The Tool Desk
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What to configure in a browser session
A browser session is more than a browser name and a URL. Its settings determine which browser binary starts, whether a person can see it, what cookies and permissions it has, how it reaches the network, and how long it waits for pages and actions.
Make these decisions in order:
- Browser and installation: choose Chromium, Firefox, WebKit, or a branded channel such as Chrome or Edge, then install the matching browser and any operating-system dependencies.
- Execution mode: use headless mode for routine automation and CI; use headed mode when you need to observe behavior while debugging.
- State: start isolated for repeatable tests. Load saved authentication state or use a dedicated persistent profile only when you intentionally need login continuity.
- Network and identity: configure a proxy, bypass list, credentials, headers, locale, or permissions when the target environment requires them.
- Wait behavior: set navigation, action, and script timeouts for the application’s actual response times rather than relying on an unexamined default.
Playwright’s test configuration centralizes settings shared by tests; Selenium’s browser-specific options configure a WebDriver session. In either framework, browser-specific settings may not behave identically across engines, so verify them when changing browsers or versions.
Configure a Playwright session
Install the browser first
Install Playwright’s browser binaries before starting a session:
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npx playwright installOn Linux or a clean CI image, install Chromium and its system dependencies with:
npx playwright install --with-deps chromiumIf the browser download must pass through a firewall, set HTTPS_PROXY for the install command. For example, in a POSIX shell:
HTTPS_PROXY=http://proxy.example:3128 npx playwright install chromiumPlaywright supports Chromium, Firefox, WebKit, and branded Chrome and Edge channels. Its default headless route uses a separate Chromium headless shell unless you select a browser channel. Choose a channel when the branded browser itself is important to the test, not just because it is installed on a developer’s machine. Consult the current Playwright browser and configuration references when upgrading: channel names, defaults, and available settings can change.
Set shared test options
For a Playwright Test project, put settings shared across tests in playwright.config.ts. This example uses Chromium, headless mode, a saved login state, a proxy, and an explicit action timeout:
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import { defineConfig } from '@playwright/test';
export default defineConfig({
use: {
baseURL: 'https://example.test',
browserName: 'chromium',
headless: true,
storageState: 'state.json',
proxy: {
server: 'http://proxy.example:3128',
bypass: 'localhost',
},
actionTimeout: 10_000,
},
});With baseURL set, tests can navigate to a relative path such as /account. The storageState setting loads the saved cookies and local storage for the context. proxy applies network routing, while actionTimeout limits how long an individual action waits. For visual diagnosis, temporarily set headless: false and run the same test where you can observe the browser.
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Other useful Playwright use settings include extraHTTPHeaders, httpCredentials, ignoreHTTPSErrors, offline emulation, and trace or recording options. Use certificate-error ignoring only in a controlled test environment; it changes what the browser accepts and can hide a certificate problem that matters in production.
Save login state instead of logging in for every test
To reuse an authenticated state, create it once through a deliberate login flow, save the browser context’s storage state to state.json, then point storageState at that file in the shared configuration. Keep the state file out of source control: it can contain authentication cookies that grant access to an account. Regenerate it when the session expires or the account’s authentication changes.
Use a fresh BrowserContext when tests must not share cookies, local storage, permissions, or cache. A saved state file is a convenient way to seed an otherwise isolated context; a persistent browser profile is the choice when the profile itself should be retained between runs. For persistent profiles, use a dedicated user-data directory, not a directory currently open in a person’s browser.
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Choose the right Playwright layer
Shared test behavior belongs in the test runner’s use configuration. Browser startup choices and user-data directories belong to launch options; settings such as locale, permissions, HTTP credentials, and storage state belong to a browser context. If you use Playwright’s browser API directly instead of Playwright Test, create the browser and context explicitly and pass the relevant options at those layers. Avoid putting all settings into a single global profile: that makes tests harder to isolate and stale state harder to spot.
Configure a Selenium 4 session
Use browser-specific Options
Selenium 4 requires browser options classes. Create the appropriate class—such as ChromeOptions or FirefoxOptions—then pass it to the matching driver. This Python example starts headless Chrome, uses the eager page-load strategy, routes through a proxy, and sets a page-load timeout:
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from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.options import Options
options = Options()
options.add_argument('--headless=new')
options.page_load_strategy = 'eager'
options.proxy = {
'proxyType': 'manual',
'httpProxy': 'proxy.example:3128',
}
driver = webdriver.Chrome(options=options)
driver.set_page_load_timeout(30)
try:
driver.get('https://example.test')
print(driver.title)
finally:
driver.quit()The example uses Selenium’s Chrome options and driver, so it is not a browser-neutral configuration. For Firefox or another supported browser, use that browser’s Options class and driver. WebDriver capabilities describe what the session supports; vendors can also define extension capabilities. Keep browser-specific fields in the matching options object rather than assuming a Chrome setting transfers unchanged to another browser.
