URL-to-PNG Hosting Live In 5 Minutes

Deploy URL-to-PNG on xCloud and get URL-to-PNG hosting for a private screenshot API, so you can generate link previews, social cards and thumbnails from your own backend without a third-party service. xCloud runs the pinned image with encryption mode turned on, so every request must carry an encrypted hash made with your install's own key, and your endpoint never becomes a public proxy.

Deploy your URL-to-PNG

No terminal
No technical skills needed
No lock-in, cancel anytime

What is URL-to-PNG?

URL-to-PNG is a URL to PNG generator over HTTP with a fairly simple API accessed through query parameters. A self-hosted URL-to-PNG renders a page with headless Chromium through Playwright, with customisable image dimensions and viewport, mobile user agent and dark mode rendering, an allow list for domains and a Prometheus metrics endpoint (left off in this template), as an alternative to a third-party screenshot service. It is MIT licensed.

On xCloud the install runs v2.1.4 of the jasonraimondi/url-to-png image, pinned by digest, as one stateless container with no database or volume. Upstream accepts any request by default, so the template turns on encryption mode and builds the key from a generated secret. Your backend must encrypt each request, and a browser pool of one warm Chromium allows three renders at once.

From Sign-Up to a Live Screenshot API In Just 3 Easy Steps

Self-hosting a screenshot service normally means a container, a headless browser pool, an encryption scheme and a certificate before a single PNG renders. This is the same result without assembling any of it.

Step 01
Sign Up
Create your xCloud account and pick URL-to-PNG from the OneClick catalog. There are no extra fields — xCloud generates the encryption key.
Step 02
We Deploy It For You
One click. We bring up the pinned URL-to-PNG v2.1.4 image with encryption mode turned on, set a small browser pool of one warm Chromium and up to three renders at once, and publish the HTTP API over HTTPS on your domain.
Step 03
Encrypt A Request And Render Your First PNG
Save the Encryption key (CRYPTO_KEY) from your installation page, check https://<your-domain>/ping, then encrypt a request with the @jmondi/string-encrypt-decrypt library and call https://<your-domain>/?hash=<hash> to receive a PNG.

Everything URL-to-PNG Does, On Your Own Server

URL-to-PNG runs in full here — its Playwright-driven screenshot API, on infrastructure you control.

Per-Request Rendering Options
Control viewport size, output width, full-page capture, mobile emulation and dark mode on every request.
Link Previews And Social Cards
Generate thumbnails and social cards from your own backend instead of paying a third-party screenshot service.
Encrypted Requests Only
Every render request must carry an encrypted hash made with your install's AES-256 key — plain ?url= requests are refused.
Stateless By Design
A single container with no database. Every request renders the page fresh, with no screenshots stored by default.
A Tuned Browser Pool
One Chromium instance kept warm, with up to three renders at once — sized for small servers.
Your Endpoint, Your Server
The encryption key is rebuilt from the same stored secret after a restart, so hashes you've already issued keep working.

Everything You Need To Run Your Screenshot API 24/7

Managed hosting for URL-to-PNG, so the parts that keep it online are not your problem.

URL-to-PNG v2.1.4 deployed instantly
Generated AES-256 encryption key
Tuned headless-Chromium browser pool
Free SSL certificate
Server backups and snapshots
Server security updates included
30+ server locations
Unused balance refunded

What You Can Do With URL-to-PNG

Make link previews
Generate link previews and thumbnails for pages from your own backend instead of paying a third-party screenshot service.
Create social cards
Render a page at the width you need, with a mobile viewport or dark mode, to use as a social card.
Capture a full page
Control viewport size, output width and full-page capture on every request, with options written inside the encrypted request.
Limit what can be rendered
Use ALLOW_LIST to restrict rendering to hosts you expect, so even a leaked key cannot reach arbitrary addresses.

URL-to-PNG vs Alternatives

Third-party screenshot services: A hosted screenshot service renders pages on the vendor's servers and bills per image. URL-to-PNG runs on your own server, with the render capacity set by the Cloud VPS you choose.
Browserless: In a URL-to-PNG vs Browserless comparison, Browserless has its own OneClick page. Its catalogue entry describes headless Chromium as a service driven over WebSocket with Puppeteer or Playwright, or by REST for screenshots and PDFs.
Gotenberg: Gotenberg has its own OneClick page. Its catalogue entry describes a conversion API that turns HTML, Markdown and office documents into PDFs, where URL-to-PNG returns images of web pages.
Steel Browser: Steel Browser has its own OneClick page. Its catalogue entry describes a browser API for AI agents and automation, running Chromium that you drive over HTTP, Puppeteer, Playwright or Selenium.

Simple Pricing. Everything Included.

Dedicated Cloud VPS sizes, pre-configured for URL-to-PNG hosting. Pick the one that fits, and resize any time.

Cloud VPS 6 GB

Cloud VPS 16 GB

More concurrent renders for higher-traffic backends.

$59.99per month

16 GB RAM
6 vCPU cores
200 GB NVMe SSD
30 TB
Unlimited

Get started

Cloud VPS 24 GB

URL-to-PNG alongside a whole self-hosted stack.

