Ssnap DocsAPI authentication
Authenticate requests to the Ssnap screenshot API with a bearer token or an api_key parameter.
Every request to /api/v1/* must carry a valid API key. Keys are created per team in
the dashboard under API keys.
Sending the key
Two equivalent forms are accepted.
curl -G https://ssnap.cc/api/v1/screenshot \
-H "Authorization: Bearer prod_1a2b3c..." \
--data-urlencode "url=https://example.com"curl -G https://ssnap.cc/api/v1/screenshot \
--data-urlencode "api_key=prod_1a2b3c..." \
--data-urlencode "url=https://example.com"The bearer header takes precedence when both are present. Prefer it: query strings end up in browser history, proxy logs and server access logs.
Key format
Keys are a short environment prefix followed by 64 hexadecimal characters:
| Environment | Prefix | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Production | prod_ | prod_9f3c… (64 hex) |
| Staging | stg_ | stg_9f3c… |
| Local | dev_ | dev_9f3c… |
Only the SHA-256 hash of a key is stored. The plaintext value is displayed exactly once, at creation.
What a key carries
A key is bound to the team that was active when it was created. That binding determines:
- the monthly screenshot quota it draws from,
- the per-minute rate limit applied to it,
- the team that owns every screenshot it captures.
Keys are throttled individually: two keys on the same team each get the plan's full per-minute allowance, but they share the one monthly quota.
Authentication failures
| Status | Code | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 401 | missing_api_key | No bearer token and no api_key parameter. |
| 401 | invalid_api_key | The key does not match any active record. |
| 403 | api_key_inactive | The key exists but has been deactivated. |
| 403 | api_key_expired | The key is past its expires_at date. |
{
"error": "Missing API key",
"code": "missing_api_key"
}Never ship a key in client-side code. A leaked key can spend your whole monthly quota. Proxy captures through your own backend, and rotate keys from the dashboard if one escapes.
See API keys for creating, expiring and revoking keys.