screenshot-rs

Rust-based screen capture exposed to Node via N-API. Provides a single async API that returns a PNG Blob.

Installation

npm install screenshot-rs

Note: This package compiles the native module during installation. You need:

• Rust toolchain (install from https://rustup.rs/)

The package will automatically build the native module for your platform during npm install using npx.

Prerequisites

• Node.js >= 16.17
• Rust toolchain (https://rustup.rs/)
• macOS, Windows, or Linux with display access

Development Setup

Development Setup

Install dev deps

cd /Users/jiangzhe/repo/github/screenshot-rs
npm install

Build

cd /Users/jiangzhe/repo/github/screenshot-rs
npm run build

This produces a platform-specific .node binary in the package directory.

Build for all platforms

npm run build:all

This builds binaries for all supported platforms.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter build issues:

1. Ensure Rust is installed: rustc --version
2. Ensure you have internet connection for npx to download @napi-rs/cli
3. Try running npm install again
4. Check that you have the necessary system dependencies for your platform

Usage

ES Modules

import {
  captureScreenshotBlob,
  listScreens,
  captureScreenshotByScreenId,
} from "screenshot-rs";

// Capture primary screen
const blob = await captureScreenshotBlob();
console.log("Got blob:", blob.type, blob.size);

// List all screens
const screens = await listScreens();
console.log("Available screens:", screens);

// Capture specific screen
if (screens.length > 0) {
  const screenBlob = await captureScreenshotByScreenId(screens[0].id);
  console.log("Screen blob:", screenBlob.type, screenBlob.size);
}

CommonJS

const {
  captureScreenshotBlob,
  listScreens,
  captureScreenshotByScreenId,
} = require("screenshot-rs");

(async () => {
  const blob = await captureScreenshotBlob();
  console.log("Got blob:", blob.type, blob.size);
})();

Example: save PNG to disk

See full-path example at: /Users/jiangzhe/repo/github/screenshot-rs/examples/save-png.js

Run:

node /Users/jiangzhe/repo/github/screenshot-rs/examples/save-png.js

API

Functions

• async captureScreenshotBlob(): Promise<Blob>

  • Captures the primary display and returns a PNG Blob.

• async listScreens(): Promise<ScreenInfo[]>

  • Returns information about all available screens.

• async captureScreenshotByScreenId(screenId: number): Promise<Blob>

  • Captures a specific screen by ID and returns a PNG Blob.

Types

interface ScreenInfo {
  id: number;
  x: number;
  y: number;
  width: number;
  height: number;
  rotation: number;
  scaleFactor: number;
  frequency: number;
  isPrimary: boolean;
}

Platform Support

• ✅ macOS (x64, arm64)
• ✅ Windows (x64)
• ✅ Linux (x64, arm64)

Permissions

macOS

On macOS, you may need to grant screen recording permissions:

1. Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Screen Recording
2. Add your application to the list of allowed apps

Linux

On Linux, ensure your display server (X11/Wayland) is properly configured.

Windows

On Windows, no additional permissions are typically required.

License

MIT