Skip to main content
Web Unblocker

Unblock protected sites with one API call

The Browserless web unblocker helps developers access blocked websites for authorized scraping and browser automation. It handles bot detection, CAPTCHAs, and IP-based restrictions in a real browser with built-in proxy routing, then returns rendered HTML, cookies, screenshots, or a live session your code can keep driving.

Start freeRead the docs

content The fully rendered HTML after anti-bot measures are handled

cookies Every cookie the site set during the session

screenshot A base64-encoded full-page JPEG of the unblocked page, at quality 50

browserWSEndpoint A live browser session for Puppeteer or Playwright

What is a web unblocker?

A web unblocker helps an automated request reach a destination site that would otherwise return blocked content, a CAPTCHA, or an incomplete page. It combines real browser execution with IP-based proxy routing and bot-challenge handling – beyond what a standard proxy server can do alone.

Browserless ships its web unblocker as the /unblock REST API: one POST request with a target URL, and you choose whether to get back rendered HTML, cookies, a screenshot, or a live browser session to continue automating from the unblocked state.

Use it on sites you own or are otherwise authorized to automate, and stay within each target’s terms of service and applicable law.

Which web unblocker is the right tool?

Website unblockers fall into two groups: consumer tools like a web proxy, proxy browser, or VPN for manual browsing, and developer web unblockers for collecting data through an API. Choose based on how you'll use it.

Free web proxy or proxy site

Enter a web address into a free proxy site to access blocked content through another server. Free web proxy tools are for manual browsing, not scraping.

Not designed for reliable scraping or CAPTCHA handling.

VPN / proxy browser

Route browsing traffic through another IP address to access restricted content in certain regions.

A VPN can route traffic from a whole device; a proxy browser typically handles browser traffic.

Browserless web unblocker

Send HTTPS requests to a managed browser with proxy routing and anti-bot handling. Retrieve data or keep a live session open.

For API-based scraping, not private browsing or anonymous browsing.

A consumer proxy or VPN can help you view region-locked pages when you browse manually. Browserless is built for authorized automation: it doesn't promise access to every site, and it doesn't get around logins, account permissions, or network access controls.

One POST request to unblock a page

Send the full URL of the destination site and choose the data you want back. Residential proxies are built in and recommended for hard targets; add &proxyCountry=us (or another supported country code) when a public page varies by region.

curl --request POST \
  --url 'https://production-sfo.browserless.io/unblock?token=YOUR_API_TOKEN&proxy=residential' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data '{
  "url": "https://turo.com/",
  "content": true,
  "cookies": false,
  "screenshot": false,
  "browserWSEndpoint": false
}'

The response contains the fully rendered page HTML. See the unblock API docs for every parameter.

What you get with the Browserless web unblocker

The unblock API runs on the same infrastructure, token, and billing as everything else on Browserless.

Get back exactly what you ask for
Request the rendered HTML with content, the session's cookies with cookies, a screenshot with screenshot, or all three. Set a field to false, and Browserless skips the work, so execution stays as light as the job allows.
Keep automating from the unblocked state
Set browserWSEndpoint: true with a ttl and the response includes a live WebSocket endpoint. Connect Puppeteer or Playwright to it and continue the session from the already-unblocked browser.
Proxies come built in
Add proxy=residential (6 units/MB) or proxy=datacenter (2 units/MB) to your request, with proxyCountry targeting. No separate proxy service or server setup is required; proxy usage draws on your existing account units.
One exit IP for the whole session
Unblock requests pin a single proxy exit IP by default. Anti-bot systems like Akamai and DataDome bind their sensors and cookies to the egress IP, so holding one IP avoids re-triggering the block mid-session.
Handles the common blockers
Built to get past bot detection systems like DataDome, passive CAPTCHAs, and Cloudflare Turnstile and JavaScript challenges. It works from a real browser, not header tricks.
An escalation path when sites push back
For enforced CAPTCHAs and the hardest targets, step up to the Browser Automation Protocol: call page.solve() and BAP detects and solves reCAPTCHA, Cloudflare, and other challenge types with built-in stealth.

Choose the right proxy for blocked websites

The IP address a destination site sees can determine whether a request passes, gets challenged, or receives region-specific content. Browserless includes both proxy types so you can choose the best fit for each site.

Residential proxies
Traffic exits through real residential IP addresses, which are harder to detect than datacenter IPs. Use them for sites with strict bot detection or IP reputation checks, and for content limited to certain regions.
Datacenter proxies
Datacenter IPs are faster and cost a third as much, but they're easier to detect. Use them for high-volume data collection when the destination site has lighter IP-based abuse prevention.

Choose a country and keep a consistent session

Set proxyCountry=us for US geotargeting, or use another supported country code. The datacenter pool covers fewer countries than residential, so use residential proxies when you need full geographic coverage.

Browserless vs. Oxylabs Web Unblocker and Bright Data Web Unlocker

Oxylabs and Bright Data sell proxy networks and provide proxy session features, and their unblockers are standalone products you route requests through. Browserless builds unblocking into the browser infrastructure you already automate with, so the unblocked page stays in a session you can keep driving.

175M+

Docker pulls

8 years

in production

99.9%

uptime commitment

Standalone unblocker products

  • Sold by proxy companies as a standalone product, separate from the browser automation stack you already run
  • Usually proxy-shaped: send a request through it, get HTML back
  • Its own integration surface to wire up and keep current
  • The unblocked page arrives outside the tool you automate with

An unblock API on browser infrastructure

  • One POST request on the same token, endpoints, and billing as the rest of Browserless
  • Returns content, cookies, screenshots, or a live browser session you keep driving
  • Built-in residential and datacenter proxies, selected per request
  • Escalates within one platform: stealth routes, unblock, then BAP CAPTCHA solving

Part of a layered bot detection strategy

Unblocking is one layer of the Browserless bot detection stack. Escalate only as far as the target requires.

Start with stealth routes
Fingerprint-level evasion at the connection URL: /stealth routes make automated browsers look like real users. For many sites, this is all you need.
Unblock when libraries get flagged
When sites detect the automation library itself, the unblock API takes a minimal approach that works with the browser's native interfaces and leaves no library traces, then hands you the result or live session.
Solve what still challenges you
When a site is unblocked but still presents an enforced CAPTCHA, BAP's page.solve() and the solveCaptchas connection flag handle reCAPTCHA, Cloudflare, and other challenge types.

Web unblocker FAQs

Security & compliance

SOC 2Type IIGDPRCompliantHIPAABAA AvailableDPAAvailable
See the Trust Center

Stop losing scrapes to bot detection

Start with 1,000 free units, no credit card required. Send your first unblock request in minutes, and keep the same platform as your targets get harder.

View pricing