Microlink.io

Overview

Microlink.io offers a collection of APIs for web interaction and data extraction, targeting developers who require automated browser-based functionalities without managing browser infrastructure. The platform provides tools for generating website screenshots, extracting structured metadata from URLs, bypassing anti-bot measures in web scraping, and analyzing website performance metrics. It is suitable for applications that need to programmatically interact with web pages, such as content aggregators, social media tools, and data analysis platforms.

The service simplifies operations like rendering web pages in different viewports for screenshots, parsing Open Graph and Twitter Card data for rich link previews, and executing JavaScript on target pages. By abstracting the complexities of headless browser environments, Microlink.io allows developers to focus on integrating data into their applications rather than on browser automation challenges. For example, developers can use the Microlink URL parameter to specify the target web page for various operations, from capturing a screenshot to extracting specific data points.

Microlink.io is designed for use cases such as generating dynamic social share images, creating visual archives of web content, monitoring website changes, and building custom web scrapers. Its API is RESTful, supporting standard HTTP methods and JSON responses. The platform includes a free tier for initial development and testing, with scalable paid plans based on request volume and feature access. The API’s design emphasizes ease of integration, offering clear documentation and code examples across multiple programming languages, including Node.js, Python, and PHP. This approach aims to reduce the overhead associated with setting up and maintaining web automation infrastructure.

Key features

• Screenshot API: Programmatically capture full-page or specific element screenshots of any URL, with options for viewport size, device emulation, and delayed rendering to ensure all content loads.
• Metadata API: Extract rich metadata from URLs, including Open Graph, Twitter Cards, JSON+LD, and other semantic data, to generate detailed link previews or content summaries.
• Proxy API: Route requests through a network of residential and data center proxies to bypass IP-based blocking and rate limiting, facilitating web scraping and data collection.
• MQL API: A powerful query language for extracting specific data points from web pages using CSS selectors, XPath, or regular expressions, enabling targeted web scraping.
• Insights API: Analyze website performance metrics, including Lighthouse scores, network requests, and page load times, to monitor and improve web page efficiency.
• PDF Generation: Convert web pages into PDF documents, with options for print styles, margins, and page format, suitable for archiving or generating reports.
• Video & Audio Extraction: Automatically detect and extract direct links to video and audio resources embedded on web pages.
• Headless Browser Automation: Execute custom JavaScript on target pages, interact with page elements, and handle complex scenarios like single-page applications (SPAs) without managing a headless browser instance.

Pricing

As of May 2026, Microlink.io offers a free tier and several paid plans. Pricing is primarily based on the number of requests per month and includes varying levels of features and concurrent requests.

For detailed and up-to-date pricing information, refer to the Microlink.io pricing page.

Common integrations

Microlink.io APIs are designed for integration into various application types and workflows. While there are no specific SDKs listed, the RESTful nature allows for integration with any language that can make HTTP requests. Common integration scenarios include:

• Content Management Systems (CMS): Automatically generate rich link previews for external URLs embedded in articles or posts.
• Social Media Management Tools: Create dynamic images for social sharing based on web content.
• Data Analytics Platforms: Collect structured data from web pages for analysis and reporting.
• E-commerce Platforms: Monitor competitor pricing or product information by scraping specific web elements.
• Automation Platforms: Integrate with tools like Tray.io or Zapier via webhooks to trigger actions based on web content changes or data extraction.
• Developer Tools: Incorporate screenshot generation or metadata extraction into CI/CD pipelines for testing or documentation.

Alternatives

When considering web automation and data extraction APIs, several alternatives offer similar or complementary functionalities:

• Browserless: Provides a hosted headless browser service, allowing developers to run custom Puppeteer or Playwright scripts without managing infrastructure.
• URL2PNG: Specializes in generating high-quality website screenshots from URLs, with various customization options.
• Apify: A platform for web scraping and automation, offering a wide range of pre-built scrapers and the ability to build custom actors using headless browsers.
• ScrapingBee: Focuses on web scraping with built-in proxy rotation and headless browser management to handle anti-bot measures.
• ScreenshotAPI.net: Another dedicated screenshot API offering a simple interface for capturing web page images.

Getting started

To begin using Microlink.io, you can make a simple API request to generate a screenshot or extract metadata. The following Node.js example demonstrates how to fetch metadata for a given URL:

const mql = require('microlink')

async function getPageMetadata() {
  try {
    const { status, data } = await mql('https://microlink.io', {
      screenshot: true, // Request a screenshot along with metadata
      embed: 'video' // Try to extract video embeds
    })

    console.log(`API Status: ${status}`)
    console.log('Metadata:', data)
    // If screenshot: true was used, data.screenshot.url will contain the URL to the image
    if (data.screenshot) {
      console.log('Screenshot URL:', data.screenshot.url)
    }
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error fetching metadata:', error)
  }
}

getPageMetadata()

This example uses the microlink Node.js library to make a request to the API. It fetches metadata for https://microlink.io and also requests a screenshot and video embeds. The response will contain structured data about the page, including Open Graph properties, title, description, and potentially a URL to the generated screenshot. For more detailed examples and parameter options, consult the Microlink API reference.