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Choose the authentication method the page actually uses
| Source-page access | What to send to PDFShift | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| HTTP Basic Authentication | An auth object with username and password |
The server protects the page with a Basic Auth challenge. |
| Existing authenticated session | A cookies array with cookie name and value |
You already have a valid session cookie for a page you are authorized to access. |
These are credentials for the webpage, not for PDFShift. Your PDFShift API key goes in the separate X-API-Key HTTP header. The official examples document Basic Auth and cookies; they do not establish that sending a username and password will automate an ordinary login form.
Convert a page protected by HTTP Basic Authentication
Use this method when the page server itself requests a Basic Auth username and password. The request body uses the page URL as source and the credentials in auth, as shown in PDFShift’s Basic Auth guide.
import requests
api_key = "YOUR_PDFSHIFT_API_KEY"
payload = {
"source": "https://www.example.com/protected-page",
"auth": {
"username": "YOUR_PAGE_USERNAME",
"password": "YOUR_PAGE_PASSWORD",
},
}
response = requests.post(
"https://api.pdfshift.io/v3/convert/pdf",
headers={"X-API-Key": api_key},
json=payload,
timeout=90,
)
response.raise_for_status()
with open("page.pdf", "wb") as pdf:
pdf.write(response.content)
Install the dependency with python -m pip install requests. raise_for_status() stops the script on an HTTP error rather than silently saving an error response under a PDF filename. The binary write mode preserves the returned PDF bytes.
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Convert a page using an existing session cookie
If you already have an authorized, valid session cookie, pass it in the conversion request’s cookies array. PDFShift’s cookie guide shows cookies with name and value, and supports optional secure and http_only Boolean fields.
import requests
api_key = "YOUR_PDFSHIFT_API_KEY"
payload = {
"source": "https://www.example.com/protected-page",
"cookies": [
{
"name": "SESSION_COOKIE_NAME",
"value": "SESSION_COOKIE_VALUE",
"secure": True,
"http_only": True,
}
],
}
response = requests.post(
"https://api.pdfshift.io/v3/convert/pdf",
headers={"X-API-Key": api_key},
json=payload,
timeout=90,
)
response.raise_for_status()
with open("page.pdf", "wb") as pdf:
pdf.write(response.content)
Include the optional flags only when they match the cookie you are supplying; they are not substitutes for a correct cookie name, value, or valid session. The guide documents how to send cookies, but does not establish how to obtain them, how long they remain valid, or whether every site’s session behavior will work.
Keep the two credentials separate
- Source-page credential: the
authobject or cookie values let the conversion process request the protected webpage. - PDFShift API key: the
X-API-Keyheader identifies your caller account to PDFShift.
PDFShift says it moved to the X-API-Key header on 2025-05-06. Its Help Center says a missing key can leave a request unauthenticated and result in a watermark; API-key problems can also produce 401 or 403 responses. If you need to check whether the key is being accepted, PDFShift points to GET https://api.pdfshift.io/v3/credits/usage. See its watermark and API-key explanation.
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Protect credentials and check authorization
- Use placeholders in examples and keep real API keys, page passwords, and session tokens out of public repositories, browser-side code exposed to untrusted users, screenshots, and logs.
- A session cookie is a bearer credential: anyone who can use it may be able to act as the logged-in session. Handle it as carefully as a password.
- Only convert pages you are authorized to access. Because this workflow sends page credentials or session cookies to a third-party conversion service, check whether that is permitted by your organization.
Troubleshoot failed or unexpected PDFs
The PDF contains a login page
Check how the source page is protected. If it is an HTTP Basic Auth challenge, use auth; if it relies on a logged-in session, supply the right current cookie or cookies. The documented methods do not verify generic login-form automation. SSO, MFA challenges, CAPTCHA, and JavaScript-driven sign-in are not established as supported by the cited PDFShift guides.
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Check the PDFShift credential separately from the page credential: make sure X-API-Key is present and valid. Then verify that the Basic Auth pair or cookie is current and belongs to the source page. PDFShift documents missing or problematic API-key behavior and recommends checking the usage endpoint to confirm key acceptance.
The cookie is rejected or the page is still inaccessible
Confirm that the cookie name and value were copied correctly and that the session has not expired. A cookie from another domain or an expired session may not authorize the requested page; that is a practical limitation of session-based access, not a guarantee about PDFShift compatibility.
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The output file is not a usable PDF
Keep the response handling binary: use response.content and open the output file with "wb". Keep raise_for_status() before writing so an HTTP error is not mistaken for a successful PDF.
Or skip the browser setup
If you need a clean screenshot rather than a PDF of an authenticated page, ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server. A one-call screenshot request looks like this (see the ScreenshotNeo API documentation):
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpScreenshotNeo accepts cookie and consent banners before capture and removes 60+ known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets; each step can be turned off. Bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits cost nothing, with response headers indicating the page verdict and billing status. An MCP server offers take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf tools for AI agents. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can PDFShift use a username and password for any password-protected webpage?
No. The documented username-and-password method is for HTTP Basic Authentication. An ordinary interactive login form is not established as supported by the cited guides.
Does the PDFShift API key go in the `auth` object?
No. The `auth` object is for the webpage’s Basic Auth credentials; the PDFShift key belongs in the `X-API-Key` header.
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