net/api/v1/screenshot
Content-Type: application/json
{
"url": "https://example.com/private/",
"cookies": [
{
"name": "session",
"value": "YOUR_SESSION_VALUE"
}
]
}Custom header
POST https://screenshot-api.net/api/v1/screenshot
Content-Type: application/json
{
"url": "https://example.com/private/",
"headers": {
"X-Preview-Key": "YOUR_HEADER_VALUE"
}
}These examples show the documented credential fields and JSON form, not a guarantee that every account or API configuration accepts these exact endpoint details without additional authentication or output parameters. Follow the endpoint documentation for required fields and response handling.
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Check whether the capture reached the protected content
Inspect the final-page HTTP status reported in the API response. ScreenshotAPI’s documentation states: “A 401 or 403 means the image is a login or error page, not the content.” See the Screenshot API documentation.
- 401 or 403: The capture did not access the intended content. Confirm the authentication method, credential value, target URL, and whether the request is supported.
- Successful page status: This is a useful check, but inspect the screenshot too if the page can return an application-level error despite an HTTP success status.
- Image bytes returned: Do not treat this alone as proof of authentication. The renderer may have captured the login screen faithfully.
When a hosted screenshot API is not the right fit
Server-side capture works best when the target site can authenticate using a credential method that the API supports. It may not work when access depends on an interactive login, an authenticator or other challenge, or browser state available only in your own local browser. ScreenshotAPI’s documentation distinguishes those browser-local cases and points readers toward a local browser capture workflow; avoid sending a session cookie to a hosted renderer if you cannot safely share that session material.
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Troubleshooting authentication failures
- The image shows a login screen: Check the reported final-page status. If it is 401 or 403, verify that the site uses Basic Auth, a session cookie, or a custom header as assumed; switch to the matching input rather than retrying the same credentials in another field.
- Cookies are present but the page remains protected: Confirm that the cookie is valid for the target host and represents an authenticated session. A cookie from a different host or an expired session will not establish the required access.
- A custom header works on the first host but not after redirect: ScreenshotAPI documents that target-host headers do not follow a redirect to a different host. Check the redirect destination and whether the destination requires separate authentication.
- The page requires an interactive challenge or browser-only state: The documented credential inputs do not imply support for completing every login flow. Capture from the already-authenticated local browser where that is the only context with access.
- Credentials appeared in a URL or browser source: Stop exposing them there, rotate the affected secret if appropriate, and move the capture request to trusted server-side code using POST.
Or skip the browser setup
ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server for developers. One GET request returns a PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF; for protected-page workflows, check the target site’s supported authentication method and do not assume arbitrary interactive logins are supported.
For a public page, this cURL example saves a WebP screenshot:
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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. ScreenshotNeo removes supported cookie banners, popups, and chat widgets before capture; bot checks, blank pages, and failed loads are never billed. Its MCP server lets AI agents take screenshots, and the Free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card required; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 screenshots. Sign up for free and get 1,000 screenshots a month with no card.
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