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Choose build time or request time
Astro has two distinct moments when it can run code that captures a page. Static endpoints execute while building the site and write files into the generated output. Server endpoints execute when someone requests the route. A static deployment cannot produce a new, user-specific screenshot after it has been published; that requires a server-rendered endpoint.
| Approach | Good fit | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Build-time capture | Showcases, documentation, and other stable content | The image is refreshed by a later build, not by a visitor’s request. Captures also use build resources and add image bytes to the generated site. |
| On-demand endpoint | Changing targets or captures initiated by a user | Requires server rendering, protected credentials, error handling, caching, and controls against abuse. |
Astro’s Endpoints documentation describes static endpoints as build-time output and server endpoints as request-time responses. In hybrid mode, a route intended to stay live must opt out of prerendering with export const prerender = false. Astro’s global fetch() likewise runs at build time by default and at runtime when used in server-rendered output, as explained in its data fetching guide.
Set up ScreenshotAPI credentials and server rendering
The provider-specific example here is for ScreenshotAPI at screenshotapi.to, not the similarly named Screenshot API documented at screenshot-api.org. Their endpoints, authentication, quotas, and feature sets are not interchangeable. ScreenshotAPI’s Astro guide, last updated March 25, 2026, uses Astro’s built-in fetch() and an x-api-key header; it says no additional package is required for its examples.
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- Choose an adapter and output mode. For a live capture route, configure Astro for
output: 'server'oroutput: 'hybrid'and install the adapter appropriate to your deployment target, following Astro’s deployment documentation. Purely static output cannot serve a newly generated request-specific image after build. - Keep the API key on the server. Put it in the project’s
.envfile asSCREENSHOTAPI_KEY=your_key. Do not use a browser-visible public variable prefix or embed the credential in client-side code. - Configure the provider endpoint. ScreenshotAPI’s request contract is provider-specific. Use the screenshot endpoint and parameter names shown in its current account documentation. The code below reads that URL from an environment variable rather than assuming a path that may not match your account or current API version.
For example, add the documented ScreenshotAPI endpoint URL as SCREENSHOTAPI_ENDPOINT in your server environment. The variable is configuration, not a browser parameter. Never accept an arbitrary upstream API endpoint from the person requesting a screenshot.
Create an on-demand Astro image endpoint
Create src/pages/api/screenshot.png.ts. This example accepts a target URL and common capture settings, checks that the provider succeeded, and returns image bytes as a PNG response. Confirm the parameter names against ScreenshotAPI’s current guide before deploying; the fields below are not universal screenshot-API conventions.
import type { APIRoute } from 'astro';
export const prerender = false;
const allowedHosts = new Set(['example.com', 'www.example.com']);
export const GET: APIRoute = async ({ request }) => {
const key = import.meta.env.SCREENSHOTAPI_KEY;
const endpoint = import.meta.env.SCREENSHOTAPI_ENDPOINT;
if (!key || !endpoint) {
return new Response('Screenshot service is not configured', { status: 500 });
}
const incoming = new URL(request.url);
const rawTarget = incoming.searchParams.get('url');
if (!rawTarget) {
return new Response('Missing url parameter', { status: 400 });
}
let target: URL;
try {
target = new URL(rawTarget);
} catch {
return new Response('Invalid url parameter', { status: 400 });
}
if (target.protocol !== 'https:' || !allowedHosts.has(target.hostname)) {
return new Response('Target host is not allowed', { status: 403 });
}
const params = new URLSearchParams({
url: target.href,
width: incoming.searchParams.get('width') ?? '1280',
height: incoming.searchParams.get('height') ?? '800',
output: 'png',
full_page: incoming.searchParams.get('full_page') ?? 'false',
color_scheme: incoming.searchParams.get('color_scheme') ?? 'light',
});
let upstream: Response;
try {
upstream = await fetch(endpoint + '?' + params.toString(), {
headers: { 'x-api-key': key },
signal: AbortSignal.timeout(60_000),
});
} catch {
return new Response('Screenshot provider could not be reached', { status: 502 });
}
if (!upstream.ok) {
return new Response('Screenshot provider returned an error', { status: 502 });
}
const bytes = await upstream.arrayBuffer();
return new Response(bytes, {
headers: {
'Content-Type': 'image/png',
'Cache-Control': 'public, s-maxage=3600',
'X-Content-Type-Options': 'nosniff',
},
});
};The sample allowlist is intentionally restrictive: replace its example hostname with domains your application is meant to capture. If users must submit arbitrary public URLs, define and enforce a careful policy instead of removing validation wholesale. At minimum, reject non-HTTP(S) schemes, localhost, private and link-local address ranges, and internal hostnames; account for redirects and DNS resolution as well. Add authentication, rate limits, and request-size or concurrency controls appropriate to your app. A capture route can otherwise be used to consume your provider quota or probe destinations that should not be reachable.
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The one-hour shared-cache header is only a starting point. It suits targets that rarely change; use a shorter lifetime or bypass shared caching when freshness matters. For user-specific or sensitive captures, do not publicly cache the response. Astro endpoints return standard Response objects, so you can set status and headers explicitly.
