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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Build a FastAPI endpoint that accepts a page URL, renders it with Playwright, and returns screenshot bytes with the correct image content type. The example below uses Playwright’s async Python API, shares one browser process through FastAPI’s lifespan, and creates and closes an isolated browser context for each request.
How do I build a screenshot API with FastAPI and Playwright?
This minimal service accepts a JSON object containing a URL and bounded capture options, then returns PNG, JPEG, or WebP bytes directly. The limits in the example are application choices, not limits imposed by FastAPI or Playwright; adjust them to fit your workload and security policy.
Install the dependencies and browser
In a Python environment, install FastAPI, Uvicorn, and Playwright, then install Chromium for Playwright:
python -m pip install fastapi uvicorn playwright
python -m playwright install chromiumSave the following as app.py. The endpoint requires a URL, defaults to a 1280 × 800 viewport and PNG, and optionally supports full-page capture. It returns image bytes without writing a temporary file.
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from contextlib import asynccontextmanager
from typing import Literal
from urllib.parse import urlsplit
from fastapi import FastAPI, HTTPException
from fastapi.responses import Response
from pydantic import BaseModel, Field
from playwright.async_api import async_playwright
MEDIA_TYPES = {
"png": "image/png",
"jpeg": "image/jpeg",
"webp": "image/webp",
}
class ScreenshotRequest(BaseModel):
url: str
width: int = Field(default=1280, ge=320, le=2560)
height: int = Field(default=800, ge=240, le=2560)
full_page: bool = False
image_type: Literal["png", "jpeg", "webp"] = "png"
@asynccontextmanager
async def lifespan(app: FastAPI):
playwright = await async_playwright().start()
browser = await playwright.chromium.launch()
app.state.playwright = playwright
app.state.browser = browser
try:
yield
finally:
await browser.close()
await playwright.stop()
app = FastAPI(lifespan=lifespan)
@app.post("/screenshot")
async def screenshot(request: ScreenshotRequest):
parsed = urlsplit(request.url)
if parsed.scheme not in {"http", "https"} or not parsed.hostname:
raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail="url must be an absolute http or https URL")
browser = app.state.browser
context = await browser.new_context(
viewport={"width": request.width, "height": request.height}
)
try:
page = await context.new_page()
await page.goto(request.url, wait_until="domcontentloaded", timeout=15_000)
image = await page.screenshot(
full_page=request.full_page,
type=request.image_type,
)
return Response(content=image, media_type=MEDIA_TYPES[request.image_type])
except Exception as exc:
# Log the detailed exception server-side; do not expose internals to callers.
raise HTTPException(status_code=502, detail="Page navigation or screenshot capture failed") from exc
finally:
await context.close()
Run the development server with:
uvicorn app:app --host 127.0.0.1 --port 8000Send a request from another terminal:
curl -X POST http://127.0.0.1:8000/screenshot
-H 'Content-Type: application/json'
-d '{"url":"https://example.com","width":1280,"height":800,"full_page":true,"image_type":"png"}'
--output page.pngA successful request writes the returned PNG to page.png. Change the requested type and filename together for JPEG or WebP output. FastAPI passes a returned Response through directly, so the endpoint itself must supply the correct media type and valid response bytes; it does not serialize or validate the image body for you (FastAPI: Return a Response Directly).
What happens during a capture?
Reuse the browser, isolate each request
The FastAPI lifespan context starts Playwright and Chromium before the application serves requests, and closes them on shutdown. This is the documented lifecycle pattern for shared resources that need setup and cleanup (FastAPI: Lifespan Events). Each request gets its own browser context, which separates its page state from other captures; the finally block closes that context on both successful and failed captures.
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Launching a fresh browser per request is another possible design, but it changes startup and resource costs. The example reuses a browser process; it does not establish a universal browser-pool size or performance advantage. Measure under your own load before deciding how to scale.
Choose when a page is ready
The example navigates with wait_until="domcontentloaded", which waits for the document’s DOM to be parsed. It does not guarantee that every image, font, animation, or client-side data request has finished. For pages that render content later, wait for a known selector or add an explicit bounded delay before taking the screenshot.
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Playwright also supports waiting for network idle, but pages that maintain ongoing network activity may never reach that state. Select a readiness condition that matches the target page rather than applying one condition indiscriminately. Keep the navigation and any additional waits finite.
