Monitor Website Changes API

How It Works

The Monitor Website Changes API provides programmatic access to GoScreenAPI's visual monitoring infrastructure through a RESTful interface. Create monitors, configure alert thresholds, trigger on-demand comparisons, and retrieve diff data — all through authenticated API calls. Every capability available in the dashboard is accessible via the API, enabling full automation of your monitoring workflow.

Authentication uses API keys generated from your account settings. Each request includes your key in the Authorization header, and responses return JSON payloads with monitor status, comparison results, and diff metadata. Rate limits are generous and scale with your plan tier, supporting high-frequency integrations without throttling concerns.

Key Capabilities

• Monitor CRUD operations — Create, read, update, and delete monitors programmatically. Set URLs, viewport widths, check intervals, and sensitivity thresholds through the API.
• On-demand comparisons — Trigger an immediate screenshot and comparison outside the regular schedule. Useful for post-deployment verification in CI/CD pipelines.
• Diff data retrieval — Fetch comparison results including change percentage, diff image URLs, and per-region change scores. Build custom dashboards or feed data into your own alerting systems.
• Alert configuration — Manage notification channels (email, Slack, webhook) per monitor via API. Route alerts dynamically based on your application logic.
• Webhook callbacks — Register webhook endpoints to receive POST requests when changes are detected. Process events in your own infrastructure without polling.

Integration Patterns

The most common integration pattern connects the API to your CI/CD pipeline. After a deployment completes, your pipeline triggers an on-demand comparison for all affected pages. If any monitor reports a change percentage above the acceptable threshold, the pipeline fails and alerts the team. This creates an automated visual gate that prevents regressions from reaching users.

Another pattern uses the API for bulk monitor management. Agencies managing hundreds of client sites can programmatically create and configure monitors from their client database, eliminating manual dashboard work. When a new client onboards, a script provisions monitors for their key pages with appropriate thresholds and alert routing.

For teams that want change detection without building custom integrations, automated website change detection provides the same monitoring capabilities through the dashboard interface with zero code required.

Who Is This For

The website changes API is designed for development teams that automate their infrastructure, agencies managing monitoring at scale, and SaaS platforms that embed visual monitoring into their own products. If your workflow involves scripts, pipelines, or programmatic configuration, the API gives you full control without dashboard interaction.

Teams using Slack for collaboration can combine API-driven monitoring with Slack website alerts to receive rich notifications in their team channels while managing everything through code. For authenticated page monitoring that requires custom headers or session cookies, the API supports the same custom authentication options available in the dashboard — basic auth, cookie injection, and header configuration are all settable via API parameters.