Optimizing Screenshot API Performance: From 5s to 1.5s

Speed matters. Here's how to get the fastest screenshots from our API.

1. Choose the Right Wait Strategy

• load (default): Waits for page load event — fastest, works for most sites
• domcontentloaded: Even faster, but may miss lazy-loaded content
• networkidle: Slowest but most complete — use for SPAs

2. Format Matters

Use WebP with quality 75 for the best size/speed/quality balance.

3. Viewport Size

Smaller viewports render faster. If you only need a thumbnail, use mobile viewport (375x667) instead of desktop.

4. Block Unnecessary Content

{
  "url": "https://example.com",
  "blockAds": true,
  "blockCookies": true,
  "format": "webp",
  "quality": 75
}

Blocking ads and cookie banners can reduce render time by 30-40%.

5. Use Base64 for Inline Display

Add ?base64=true to skip file handling and get the image data directly in your JSON response.