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Browser represents a browser instance that can contain multiple isolated browser contexts.

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Inheritance

Extends: ChannelOwner Implements: EventEmitter

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Events

  • disconnected: Emitted when browser disconnects

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Methods

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browserType

Returns the browser type that was used to launch this browser. 
browserType(): BrowserType
Returns: BrowserType - The browser type (chromium, firefox, or webkit)

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newContext

Creates a new browser context. 
newContext(options?: BrowserContextOptions): Promise<BrowserContext>
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options
BrowserContextOptions
Context configuration options
  • viewport (object | null): Viewport size
  • userAgent (string): User agent string
  • locale (string): Locale (e.g., ‘en-US’)
  • timezoneId (string): Timezone (e.g., ‘America/New_York’)
  • permissions (string[]): Granted permissions
  • geolocation (object): Geolocation
  • colorScheme (‘light’ | ‘dark’ | ‘no-preference’): Color scheme
  • extraHTTPHeaders (object): Extra HTTP headers
  • offline (boolean): Emulate network offline
  • httpCredentials (object): HTTP credentials
  • deviceScaleFactor (number): Device scale factor
  • isMobile (boolean): Whether to emulate mobile device
  • hasTouch (boolean): Whether to support touch events
  • storageState (string | object): Storage state to initialize context with
Returns: Promise<BrowserContext> - New browser context

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contexts

Returns all open browser contexts. 
contexts(): BrowserContext[]
Returns: BrowserContext[] - Array of all browser contexts

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newPage

Creates a new page in a new context. 
newPage(options?: BrowserContextOptions): Promise<Page>
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options
BrowserContextOptions
Context options (same as newContext)
Returns: Promise<Page> - New page in a new context Note: The context will be closed when the page is closed

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version

Returns browser version. 
version(): string
Returns: string - Browser version string

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isConnected

Indicates whether browser is connected. 
isConnected(): boolean
Returns: boolean - True if browser is connected

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close

Closes the browser and all its contexts. 
close(options?: { reason?: string }): Promise<void>
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options
object
Close options
  • reason (string): Optional reason for closing
Returns: Promise<void>

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newBrowserCDPSession

Creates a new Chrome DevTools Protocol session. 
newBrowserCDPSession(): Promise<CDPSession>
Returns: Promise<CDPSession> - CDP session Note: Only available for Chromium

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startTracing

Starts tracing. 
startTracing(page?: Page, options?: { path?: string; screenshots?: boolean; categories?: string[] }): Promise<void>
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page
Page
Page to trace (all pages if not specified)
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options
object
Tracing options
  • path (string): File path to save trace to
  • screenshots (boolean): Capture screenshots
  • categories (string[]): Tracing categories
Returns: Promise<void> Note: Only available for Chromium

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stopTracing

Stops tracing and returns trace data. 
stopTracing(): Promise<Buffer>
Returns: Promise<Buffer> - Trace data Note: Only available for Chromium

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Usage Examples

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Basic Browser Usage

import { chromium } from 'playwright';

const browser = await chromium.launch();
console.log(browser.version()); // e.g., "121.0.6167.57"

const context = await browser.newContext();
const page = await context.newPage();

await page.goto('https://example.com');

await browser.close();

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Multiple Contexts

import { chromium } from 'playwright';

const browser = await chromium.launch();

// Create multiple isolated contexts
const context1 = await browser.newContext({ locale: 'en-US' });
const context2 = await browser.newContext({ locale: 'de-DE' });

const page1 = await context1.newPage();
const page2 = await context2.newPage();

console.log(browser.contexts().length); // 2

await browser.close();

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Quick Page Creation

import { chromium } from 'playwright';

const browser = await chromium.launch();
const page = await browser.newPage({
  viewport: { width: 1920, height: 1080 },
  userAgent: 'Custom User Agent',
});

await page.goto('https://example.com');
await page.close(); // This closes the owned context too

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Browser Events

import { chromium } from 'playwright';

const browser = await chromium.launch();

browser.on('disconnected', () => {
  console.log('Browser disconnected');
});

console.log(browser.isConnected()); // true
await browser.close();
console.log(browser.isConnected()); // false

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CDP Session (Chromium)

import { chromium } from 'playwright';

const browser = await chromium.launch();
const cdpSession = await browser.newBrowserCDPSession();

await cdpSession.send('Performance.enable');
const metrics = await cdpSession.send('Performance.getMetrics');
console.log(metrics);

await browser.close();

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