Which screenshot options should the API expose?
Playwright Python supports screenshot bytes, full-page captures, and screenshots of a specific locator (Playwright Python: Screenshots). Expose only the options your users need, validate their bounds, and avoid passing caller-controlled browser launch flags.
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| Need | Implementation choice | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Capture the visible viewport | Leave full_page false. |
Predictable capture area; content below the viewport is not included. |
| Capture the whole document | Set full_page true. |
Includes content beyond the viewport but can produce much larger images and use more memory. |
| Capture one component | Use a locator and call its screenshot method, such as await page.locator("main").screenshot(). |
Useful for focused captures; the selector must exist and identify the intended element. |
| Choose image encoding | Use PNG, JPEG, or WebP and pair the format with its corresponding media type. | Different formats have different output characteristics; choose based on the consumer’s requirements. |
| Return a small synchronous result | Return the screenshot bytes directly in the HTTP response. | Simple client flow; the caller waits for navigation and capture to finish. |
| Handle large or slow captures | Consider storing an artifact and returning a job identifier or URL. | Adds storage, lifecycle, and asynchronous job-management decisions. |
For example, to capture a specific component instead of the page, replace the screenshot call with image = await page.locator("main").screenshot(type=request.image_type). If no matching element appears, handle that condition as a capture failure rather than returning an unrelated image.
What should change before exposing this endpoint publicly?
Treat caller-supplied URLs as a security boundary
A screenshot service that navigates to URLs supplied by callers can be abused to reach internal services or consume excessive resources. The scheme check in the example rejects malformed or non-HTTP(S) inputs; it is not an SSRF defense. For a public service, define an explicit destination policy that rejects loopback, private, link-local, and other internal addresses, accounts for DNS resolution and redirects, and restricts outbound network access where possible. Hostname validation alone is insufficient.
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Also set service-level limits for capture duration, viewport and full-page output, concurrency, and request frequency. Authenticate callers if appropriate, avoid returning browser stack traces, and consider whether a synchronous response remains suitable for slow or large jobs. The right thresholds and storage or queue architecture depend on workload and threat model; there is no universal value established here.
Deploy with aligned browser dependencies
In a container, install the Playwright package, browser binaries, and required system dependencies. Pin the Playwright package and use a matching Playwright browser image or browser version: a mismatch can leave the package unable to locate its expected browser executable. Validate fonts, browser binaries, and system packages in the actual deployment environment (Playwright Python: Docker).
Playwright recommends using an init process in Docker to help avoid PID 1 zombie-process handling issues. For Chromium, its Docker guidance recommends --ipc=host because Chromium can run out of memory and crash without adequate shared memory. For crawling or scraping untrusted sites, follow the Docker guidance on running as a dedicated non-root user and using an appropriate seccomp profile; do not treat disabling browser sandboxing as a general production shortcut.
Troubleshooting common failures
- Playwright cannot find Chromium: Install the browser with
python -m playwright install chromiumin the runtime image, and make sure the Playwright package and browser image versions match. - Navigation times out: The page may be slow, blocked, or waiting on ongoing activity. Keep a finite timeout, select a readiness condition suited to the page, and return a controlled error instead of an unbounded wait.
- The response is mislabeled or unreadable: Match the response media type and filename to the selected format. A direct FastAPI
Responseis passed through, so the application is responsible for its content and headers. - The image is blank or missing late-loaded content: DOM readiness may occur before client-rendered elements appear. Wait for a page-specific selector or a bounded delay before capture.
- Chromium crashes under container load: Check shared-memory configuration and use the recommended
--ipc=hostsetting for Chromium where appropriate. Confirm the container has suitable memory for the workload. - Contexts or browsers remain open: Ensure context cleanup is in a
finallypath and close the shared browser and Playwright during application shutdown. - Callers can reach unintended destinations: A scheme-and-host parse check is not destination protection. Implement destination and outbound-network controls that account for private addresses, DNS resolution, and redirects.
Or skip the browser setup
If you need screenshots rather than a browser service to maintain, ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API with a one-request interface. For example, using the supplied cURL pattern:
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://example.com -o shot.webpSee the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options. ScreenshotNeo removes cookie banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; each step can be turned off. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and responses report the page verdict and billing status in headers. It also provides an MCP server with screenshot, page-info, and PDF-capture tools for AI agents. The free plan includes 1,000 shots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots.
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