For fast-loading sites, ShrinkTheWeb's average capture time is around
7 seconds (as of 11/01/2016). We see slower sites capturing at around
15-20 seconds. However, sometimes we will see captures take longer
than 30s, which while very impressive relatively...
NOTE: This is likely not an issue any longer. It is also not necessary
to replace & with & when making requests. At one point shortly
after the post below was made, we added support to the system for this
case. So, it should "just work". :)
For thos...
There are two ways to link web page previews using our WordPress
plugin.
1. You can use the built-in "link" function like so:
[thumb link="true"]https://shrinktheweb.com[/thumb]
or
[stwthumb link="true"]https://shrinktheweb.com[/stwthumb]
Depend...
* In some rare cases, we have found ad blockers who blocked our
service, for some reason. Since we do not deliver ads, only
screenshots, we promptly reported this to the ad block company and had
our URL whitelisted. However, this could happen again, in ...
When using the "Advanced Method" API or when viewing details in the
"Thumbnail History", you may see "NS_ERROR_MALWARE_URI.
For this test, we use the Mozilla toolkit repository. They maintain a
database of listed websites that are reported as malicious ...
WHY DO I GET AN ERROR SCREENSHOT FOR A WORKING WEB PAGE OR WEBSITE?
There could be many reasons for receiving an error instead of the
expected screenshot. First, though, you should make sure that the URL
really is working. We've even seen a number of si...
CAN I PRIVATE-LABEL THE REQUEST URL TO SHRINKTHEWEB'S SERVICE?
Yes, absolutely! If you prefer to use a link on a custom domain or
sub-domain, like http://stw.yourdomain.com/
[http://stw.yourdomain.com/], to access our service; then just create
a _CNAME ...
The purpose of this feature is to support thumbnail requests from
secure (SSL/HTTPS) pages that would otherwise show an "insecure
elements" message to your visitors when calling an image as HTTP.
To use this feature, you simply call the image using img ...
There is no limit on concurrent connections, per se'. However, the
free and basic accounts do have a daily limit, which is the monthly
limit divided by days in the month. To avoid limits, upgrade to PLUS.
It should be no problem to send up to 50,000 co...
Our parent company, Neosys Consulting, has been run successfully by
Brandon Elliott for the past decade and thrives on developing
technologies and innovative applications. The company's current focus
is on providing webmasters with a set of invaluable too...
Our revenue model is built to allow small and startup companies to
use our service at no charge whatsoever.
Our screenshot capture "generators" are fully automated and
auto-scaling. As the demand increases, more generators spin up. As the
Queue bec...
It is not necessary to get that granular about timing. Just don't
check back for the pending images more than 1min, then 5min, 30min,
hour, etc.
The reasons are:
1. We have a lot of users all over the world, so there is no real low
volume perio...
Yes. If a requested site or page redirects, we will wait until it
"lands" and then capture that screenshot.
PLEASE NOTE: If you do not use "inside page" request for a full URL
(such as _https://shrinktheweb.com/somepage.htm_), then we will
capture the h...
The best practice for adding screenshots within newsletters is for
you to download [1] all images to your server and locally using the
advanced method and then link to those in your newsletter. The images
will still be able to show the latest capture, ...
Yes, it is optional but VERY MUCH appreciated if you enjoy the
service.
Is this service like "Thumbshots"?
Yes, only better! We automate the capture of website screenshots but
with much higher quality, scalability (capable of higher volume), and
no extended downtimes like all the other providers.
Thumbnails are deleted by retention once they have sat idle
(unrequested) for 30-45 days. If you need to keep images for longer
than that you should consider caching them locally. Download the STW
PHP Sample Code [1] for documentation and instructions.
L...
If the image exists in our database already, we will deliver it
instantly.
However, if it doesn't exist, there is no feasible way to instantly
capture it. All captures take time to render the web page, capture,
and deliver the image. Some similar servic...
It has been brought to our attention that some anti-virus software
may be blocking 3rd party images from being loaded within
web-browsers. As or right now we have only received one incident
specifying Kapersky internet security running on the user's sy...
We do not support and currently have no plans to support the passing
of $_POST Variables with our screenshot requests.
The reason that users ask for this support is to capture what a
"Logged In" user would see versus a "Logged Out" visitor. In othe...
NOTE: This feature has been deprecated and is no longer required or
supported. Free accounts use the same code as upgraded accounts.
Please see notes on removing the Preview Verification Page (PVP)
[https://support.shrinktheweb.com/Knowledgebase/Article...
Yes, it is 100% legal to capture and display screenshots of web
pages.
The law that covers this usage is the Fair-Use clause of the
_COPYRIGHT ACT OF 1976, 17 U.S.C. 107_, which protects "public
domain" data.
One caveat, explored in a prior lega...
ShrinkTheWeb has a "Rolling Refresh" policy to update all "default
size" (not custom size or full-length) thumbnails at least once per
month. Moving forward, that may become more difficult and take more
time as we will eventually have many billions of thu...
Click the "Bulk Import" link in the Getting Started section of the
ShrinkTheWeb Dashboard.
If all of your requests are for standard default size URLs you can
simply enter one (1) URL per line in the space provided and click the
"Submit!" button at t...
Register [https://shrinktheweb.com/user/register] for a free
account.
Log in [https://shrinktheweb.com/auth/stw-lobby].
Your Access Key, and Secret Key API Credentials are below the
ShrinkTheWeb Logo on the Dashboard.
Screenshots can be refreshed by using the Refresh On-Demand
[https://support.shrinktheweb.com/Knowledgebase/Article/View/89/0] PRO
Feature.
-------------------------
For all users _without_ the Refresh On-Demand PRO Feature, you may
still manually refre...
If using the _"ADVANCED METHOD" API_ (sending secret key) or a
_3RD-PARTY SCRIPT_ with the "Lock to Account" feature enabled, the
system will add your referrer automatically, and these instructions
are unnecessary.
If using the "Simple Method" (embedded...
