BrowserType

API reference for the BrowserType class - launch and connect to browsers

BrowserType provides methods to launch or connect to browser instances. Available through playwright.chromium, playwright.firefox, or playwright.webkit.

Inheritance

Extends: ChannelOwner

Methods

executablePath

Returns the path to the browser executable.

executablePath(): string

Returns: string - Path to the browser executable

Throws: Error if the browser is not supported on the current platform

name

Returns the browser name.

name(): string

Returns: string - Browser name (‘chromium’, ‘firefox’, or ‘webkit’)

launch

Launches a new browser instance.

launch(options?: LaunchOptions): Promise<Browser>

options · LaunchOptions

Launch configuration options

• headless (boolean): Whether to run in headless mode (default: true)
• executablePath (string): Path to browser executable
• args (string[]): Additional arguments to pass to the browser
• ignoreDefaultArgs (boolean | string[]): Ignore default arguments
• channel (string): Browser channel to use
• env (object): Environment variables
• slowMo (number): Slows down operations by specified milliseconds
• timeout (number): Maximum time in milliseconds to wait for browser to start
• logger (Logger): Logger instance

Returns: Promise<Browser> - Browser instance

launchPersistentContext

Launches browser with persistent storage.

launchPersistentContext(userDataDir: string, options?: LaunchPersistentContextOptions): Promise<BrowserContext>

userDataDir · string · required

Path to user data directory for persistent storage

options · LaunchPersistentContextOptions

Launch options combined with context options

Returns: Promise<BrowserContext> - Browser context with persistent storage

connect

Connects to a running browser instance.

connect(options: ConnectOptions): Promise<Browser>

options · ConnectOptions · required

Connection options

• wsEndpoint (string): WebSocket endpoint to connect to
• timeout (number): Maximum time to wait for connection
• slowMo (number): Slows down operations by specified milliseconds
• headers (object): Additional HTTP headers
• logger (Logger): Logger instance

Returns: Promise<Browser> - Connected browser instance

connectOverCDP

Connects to a browser over Chrome DevTools Protocol.

connectOverCDP(endpointURL: string, options?: ConnectOverCDPOptions): Promise<Browser>

endpointURL · string · required

CDP endpoint URL (ws:// or http://)

options · ConnectOverCDPOptions

CDP connection options

• timeout (number): Connection timeout
• slowMo (number): Slow down operations
• headers (object): Additional headers
• logger (Logger): Logger instance

Returns: Promise<Browser> - Connected browser

Note: Only supported for Chromium browsers

launchServer

Launches a browser server.

launchServer(options?: LaunchServerOptions): Promise<BrowserServer>

options · LaunchServerOptions

Server launch options

Returns: Promise<BrowserServer> - Browser server instance

Usage Examples

Launch Browser

import { chromium } from 'playwright';

const browser = await chromium.launch({
  headless: false,
  slowMo: 100,
});

const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.goto('https://example.com');
await browser.close();

Connect to Remote Browser

import { chromium } from 'playwright';

const browser = await chromium.connect({
  wsEndpoint: 'ws://localhost:3000',
});

const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.goto('https://example.com');

Launch with Persistent Context

import { chromium } from 'playwright';

const context = await chromium.launchPersistentContext('./user-data', {
  headless: false,
  viewport: { width: 1280, height: 720 },
});

const page = await context.newPage();
await page.goto('https://example.com');

Connect Over CDP

import { chromium } from 'playwright';

const browser = await chromium.connectOverCDP('http://localhost:9222', {
  timeout: 30000,
});

const contexts = browser.contexts();
const page = contexts[0].pages()[0];

Related Classes

• Browser - Browser instance
• BrowserContext - Browser context
• Playwright - Main entry point