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In Node.js, capture a Selenium screenshot with await driver.takeScreenshot(), then write the returned Base64 string to a file using the base64 encoding. Selenium captures images; your test runner—not WebDriver—owns test results. Use the runner’s reporter or save a deliberate JSON summary, and give each test a unique artifact path.
What you need before you start
The examples below use the Selenium JavaScript binding, the selenium-webdriver package, and Node.js. The current Selenium JavaScript API documentation specifies Node.js 22 or later; check the API documentation for supported Node release lines and package requirements before choosing an older runtime: Selenium WebDriver JavaScript API.
You also need a browser and its WebDriver support configured for your environment. The screenshot and file-writing code does not install or configure a browser. If your project is already using Selenium, keep its existing browser setup and add the capture functions where the driver is available.
Capture and save a screenshot
driver.takeScreenshot() resolves to a Base64-encoded PNG string. Decode it when writing the file by passing 'base64' as the write encoding; otherwise the Base64 characters are saved as text instead of PNG bytes. This CommonJS example creates the output folder if needed and waits for the file write to finish:
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const { Builder, Browser } = require('selenium-webdriver');
const { writeFile, mkdir } = require('node:fs/promises');
const path = require('node:path');
async function saveScreenshot(driver, filePath) {
const base64Png = await driver.takeScreenshot();
await mkdir(path.dirname(filePath), { recursive: true });
await writeFile(filePath, base64Png, 'base64');
}
(async () => {
const driver = await new Builder().forBrowser(Browser.CHROME).build();
try {
await driver.get('https://example.com');
await saveScreenshot(driver, path.join('artifacts', 'example.png'));
} finally {
await driver.quit();
}
})();The example uses Chrome as the requested browser; use the browser you have configured. Selenium documents both the screenshot method and Base64 file output in its window and tab examples. For an ESM project, use import statements from selenium-webdriver, node:fs/promises, and node:path instead of require; the capture and write calls remain the same.
Use synchronous writing only when it fits
For a small, one-off script, Selenium’s documented example uses fs.writeFileSync('./image.png', encodedString, 'base64'). In async tests, promise-based writeFile lets the test await completion and report failures in its normal control flow. Node’s file-system documentation describes both interfaces and warns against overlapping writes to the same file: Node.js v22 file system documentation.
Choose the screenshot scope you actually need
Current page or browser view
driver.takeScreenshot() is the general WebDriver method. Its documented implementation makes a best effort to return, in order, an image of the entire page, the current window, the visible part of the current frame, or the whole display containing the browser. The actual result depends on browser, driver, and environment support. Do not assume this generic method guarantees a full-page image in every setup. If full-page coverage is essential, verify the result in the target browser and use a browser-specific approach if needed.
A single element
For focused evidence—such as a broken banner or a component with an unexpected state—locate the element and call await element.takeScreenshot(true). Selenium’s example uses this element screenshot method: Selenium window and tab examples.
const element = await driver.findElement({ css: '[data-testid="checkout-summary"]' });
const base64Png = await element.takeScreenshot(true);
await mkdir('artifacts', { recursive: true });
await writeFile('artifacts/checkout-summary.png', base64Png, 'base64');As with page captures, wait until the element exists and reflects the state you intend to inspect before taking its screenshot.
Capture after the page is ready
Take the screenshot after navigation and after the relevant page state is available. An arbitrary delay can make tests slow without guaranteeing readiness. Prefer a condition that describes what the test needs, using WebDriver’s wait support documented in the JavaScript API.
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await driver.get('https://example.com');
await driver.wait(async () => {
const title = await driver.getTitle();
return title.includes('Example');
}, 10000, 'Expected page title did not appear');
await saveScreenshot(driver, 'artifacts/example-ready.png');Choose a condition appropriate to the page: a known title, a visible element, or another observable state your test needs. A successful navigation alone does not establish that asynchronously rendered content, fonts, or images have finished loading.
Save useful failure evidence without hiding the test failure
A runner hook is the right place to connect screenshots to failing tests because it can access both the test outcome and the WebDriver instance. Exact hook names and access to test metadata differ by framework, so integrate this pattern into the runner you actually use rather than treating it as a Selenium feature.
- When a test fails, derive a filename from a sanitized full test title, plus a timestamp or worker identifier to avoid collisions.
- Attempt the screenshot and await the image write before the driver is quit.
- If capture or file writing fails, report that artifact error separately and preserve the original test exception as the primary failure.
- Let the test runner report the final outcome. If you need custom metadata, save a separate JSON summary or use a runner reporter.
