# Website Rendering

## Overview

| Property | Value |
|----------|-------|
| **Status** | active |
| **Method** | `GET` |
| **Endpoint** | `/v1/website/rendering` |
| **Base URL** | `https://api.browsersolver.com` |
| **Credit Cost** | 2 credits per call |
| **Documentation** | https://www.browsersolver.com/library/website-rendering |

## Description

Run a managed browser session against a public URL and collect the HTML after client-side scripts finish. Prefer Crawler for static markup; escalate to WebUnlocker on approved hosts when challenges persist.

## Authentication

- **Key Name:** `x-api-key`
- **Location:** HTTP Header
- **Get an API key:** https://app.browsersolver.com/register

## Example Request

```bash
curl --location --request GET 'https://api.browsersolver.com/v1/website/rendering' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --header 'x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY'
```

## Example Response

### Render a JS-hydrated blog post

```json
<!DOCTYPE html><html lang="en"><head><meta charset="utf-8"><title>Shipping faster with edge caches | Engineering Notes</title><script src="/assets/app.bundle.js" defer></script></head><body><div id="root" data-hydrated="true"><article><h1>Shipping faster with edge caches</h1><p class="byline">Published 2026-03-12</p><p>After hydration, product metrics and comments appear below.</p><section id="comments" data-loaded="true"><div class="comment">Nice write-up.</div></section></article></div></body></html>
```

## Documentation

## BrowserSolver fetch tiers

Three endpoints retrieve HTML from public pages. Start with the **lowest tier that returns usable content** for your target.

| Tier | Endpoint | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---:|---|
| 1 | [Website Crawler](/v1/website/crawler) | 1 credit | Server-rendered HTML already present in the HTTP response (blogs, docs, classic catalog pages). |
| 2 | [Website Rendering](/v1/website/rendering) | 2 credits | Client-side apps and lazy-loaded UI where JavaScript must run before markup appears. |
| 3 | [Website WebUnlocker](/v1/website/webunlocker) | 3 credits | Enterprise bot managers on **BrowserSolver-approved domains** when tiers 1 and 2 still fail. |

**Suggested workflow**

1. Probe with **Crawler** when you suspect static HTML (fastest, lowest cost).
2. Move to **Rendering** if the body is a shell, prices load after JS, or you need `wait_for` / POST `browser_instructions`.
3. Reserve **WebUnlocker** for whitelisted retail or marketplace hosts where Rendering keeps hitting challenges.

More context: [fetch tier comparison](https://www.browsersolver.com/blog/website-crawler-vs-rendering-vs-webunlocker).

## What Rendering does

[Website Rendering](/v1/website/rendering) opens the URL inside BrowserSolver's managed headless browser, runs page scripts, waits for the DOM to stabilize, then returns the **post-render HTML**. Reach for it when [Website Crawler](/v1/website/crawler) only returns placeholders because content is injected client-side.

Rendering covers most dynamic storefronts and moderate bot friction. Persistent Cloudflare, DataDome, or Akamai challenges on approved hosts may require [Website WebUnlocker](/v1/website/webunlocker).

**Pricing:** 2 credits per successful response.

## Quickstart
```
GET https://api.browsersolver.com/v1/website/rendering?query=https://quotes.toscrape.com/js/
```

POST accepts `browser_instructions` when you must scroll, click, or fill fields before reading HTML.

## Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `query` | string | yes | Public URL with protocol |
| `wait_in_seconds` | integer | no | Extra pause after load (0 to 30) |
| `wait_for` | string | no | CSS/XPath selector that must appear |
| `block_ads` | boolean | no | Strip ad requests during render. Default `false` |
| `timeout` | integer | no | Max load wait in seconds. Default `30` |
| `browser_instructions` | array | no | POST only: automation steps before capture |

## Response
HTML string after JavaScript execution.

## Companion endpoints
| Situation | Endpoint |
|---|---|
| HTML already complete without JS | [Website Crawler](/v1/website/crawler) |
| Whitelisted domain still blocked | [Website WebUnlocker](/v1/website/webunlocker) |
| Visual capture instead of HTML | [Website Screenshot](/v1/website/screenshot) |

## Tips
- Pair `wait_for` with `timeout` on slow SPAs and infinite scroll feeds.
- Some production domains need BrowserSolver whitelist approval.
- Always sanity-check Crawler first; many sites still ship full HTML without JS.

## Common workflows
- Extract data from React, Vue, or Angular apps
- Wait for lazy product grids or infinite lists
- Drive cookie banners, tabs, or scroll steps via POST instructions
- Recover pages that plain HTTP fetch cannot parse