Website screenshots in Python

Ironfang Render uses a standard HTTPS API, so Python can call it with requests and does not require an SDK. A successful request returns the image bytes directly, ready to write to a file.

Get a key

Create an API key in the portal. The secret is displayed once and stored as a hash. Keep it in an environment variable named IRONFANG_API_KEY rather than in the source file; the example below reads it from there.

export IRONFANG_API_KEY="if_live_..."

Install

pip install requests

Take a screenshot

import os
import sys

import requests

key = os.environ.get("IRONFANG_API_KEY")
if not key:
    sys.exit("Set IRONFANG_API_KEY to your Ironfang API key.")

resp = requests.post(
    "https://api.ironfang.com/render/v1/screenshot",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {key}"},
    json={"url": "https://example.com", "width": 1280},
    timeout=60,
)

if resp.status_code != 200:
    # Errors are JSON even though success is binary.
    err = resp.json()["error"]
    sys.exit(f"{resp.status_code} {err['code']}: {err['message']}")

with open("shot.png", "wb") as f:
    f.write(resp.content)

Run it, and the screenshot is saved as shot.png in the current directory:

python shot.py

Handling errors

Successful render responses are binary. Errors use JSON in the form {"error": {"code", "message"}}. A missing or unrecognised key returns 401 invalid_api_key. A key without the render:render scope returns 403 insufficient_scope.

# The status check comes before the file is written: a failed
# render returns JSON, which must not be saved as shot.png.

PDFs and templates

The same call shape works for PDFs at /render/v1/pdf, and for templated images at /render/v1/image/{id}. Only the path and the body change.