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All Screenshotly API requests require authentication via an API key.

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Getting your API key

  1. Sign in to your dashboard
  2. Navigate to API settings
  3. Copy your API key

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Using your API key

Include your API key in the screenshotly-api-key header of every request: 
curl -X POST https://api.screenshotly.dev/api/v1/screenshots \
  -H "screenshotly-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"url": "https://example.com"}'
The JavaScript SDK handles the header automatically — just pass your API key to the constructor.

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Environment variables

Store your API key in an environment variable to avoid hardcoding it: 
export SCREENSHOTLY_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"
Then reference it in your code: 
const client = new Screenshotly(process.env.SCREENSHOTLY_API_KEY);

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Authentication errors

If your API key is missing or invalid, the API returns a 401 Unauthorized response: 
{
  "error": "Unauthorized",
  "message": "Invalid or missing API key."
}

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Security best practices

  • Never expose keys in client-side code — only use API keys in server-side applications
  • Don’t commit keys to version control — use .env files and add them to .gitignore
  • Use separate keys for environments — generate different keys for development, staging, and production
  • Rotate keys regularly — revoke old keys and generate new ones from the dashboard
  • Revoke compromised keys immediately — if a key is exposed, revoke it in API settings