Getting Started

LambdaShot provides a simple API for capturing screenshots and videos of any website. Get started in minutes with just an API key.

Quick Start

The simplest way to take a screenshot:

GET https://api.lambdashot.com/take?url=https://apple.com&access_key=YOUR_KEY

Replace YOUR_KEY with your API access key from the dashboard.

Making Requests

GET Requests

Pass options as query parameters:

https://api.lambdashot.com/take?url=https://example.com&format=png&viewport_width=1920&access_key=YOUR_KEY

POST Requests

Send options as JSON in the request body:

POST https://api.lambdashot.com/take
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "access_key": "YOUR_KEY",
  "url": "https://example.com",
  "format": "png",
  "viewport_width": 1920
}

Authentication

Your API access key can be provided in three ways:

  • Query parameter: ?access_key=YOUR_KEY
  • JSON body: "access_key": "YOUR_KEY"
  • Header: X-Access-Key: YOUR_KEY

Response Formats

By default, the API returns the screenshot image directly with the appropriate Content-Type header (e.g., image/png).

You can also request JSON metadata by setting response_type=json:

{
  "screenshot_url": "https://cdn.lambdashot.com/...",
  "width": 1920,
  "height": 1080,
  "format": "png"
}

Embed in HTML

You can use the API URL directly in an <img> tag:

<img
  src="https://api.lambdashot.com/take?url=https://example.com&access_key=YOUR_KEY"
  alt="Screenshot of example.com"
/>

Note: For public-facing pages, use signed requests to protect your API key.

Error Handling

When an error occurs, the API returns JSON with an error code and message:

{
  "error": {
    "code": "access_key_invalid",
    "message": "The provided access key is invalid."
  }
}

See the Error Codes reference for a complete list.

Next Steps