What Websites PeekShot Can and Cannot Capture

Understanding which websites PeekShot can capture and which ones may present challenges helps you set realistic expectations and troubleshoot issues when they arise.

What PeekShot Can Capture

Public Websites

PeekShot can capture most publicly accessible websites, including:

• Standard websites: Most websites with public URLs (blogs, e-commerce sites, documentation, etc.)

• HTTPS and HTTP sites: Both secure and non-secure websites

• Static and dynamic pages: Pages with JavaScript, React, Vue, and other frameworks

• Responsive sites: Websites that adapt to different screen sizes

• International domains: Websites from various countries and TLDs

HTML Rendering

PeekShot can render any valid HTML code into an image, regardless of whether it's hosted publicly. This includes:

• HTML templates with inline CSS

• Email designs

• Custom graphics and designs

• Dynamic content templates

What PeekShot Cannot Capture (Without Setup)

Private or Authenticated Pages

PeekShot cannot capture pages that require authentication unless you provide credentials:

• Login-protected pages: Pages behind a login form (unless you provide cookies/headers)

• Private networks: Pages on localhost, intranets, or private IP addresses

• Password-protected pages: Pages with HTTP basic authentication (unless you provide credentials)

Solution: Use custom headers to provide authentication cookies or tokens. See our guide on How to Capture Screenshots of Logged-In Pages.

Heavily Bot-Protected Sites

Some websites use aggressive bot protection that may block automated screenshots:

• Cloudflare-protected sites: Sites using Cloudflare's bot protection may show CAPTCHAs or challenge pages

• WAF-protected sites: Websites behind Web Application Firewalls with strict bot detection

• Rate-limited sites: Sites that block requests from automated tools

Solution: Some workarounds may help (custom headers, delays, cookies), but heavily protected sites may not be capturable. See our troubleshooting guides for Cloudflare or WAF Blocking and Access Denied or Bot Detected issues.

Localhost and Private Networks

PeekShot cannot access:

• localhost URLs: http://localhost:3000 or http://127.0.0.1

• Private IP addresses: http://192.168.1.1 or internal network addresses

• VPN-only accessible sites: Sites only reachable through VPN connections

Solution: Use HTML mode to render local designs, or deploy your site to a publicly accessible URL for testing.

Non-Standard Protocols

PeekShot only supports HTTP and HTTPS protocols:

• Cannot access file:// URLs

• Cannot access ftp:// or other protocols

Common Blockers and Workarounds

Bot Detection

Problem: Site shows "Access Denied" or "Bot Detected" message

Possible workarounds:

• Add custom headers (User-Agent, Referer)

• Increase loading delay

Use cookies from an authenticated session

• Try a proxy URL (if supported)

See: Screenshot Shows "Access Denied" or "Bot Detected" troubleshooting guide.

CAPTCHAs

Problem: Screenshot shows a CAPTCHA instead of the page content

Reality: CAPTCHAs are designed to prevent automated access. Most cannot be bypassed.

Possible workarounds:

• Add delays to allow time for challenge completion (rarely works)

• Use cookies from a browser session that completed the CAPTCHA

• Contact the site owner to whitelist PeekShot's IPs (for your own sites)

See: Screenshot Shows a CAPTCHA troubleshooting guide.

Cloudflare Protection

Problem: Cloudflare challenge page or blocking

Possible workarounds:

• Custom headers with cookies

• Increased delays

• User-Agent headers

Note: Cloudflare's advanced protection may still block automated access.

See: Cloudflare or WAF Blocking Screenshots troubleshooting guide.

How to Test If a Site Is Capturable

Before setting up scheduled jobs or automation, test if a site can be captured:

1. Try a simple capture: Use the Playground to capture the URL with default settings

2. Check the result: Review the screenshot in File Manager

3. Look for error indicators: Check if the screenshot shows:

   • CAPTCHA pages

   • "Access Denied" messages

   • Blank or error pages

   • Challenge pages

4. Try workarounds: If blocked, try adding custom headers or delays

5. Verify content: Ensure the actual page content is visible, not just a blocking page

Best Practices

• Test before automating: Always test a URL manually before setting up scheduled jobs

• Check accessibility: Verify the URL is publicly accessible in a regular browser first

• Use HTML mode for templates: If you control the content, HTML mode avoids accessibility issues

• Handle authentication properly: Use custom headers for authenticated pages rather than expecting automatic access

• Set realistic expectations: Some sites are designed to block automation and may not be capturable

• Monitor for changes: Sites may add protection over time, so monitor scheduled captures

When to Contact Support

Contact PeekShot support if:

• A publicly accessible site that should work is consistently failing

• You're getting unexpected errors for standard websites

• You need help configuring authentication for your own sites

• You want to discuss whitelisting options for your website

Create a support ticket from Dashboard → Help with details about the URL, error messages, and what you've tried.