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CloudConvert

Use CloudConvert to convert files, create thumbnails, merge files, add watermarks and more!

Actions8

Overview

The node integrates with CloudConvert, a cloud-based file conversion and processing service. Specifically, the Capture Website operation allows users to create jobs that capture a website as a PDF or generate screenshots in JPG or PNG formats. This is useful for automating website archiving, generating visual previews of web pages, or creating PDFs from dynamic web content.

Practical examples include:

  • Automatically capturing a webpage snapshot for documentation or monitoring.
  • Generating PDF reports from web dashboards.
  • Creating thumbnails or screenshots of websites for marketing or review purposes.

Properties

Name Meaning
Authentication Method to authenticate with CloudConvert: either OAuth2 (recommended) or API Key.
Output Format The format of the output file after capturing the website. Options depend on the operation but typically include PDF, JPG, PNG, etc.
URL The full URL of the website to capture.
Additional Options A JSON dictionary of extra parameters to customize the capture job. These options are passed directly to CloudConvert and can control advanced features like viewport size, delay, cropping, etc.

Output

The node outputs JSON data representing the result of the capture job. This typically includes metadata about the generated file(s), such as URLs to download the captured PDF or image, file size, and status information.

If the node supports binary data output (common in file processing nodes), it will provide the captured file content in a binary property, allowing subsequent nodes to use or store the file directly.

Dependencies

  • Requires an active CloudConvert account.
  • Requires authentication via either OAuth2 or an API key credential configured in n8n.
  • Internet access to reach the CloudConvert API and the target website URL.
  • No additional environment variables are explicitly required beyond standard n8n credential setup.

Troubleshooting

  • Invalid Operation Error: If the operation parameter is not set to "capture-website" or another supported value, the node throws an error. Ensure the operation is correctly selected.
  • Authentication Failures: Incorrect or expired credentials will cause API request failures. Verify that the OAuth2 token or API key is valid and has sufficient permissions.
  • URL Access Issues: If the target website URL is unreachable, blocked, or requires authentication, the capture job may fail or produce empty results. Confirm the URL is accessible from CloudConvert's servers.
  • Output Format Not Supported: Selecting an unsupported output format for the capture operation will cause errors. Use the node’s dynamic output format loader to select valid formats.
  • Malformed Additional Options: Invalid JSON syntax or unsupported options in the Additional Options field can cause job creation to fail. Validate JSON syntax and refer to CloudConvert’s job builder for correct option structure.

Links and References

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