How to Use Urlbox to Screenshot Indian Government Websites in Hindi

To screenshot an Indian government website in Hindi with Urlbox, render the page’s Hindi URL (or select Hindi on the site), set accept_lang to a Hindi locale such as hi-IN, choose the viewport and whether to capture the full page, and inspect the resulting image for correctly rendered Devanagari text and missing content. The language header is a preference, not a guarantee: it does not translate a page or replace a site’s language selector.

The example below shows the documented Urlbox request shape. It has not been tested against a particular government website. Urlbox’s quickstart documents JSON requests to /v1/render/sync with a Bearer secret; keep that secret on a server or in a protected environment. See the Urlbox quickstart and render options.

1. Find the page’s Hindi version

First look for a stable Hindi URL, language-specific route, or language selector on the target site. Use the Hindi URL when available. If the site offers a selector, determine how it persists the choice; a remote render may not retain a selection that requires a prior visit, session cookie, or user interaction.

Urlbox’s accept_lang option sets the HTTP Accept-Language header. Its documented default is en-US. Set it to hi-IN or another Hindi tag accepted by the target, then verify the result. The documentation defines the option but does not prescribe which Hindi tag every site expects.

2. Choose capture settings

Need	Setting or check
Ask for Hindi content	accept_lang: "hi-IN", plus the site’s Hindi URL or selector where needed.
Desktop or mobile layout	Set width and height to the dimensions relevant to your use case; check legibility at each important size.
Entire scrollable page	Set full_page: true. For very long pages, consider max_height and inspect for truncation.
Only the visible area	Leave full-page capture off and choose a useful viewport height.
India-local browser time	Set tz: "Asia/Kolkata" if page content depends on the browser’s local timezone.
Keep the image	Download it or save it to storage you control; the Urlbox quickstart says its returned render URL expires after 30 days.

Urlbox documents America/New_York as the default rendering timezone and supports setting tz. Engine-channel behavior can differ, so treat timezone as a control to verify rather than an assurance about every page’s displayed date or time.

3. Send a Urlbox render request

Replace the illustrative URL with the target page and supply your Urlbox secret securely. This JSON is an example request shape, not a tested capture:

POST https://api.urlbox.io/v1/render/sync
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_URLBOX_SECRET
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "url": "https://example.gov.in/hindi-page",
  "format": "png",
  "width": 1280,
  "height": 1600,
  "full_page": true,
  "accept_lang": "hi-IN",
  "tz": "Asia/Kolkata"
}

Consult Urlbox’s current quickstart for the response format and how to retrieve or download the rendered image. Do not put a project secret in browser-side JavaScript, a public repository, or a public page.

4. Check the screenshot

1. Confirm the site actually displayed Hindi. A request header alone does not prove the page changed language.
2. Check that Devanagari glyphs are present, shaped correctly, and not replaced by empty boxes or fallback symbols.
3. Inspect line wrapping, clipping, buttons, navigation, and any fixed overlays at the chosen viewport.
4. For full-page output, verify that the final sections appear and that long-page limits did not cut off relevant content.
5. Repeat at mobile and desktop dimensions when both layouts matter.
6. Save the image somewhere durable if it must outlive the temporary render URL.

India’s GIGW guidance calls for Unicode when using Hindi or regional-language fonts and recommends checking across browsers, operating systems, connection speeds, and screen resolutions to avoid layout loss. Apply those checks to the screenshot use case rather than assuming one successful desktop capture represents every reader’s view. See the GIGW guidelines.

5. Respect access rules

A screenshot API does not guarantee that a government website is reachable or that it will serve the requested page to a renderer. Urlbox says its signed requests honor robots.txt; a disallowed request fails. Use an authorized route or seek permission when access is restricted. Do not treat a failed render as a reason to bypass the site’s controls. See Urlbox’s bot information.

Or skip the browser setup

ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server from ScreenshotNeo. One GET request can return an image or PDF. Its API accepts common screenshot parameter names, which can make switching straightforward. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation.

curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://example.gov.in/hindi-page -o shot.webp

import requests

r = requests.get(
    "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot",
    params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://example.gov.in/hindi-page"},
    timeout=90,
)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)

const q = new URLSearchParams({
  access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY',
  url: 'https://example.gov.in/hindi-page'
});
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Screenshot request failed: ${res.status}`);
const bytes = new Uint8Array(await res.arrayBuffer());
await Bun.write('shot.webp', bytes);

These calls request a capture; inspect the image to confirm that the target page selected Hindi and rendered correctly. ScreenshotNeo removes cookie banners, popups, and chat widgets before the shot; bot checks, blank pages, and failed loads are never billed. Its MCP server lets AI agents take screenshots. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card, and paid plans start at $5 for 3,000. Sign up free for 1,000 screenshots a month, with no card required.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	What to check
Page is still in English	The site ignores the header or uses its own language selector or route.	Use the site’s Hindi URL or selector; inspect whether language selection requires a session or cookie.
Devanagari appears as boxes or is malformed	The page’s font or character rendering did not load correctly.	Check the source page in a browser and compare viewport or rendering conditions; confirm Unicode text and font availability.
Text or navigation is clipped	The chosen viewport is too narrow, or longer Hindi labels changed layout.	Adjust width and height, then recapture and inspect wrapping and controls.
Bottom of the page is missing	Viewport-only capture or a full-page height limit.	Enable full_page, review max_height, and confirm the actual output dimensions.
Date or time differs	Client-side page logic may use browser-local time or a different rendering timezone.	Set tz to Asia/Kolkata where appropriate and verify the output.
Render fails for a URL	The page may be inaccessible, disallowed by robots rules, or require an authorized route.	Check the site’s public access and applicable rules; use an authorized route or obtain permission.
Old image URL no longer works	Urlbox’s quickstart says returned render URLs expire after 30 days.	Download the image or store it in a bucket you control.

Performance, reliability, and cost

Viewport size affects how much content appears in one image; full-page capture can create a taller output and should be checked for truncation. Re-render after changing the target URL, locale, timezone, or viewport so comparisons use consistent settings. For long-term retention, save the output instead of relying on Urlbox’s temporary render URL, which the quickstart says expires after 30 days.

No render-time or price figure is asserted here. Check Urlbox’s current account and product information for applicable costs. A failed or blocked request should be resolved through authorized access, not repeated as a workaround for site restrictions.

FAQ

Does accept_lang translate an English page into Hindi?

No. It sets a language preference header. The site must provide Hindi content and respond to that preference or its own language-selection flow.

Which Hindi locale should I use?

The Urlbox option documentation describes the header behavior but does not prescribe a preferred Hindi tag for all sites. Try a locale the target supports, such as hi-IN, and verify the rendered page.

Can I assume a government site will allow a screenshot render?

No. Reachability and access rules vary by site. Urlbox states that signed requests honor robots.txt and fail when a URL is disallowed.

How long does a returned Urlbox render URL last?

The quickstart says 30 days. Download or store a copy if you need it longer.