Illustrative helper for a failing-test hook:
const { writeFile, mkdir } = require('node:fs/promises');
const path = require('node:path');
function safeFilePart(value) {
return value
.replace(/[^a-z0-9_-]+/gi, '-')
.replace(/^-+|-+$/g, '')
.slice(0, 100) || 'test';
}
async function captureFailureArtifact(driver, testTitle, runId) {
const fileName = `${safeFilePart(testTitle)}-${safeFilePart(runId)}.png`;
const filePath = path.join('artifacts', 'screenshots', fileName);
const base64Png = await driver.takeScreenshot();
await mkdir(path.dirname(filePath), { recursive: true });
await writeFile(filePath, base64Png, 'base64');
return filePath;
}
// In your runner's failure hook, while driver is still open:
try {
const screenshotPath = await captureFailureArtifact(driver, test.fullTitle(), runId);
console.error(`Failure screenshot: ${screenshotPath}`);
} catch (artifactError) {
console.error('Could not save failure screenshot:', artifactError);
// Keep the runner's original test error as the test failure.
}This is an integration pattern, not a universal runner hook: adapt identifiers such as test.fullTitle() and runId to your framework. Keep the screenshot attempt before driver.quit(), usually in a finally cleanup path that still guarantees the driver is closed.
Persist test results separately from screenshots
Selenium’s screenshot API returns an image; it does not provide a test-results API. Test status, titles, durations, errors, and reporter output belong to your chosen test runner. For example, Mocha documents a JSON reporter, though its cited reporter documentation is in the legacy documentation: Mocha JSON reporter documentation. Confirm the reporter options against the installed Mocha version.
If downstream tooling needs a small custom record, construct it from values your runner actually provides, then write it as JSON. The following is illustrative; the fields are application choices, not values supplied automatically by Selenium:
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const resultSummary = {
runId,
testTitle: test.fullTitle(),
status: 'failed',
error: {
message: error.message,
stack: error.stack
},
screenshotPath
};
await writeFile(
resultPath,
JSON.stringify(resultSummary, null, 2),
'utf8'
);Useful optional fields may include a build or run identifier, browser or capabilities, timestamp, and duration if your runner supplies it. Avoid serializing entire framework objects: they may contain circular references, unstable internals, or sensitive data. Decide what consumers need and write a stable schema.
Per-test files or one summary file?
- Per-test artifacts: separate screenshot and result files reduce accidental name collisions and make a single failure easier to inspect.
- One run summary: a single JSON document is convenient for downstream processing. Accumulate test records in memory and write once after the run, or coordinate writes deliberately.
- Concurrent tests: do not have parallel workers overwrite one shared filename. Node warns repeated overlapping writes to a file without waiting for a prior write to settle are unsafe. Await writes and use unique paths, or have one process aggregate results.
Keep artifacts available in CI
Writing to artifacts/ only creates files in the job’s working environment; it does not guarantee those files will be retained after the job ends. Configure your CI platform to upload that directory as a job artifact and set retention using that platform’s artifact settings. Directory conventions, retention limits, and upload syntax are platform-specific, so follow the documentation for your CI provider and repository configuration.
For easier diagnosis, keep related files together—for example, a screenshot subdirectory and a result JSON directory—and include a run or worker identifier in names produced by parallel jobs. Make sure the capture and all file writes finish before the test process exits; an unawaited write can leave missing or incomplete evidence.
Common problems and fixes
The output file is not a readable PNG
Cause: the Base64 string was written as ordinary text. Fix: pass 'base64' as the encoding in writeFile(filePath, base64Png, 'base64').
The screenshot file is missing
Cause: its parent directory does not exist, the write was not awaited, or the process ended before it completed. Fix: create the directory with mkdir(directory, { recursive: true }), await the write, and check the resolved path relative to the process working directory.
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The image captures the wrong state or appears incomplete
Cause: the capture ran before the expected content was ready, or the browser’s screenshot scope differs from what you assumed. Fix: wait for an observable expected condition, capture only after it is met, and verify whether the target browser returns the full page or only a window/frame view.
Parallel tests overwrite each other’s evidence
Cause: multiple tests target the same screenshot or JSON path. Fix: add a sanitized test identifier and run/worker identifier, and avoid unsynchronized writes to one shared result file.
A screenshot error replaces the useful test error
Cause: the capture hook throws while handling an already failed test. Fix: catch and report artifact failures separately; retain the original test exception and still close the driver.
Artifacts exist locally but not after CI finishes
Cause: the CI job did not upload them or its retention policy expired them. Fix: configure the platform’s artifact upload and retention settings for the directory your tests write.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does `takeScreenshot()` return in Selenium for Node.js?
A promise that resolves to a Base64-encoded PNG string. Write it with Base64 decoding, such as `writeFile(path, data, ‘base64’)`.
Can I capture an element instead of the page?
Yes. Find the element and call `await element.takeScreenshot(true)`, then save the returned Base64 PNG as an image.
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Does Selenium save test results along with screenshots?
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