Browser

API reference for the Browser class - manage browser instances

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

Inheritance

Extends: ChannelOwner

Implements: EventEmitter

Events

• disconnected: Emitted when browser disconnects

Methods

browserType

Returns the browser type that was used to launch this browser.

browserType(): BrowserType

Returns: BrowserType - The browser type (chromium, firefox, or webkit)

newContext

Creates a new browser context.

newContext(options?: BrowserContextOptions): Promise<BrowserContext>

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

contexts

Returns all open browser contexts.

contexts(): BrowserContext[]

Returns: BrowserContext[] - Array of all browser contexts

newPage

Creates a new page in a new context.

newPage(options?: BrowserContextOptions): Promise<Page>

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

version

Returns browser version.

version(): string

Returns: string - Browser version string

isConnected

Indicates whether browser is connected.

isConnected(): boolean

Returns: boolean - True if browser is connected

close

Closes the browser and all its contexts.

close(options?: { reason?: string }): Promise<void>

options · object

Close options

• reason (string): Optional reason for closing

Returns: Promise<void>

newBrowserCDPSession

Creates a new Chrome DevTools Protocol session.

newBrowserCDPSession(): Promise<CDPSession>

Returns: Promise<CDPSession> - CDP session

Note: Only available for Chromium

startTracing

Starts tracing.

startTracing(page?: Page, options?: { path?: string; screenshots?: boolean; categories?: string[] }): Promise<void>

page · Page

Page to trace (all pages if not specified)

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

stopTracing

Stops tracing and returns trace data.

stopTracing(): Promise<Buffer>

Returns: Promise<Buffer> - Trace data

Note: Only available for Chromium

Usage Examples

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();

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();

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

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

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();

Related Classes

• BrowserType - For launching browsers
• BrowserContext - Isolated browser sessions
• Page - Web pages