$84.99per month

24 GB RAM
8 vCPU cores
300 GB NVMe SSD
30 TB
Unlimited

Get started

Every size is a dedicated Cloud VPS we provision, patch, monitor and restore. Billed monthly with no lock-in — delete the server and the unused balance comes back to your account. URL-to-PNG itself is free under the MIT licence.

Docker hosting

Already Have a Server? Bring Your Own

Connect any VPS — DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, Hetzner or bare metal — and deploy URL-to-PNG on it through the same panel, for a per-server management fee instead of a Cloud VPS rental.

Free

Start your journey without cost.

$0forever

1 server
10 sites

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Starter

Professional

The same platform, discounted at 6–10 servers.

$4per server / month

6–10 servers
Unlimited sites
All features included
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Agency

The same platform, discounted at 11+ servers.

$3per server / month

11+ servers
Unlimited sites
All features included
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Priced per connected server, so your rate adjusts automatically as you add or remove servers. You pay your own provider for the server itself.

Self-managed hosting

Ready To Own Your Screenshot API?

URL-to-PNG on xCloud runs on a dedicated Cloud VPS that we provision, patch, monitor and restore. Deploy faster. Own the server. Stay in control.

Fast Provisioning
Deploy faster using an xCloud Managed Server built with optimized stacks and high-speed SSDs.
Enterprise-grade security
Protect your infrastructure with a free SSL certificate and more advanced security features at no additional cost.
Intuitive Control Panel
From Server creation to application deployment, everything can be managed from our intuitive control panel.

Hear what people are saying about us

See why agencies, developers, startups, and growing businesses choose xCloud to power their projects.

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So far my experience has been smooth like silk. I didn't imagine that configuring and managing a VPS would be so easy. As of today, I have deployed 8 sites. The support is good, and they treat users with respect, even if they ask stupid questions (myself included). For the future, I hope for greater flexibility in scheduled backups and more comprehensive and consistent documentation. I'm sure that within a few months, xCloud will become the leader in its segment. This community is amazing, and the Staff here is super helpful.

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Came from cloudways then to runcloud then to xcloud. Looks like I'm staying here.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have.

Can you self-host URL-to-PNG with Docker?

Yes, and this template is URL-to-PNG Docker hosting without the setup: the pinned jasonraimondi/url-to-png v2.1.4 image as one stateless container, a tuned Chromium pool, a generated encryption key and HTTPS on your domain, with no database or volume.

How much RAM does URL-to-PNG need?

The template asks for 2048 MB of RAM, 1 CPU core and 6 GB of disk as a floor, because each request runs in headless Chromium. It keeps one browser warm and allows three renders at once. The 6 GB plan is the entry rung.

Can anyone use my URL-to-PNG screenshot endpoint?

No. Requests without a valid hash made with your install's key are rejected with a 400, and only /ping answers openly. Upstream would accept any request by default, so the template turns on encryption mode to avoid an open proxy.

How do I make a request to URL-to-PNG?

Encrypt a small JSON document with url, viewport and width options using the key from the installation credentials and the upstream @jmondi/string-encrypt-decrypt library, then request the page with the hash query parameter. Write true or false options inside the JSON as strings.

How do I keep my URL-to-PNG endpoint from being abused?

Keep the encryption key on your server, never in browser code, because anyone holding it can make the service render any reachable http or https address, including internal ones. Set ALLOW_LIST to limit rendering to hosts you expect.

Do URL-to-PNG hashes expire?

No. A hash never expires, so treat issued hashes like URLs you are willing to share, because anyone who sees one can reuse that exact request. Changing ENCRYPTION_SECRET invalidates every existing hash, so rotate it only when you can reissue the links that use it.

Are URL-to-PNG screenshots stored?

No. The service is stateless and each request renders the page again. Optional filesystem caching exists upstream but is off by default, so there is nothing to back up except the encryption key, which your backend also needs, so store the generated value securely.

Backups in xCloud

Why did my URL-to-PNG request return a 500 instead of a 400?

A hash that does not decrypt returns a 500 error rather than a 400. That is upstream behaviour, not an xCloud setting, so check that your backend uses the current key and builds the JSON exactly as documented.

How do I upgrade URL-to-PNG?

v2.1.4 is pinned, and upstream's latest tag is a different build that this template does not use. Read the project's notes before moving to a newer template version. Running sites are never upgraded by xCloud.

Is URL-to-PNG free?

Yes. URL-to-PNG is under the MIT licence, so there is nothing to pay for the software. The dedicated Cloud VPS is the expense, and it needs enough memory for the Chromium instances rendering at once; nothing is billed per image.

Is there a URL-to-PNG cloud service?

Not through this page. URL-to-PNG cloud hosting here means your own renderer runs on a Cloud VPS that xCloud prepares, behind an encryption key only your backend holds, and with no vendor account or per-image fee involved.

Can I cancel anytime?

Yes. There is no lock-in — cancel any time. Hosting is billed monthly and charged for what you actually use, so when you delete the server the unused balance is refunded to your account, less up to 10% in payment-processing fees.