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The APIRequestContext class provides methods to make HTTP API requests independently of browser pages. It’s useful for API testing, authentication setup, and backend operations.

​
Creation

const request = await playwright.request.newContext({
  baseURL: 'https://api.example.com',
  extraHTTPHeaders: {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer token'
  }
});

​
Methods

​
fetch

Makes an HTTP request. 
const response = await request.fetch('https://api.example.com/users');
const response = await request.fetch('https://api.example.com/users', {
  method: 'POST',
  data: { name: 'John' }
});
​
url
string
required
Request URL. Can be relative if baseURL was set.
​
options.method
string
HTTP method. Defaults to ‘GET’.
​
options.params
Object | URLSearchParams | string
Query parameters to append to URL.
​
options.headers
Object
Request headers.
​
options.data
string | Buffer | object
Request body. Objects will be serialized to JSON.
​
options.form
Object | FormData
Form-encoded data. Sets content-type to application/x-www-form-urlencoded.
​
options.multipart
Object | FormData
Multipart form data. Sets content-type to multipart/form-data.
​
options.timeout
number
Request timeout in milliseconds.
​
options.failOnStatusCode
boolean
Whether to throw on non-2xx status codes. Defaults to false.
​
options.ignoreHTTPSErrors
boolean
Whether to ignore HTTPS errors. Defaults to false.
​
options.maxRedirects
number
Maximum number of redirects to follow. Defaults to 20.
​
options.maxRetries
number
Maximum number of retries. Defaults to 0.
Returns: Promise<APIResponse>

​
get

Makes a GET request. 
const response = await request.get('https://api.example.com/users');
const response = await request.get('users', {
  params: { page: 1, limit: 10 }
});
​
url
string
required
Request URL
​
options
Object
Same options as fetch() except method
Returns: Promise<APIResponse>

​
post

Makes a POST request. 
const response = await request.post('https://api.example.com/users', {
  data: { name: 'John', email: '[email protected]' }
});
​
url
string
required
Request URL
​
options
Object
Same options as fetch() except method
Returns: Promise<APIResponse>

​
put

Makes a PUT request. 
const response = await request.put('https://api.example.com/users/1', {
  data: { name: 'John Doe' }
});
​
url
string
required
Request URL
​
options
Object
Same options as fetch() except method
Returns: Promise<APIResponse>

​
patch

Makes a PATCH request. 
const response = await request.patch('https://api.example.com/users/1', {
  data: { email: '[email protected]' }
});
​
url
string
required
Request URL
​
options
Object
Same options as fetch() except method
Returns: Promise<APIResponse>

​
delete

Makes a DELETE request. 
const response = await request.delete('https://api.example.com/users/1');
​
url
string
required
Request URL
​
options
Object
Same options as fetch() except method
Returns: Promise<APIResponse>
Makes a HEAD request. 
const response = await request.head('https://api.example.com/users');
​
url
string
required
Request URL
​
options
Object
Same options as fetch() except method
Returns: Promise<APIResponse>

​
storageState

Returns storage state for this context. 
const state = await request.storageState();
await request.storageState({ path: 'storage.json' });
​
options.path
string
File path to save storage state to.
​
options.indexedDB
boolean
Whether to include IndexedDB data. Defaults to false.
Returns: Promise<Object>

​
dispose

Disposes the request context and closes all resources. 
await request.dispose();
await request.dispose({ reason: 'Test completed' });
​
options.reason
string
Optional reason for disposal.

​
Example Usage

​
Create Context with Authentication

const request = await playwright.request.newContext({
  baseURL: 'https://api.example.com',
  extraHTTPHeaders: {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer token123'
  }
});

​
Make API Request

const response = await request.get('/users');
const users = await response.json();
console.log(users);

​
POST with JSON Data

const response = await request.post('/users', {
  data: {
    name: 'John Doe',
    email: '[email protected]'
  }
});

if (response.ok()) {
  const user = await response.json();
  console.log('Created user:', user);
}

​
Upload File

const response = await request.post('/upload', {
  multipart: {
    file: {
      name: 'image.png',
      mimeType: 'image/png',
      buffer: fs.readFileSync('image.png')
    }
  }
});

​
Handle Query Parameters

const response = await request.get('/search', {
  params: {
    q: 'playwright',
    page: 1,
    limit: 20
  }
});

​
Setup Authentication Before Tests

const request = await playwright.request.newContext();

const response = await request.post('https://api.example.com/login', {
  data: {
    username: 'user',
    password: 'pass'
  }
});

const token = (await response.json()).token;

// Use token in browser context
const context = await browser.newContext({
  extraHTTPHeaders: {
    'Authorization': `Bearer ${token}`
  }
});

​
Save and Restore Storage State

// Save storage state
const request = await playwright.request.newContext();
await request.post('/login', { data: credentials });
await request.storageState({ path: 'auth.json' });

// Restore storage state
const request2 = await playwright.request.newContext({
  storageState: 'auth.json'
});

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