Skip to main content

REST APIs

Browserless REST APIs let you run common browser tasks with a single HTTP call—no session management or client library required. Use them for screenshots, PDFs, scraping content, downloads, function execution, session exports, and unblocking websites.

Perfect for quick integrations and single-operation tasks. For multi-step workflows or advanced bot detection bypass, use BrowserQL instead.

Quickstart​

Scrape a site in 30 seconds with a single HTTP request:

  1. Sign Up

    Sign up for a Browserless account (free plan available).

  2. Get API Key

    Get your API Key from the account dashboard.

  3. Run Your First Request

    curl -X POST "https://production-sfo.browserless.io/scrape?token=YOUR_API_TOKEN_HERE" \
         -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
         -d '{"url":"https://example.com"}'

    While the above example uses curl, you can call these REST APIs from any programming language or tool that can make HTTP requests.

  4. Get the Response

    You'll receive a JSON response with the scraped data:

    {
      "data": [
        {
          "title": "Example Domain",
          "description": "Example Domain. This domain is for use in illustrative examples..."
        }
      ]
    }

When to use REST APIs​

Use REST APIs when you need:

  • Single-operation tasks: screenshots, PDFs, content extraction
  • No browser session management required
  • Language-agnostic HTTP requests (any language or serverless environment)
  • Minimal connection overhead for high-throughput scenarios

For multi-step workflows or advanced bot detection bypass, use BrowserQL instead.

Benefits​

  • Simple: HTTP requests only—no client libraries or session management
  • Language-agnostic: Works with any language or tool that makes HTTP calls
  • Low overhead: Minimal resource usage for single-operation tasks
Bot detection

If you encounter bot detection, use BrowserQL or /unblock for higher success rates.

Next steps​

Explore configuration options to customize your REST API requests:

Launch Parameters

Configure browser behavior with stealth mode, proxy settings, ad blocking, and other launch options

Timeout Configuration

Control request timeouts, navigation waits, and element detection for reliable automation

Request Configuration

Universal options for waiting, navigation, blocking resources, and error handling across all REST APIs