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For a fixed set of showcase URLs, capture images while rendering a page or generating static endpoint files. The core pattern is to fetch the provider response in build-time code, convert successful bytes to a data URL, and render an image. The guide’s example displays a placeholder when a capture fails rather than failing the whole page.
const response = await fetch(screenshotEndpoint, {
headers: { 'x-api-key': import.meta.env.SCREENSHOTAPI_KEY },
});
let screenshotSrc = '/images/screenshot-unavailable.png';
if (response.ok) {
const bytes = new Uint8Array(await response.arrayBuffer());
let binary = '';
for (const byte of bytes) binary += String.fromCharCode(byte);
screenshotSrc = `data:image/png;base64,${btoa(binary)}`;
}Here screenshotEndpoint must be built from the endpoint and parameters in ScreenshotAPI’s current documentation for the target page. In production, also check or constrain the target list and verify the returned media type before labeling bytes as PNG. For many large screenshots, writing image files into the build output rather than embedding base64 in HTML can keep markup smaller. Either way, each image is regenerated only when you run another build; deploy the updated output to publish refreshed captures.
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Adapt the capture to a gallery, social card, or theme
Reusable gallery component
Keep a list of known URLs and metadata—such as title, alt text, and capture options—in one data source, then render a card per item. Generate each image at build time when the list changes infrequently. Give the image meaningful alternative text, and provide a visible fallback when the provider cannot return a capture. If the list is user-editable or needs fresh captures immediately, move capture work to a protected server endpoint rather than expecting a static page to update itself.
Open Graph image endpoint
A server endpoint can return a fixed social-card size, such as the ScreenshotAPI guide’s 1200 × 630 PNG example. Set the correct image content type and cache policy, and make the target page or card inputs explicit. If a static site is sufficient, produce the card at build time and point its metadata at the generated file instead of adding a runtime capture request.
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Light and dark variants
Where the target supports a color-scheme preference, pass the provider’s documented color-scheme option for separate light and dark captures. Treat those as distinct cache entries; otherwise a cached light capture could be returned for a dark request. The exact option spelling belongs to the selected provider, not Astro.
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Provider options and implementation choices
ScreenshotAPI’s Astro guide demonstrates request settings for URL, dimensions, output type, quality, color scheme, and full-page capture. Check its current API documentation for accepted values and parameter names; a parameter accepted by another service may not work here. Beyond those settings, decide who controls each input: fixed build configuration is safer and easier to cache, while request parameters support flexibility but expand validation and abuse-control needs.
- Output and content type: make the returned format agree with the response’s
Content-Type. A PNG endpoint should not label JPEG or PDF bytes as PNG. - Full-page and dimensions: use bounded dimensions and full-page capture only where needed; very large pages can make responses and generated artifacts heavier.
- Cache policy: choose freshness based on how often the target changes. Vary cache keys by every option that affects pixels, including URL, viewport, output, theme, and full-page mode.
- Failure behavior: return an appropriate error for a live request, or a fallback image for non-critical build content. Do not silently display an empty or mislabeled file.
Or skip the browser setup
ScreenshotNeo offers a one-request hosted screenshot API, so you can call it from Astro without running a browser renderer in your app. One GET request can return a PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF; its API accepts an access key and target URL. The example below saves the response bytes as WebP. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for response formats and options.
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot"
-d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY
--data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com
-o shot.webpKeep the access key in server-side Astro code or a server environment variable, not in browser JavaScript. ScreenshotNeo removes cookie/consent banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture, and each of those cleanup steps can be turned off. Bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed; response headers report the page verdict and billing status. It also provides an MCP server for AI agents, and its free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month without a card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 screenshots. Sign up for ScreenshotNeo’s free plan.
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- The endpoint works locally but returns a prerendered file after deployment: the route is being built as static output. Use server or hybrid output with a compatible adapter, and set
export const prerender = falseon the live route. - The provider returns an authorization error: verify that
SCREENSHOTAPI_KEYis set in the deployed server environment and is sent asx-api-key. Do not expose it as a public client variable. - The provider rejects the request: check its current endpoint, required parameter names, allowed output values, and URL encoding. Do not copy authentication or quotas from the separate service at screenshot-api.org.
- The route returns an error when the provider is slow: inspect provider status and network behavior, set a timeout appropriate to deployment limits, and return a visible error or fallback. Avoid allowing a request to hang indefinitely.
- The image is corrupt or shown as a download: check that the response contains image bytes and that
Content-Typematches the actual output format. - Visitors see stale or another visitor’s image: make cache keys include all capture-affecting inputs and avoid shared caching for private results.
- Builds fail when a target page is unavailable: decide whether a missing screenshot should block publication. For optional showcase art, catch the failure and use a placeholder; for required assets, fail clearly so the build does not publish incomplete content unnoticed.
Cost, reliability, and maintenance
A hosted screenshot API avoids operating a browser renderer in your Astro app, but introduces a dependency on the provider’s API, availability, quota, and current terms. No independent speed or reliability measurements are established here, so do not assume a particular capture time or uptime. Keep build-time captures limited to assets worth regenerating, and use a cache for repeated runtime requests when the freshness and privacy requirements allow it.
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ScreenshotAPI’s Astro guide advertises 200 free screenshots per month with no credit card, as of its March 25, 2026 update. That is a vendor offer, not an Astro allowance, and offers can change; check the current provider terms before budgeting. The separate Screenshot API service at screenshot-api.org describes a different free quota and API contract, which should not be applied to ScreenshotAPI examples.
Choose the simplest deployment that fits
Use build-time screenshots when targets are known and change on a publishing cadence. Use a server endpoint when captures must respond to live input, but make target policy, credential protection, error handling, caching, and rate limits part of the implementation rather than afterthoughts. In both modes, Astro’s built-in fetch() is sufficient for the provider call; the actual screenshot request contract comes from the service you select.
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