Understand the page-load and wait settings
Selenium’s page-load strategies are normal, eager, and none. They change when navigation returns; they do not establish that a JavaScript application has finished rendering or that a particular control is ready. Use an explicit wait for the page condition your next step actually needs. Also distinguish page-load, script, and implicit-wait timeouts: they govern different parts of session behavior. Set deliberate values rather than increasing every timeout when one selector or navigation is slow.
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The example sets a 30-second page-load limit. Treat that as a starting value for the target application, not a universal performance expectation. Selenium exposes script, page-load, and implicit-wait timeouts; choose each only if the corresponding operation needs a bound.
Configure state, proxies, and session options safely
Choose isolated or persistent state
For most test runs, isolated state is the safer default because one test’s cookies or permissions cannot silently affect another. Persist state only to avoid a repeatable setup step such as logging in. Protect saved state files and profile directories as credentials, and keep them outside public repositories and shared build artifacts. If an unexpected login or personalization appears, retry from a new context or profile before changing the test itself.
Test proxy routing separately
Configure the proxy at the browser session or context layer, and add bypass domains only for hosts that should connect directly. Verify the proxy and bypass behavior independently before debugging page selectors or application code; otherwise, a routing failure can look like a page timeout. Proxy authentication syntax and capabilities vary by browser and framework, so use the format supported by the specific options object rather than copying settings between Playwright and Selenium.
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Set only the identity and permissions the test needs
Playwright can set headers, HTTP credentials, locale, permissions, and offline behavior through its documented context or test options. Use the smallest set that reproduces the real scenario. For example, setting a locale is more deterministic than relying on whichever locale happens to be configured on the CI machine. Likewise, use test credentials rather than a person’s active browser login.
Make sessions reliable and easier to debug
Use an intentional timeout policy
Set separate limits for page navigation and individual actions. A navigation may be slow while a button should respond quickly, or a page may return promptly while an application request never completes. In Playwright, actionTimeout bounds actions in the test configuration. In Selenium, set page-load and script timeouts as needed and wait explicitly for the next UI condition. Avoid treating a longer timeout as a fix for a broken proxy, stale session, or wrong selector.
Compare headed and headless behavior
Headless mode is useful for unattended runs; headed mode makes it easier to inspect a browser while diagnosing a failure. If a test fails only in CI, reproduce it with the same browser version, options, profile state, and network conditions before concluding that headless mode is the cause. Playwright also documents a distinct default headless Chromium path, so selecting a branded channel can matter when matching a particular browser environment.
Capture evidence from failures
When a CI-only failure is intermittent or difficult to reproduce, retain a Playwright trace, screenshot, or relevant driver logs. Evidence helps distinguish a navigation problem from a selector mismatch, authentication expiry, or environment difference. Do not leave verbose logging or captured credentials in public artifacts; traces and screenshots can expose page content and account data.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshooting common session failures
- Browser executable or driver fails to start: install the browser binaries, confirm required Linux dependencies are present, and check that the framework and target browser versions are compatible. On a clean Linux runner, use the Playwright dependency-install command shown above.
- Browser download fails behind a firewall: configure
HTTPS_PROXYfor Playwright’s browser installation command, then retry. This download proxy setting is separate from the proxy used by a running browser session. - Login disappears between runs: confirm the saved storage state is loaded from the expected path and has not expired. If persistence is intentional, use a dedicated user-data directory; do not rely on an unrelated browser profile.
- Tests unexpectedly share login or site settings: create a fresh context or profile and rerun. Shared state can come from cookies, local storage, permissions, or cache.
- Pages time out through a proxy: test routing and bypass domains on their own, then confirm the session’s proxy syntax and credentials are correct. Only after network access is verified should you adjust navigation timeouts.
- Navigation returns but the page is not ready: a page-load strategy signals navigation behavior, not readiness of a particular app element. Wait for the actual selector or state required by the next step.
- Certificate errors occur in a test environment: check the test certificate and the framework’s certificate-handling option. Only opt into ignoring HTTPS errors when that is an intentional, isolated test condition.
- CI fails but a local run passes: compare browser installation, browser channel, headless mode, state files, proxy route, and timeout values. Run headed where feasible and examine a trace, screenshot, or driver log to narrow the difference.
When a browser session is more than you need
Playwright and Selenium are the right tools when you need to interact with a page: sign in, click controls, test a workflow, or inspect browser behavior. If the task is only to capture a website image or PDF, running a full browser automation stack can add setup and maintenance without helping the result. ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server from Yorker Media for that narrower job; it is not a replacement for interactive browser tests. See ScreenshotNeo for the service overview.
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Or skip the browser setup
Make one GET request for a screenshot; the API can return PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF. The cURL example below saves a WebP image. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request parameters and response details.
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://example.test -o shot.webpFor code that needs the response body, Python and Node.js examples are also available:
import requests
r = requests.get(
"https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot",
params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://example.test"},
timeout=90,
)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://example.test' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Screenshot request failed: ${res.status}`);
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does headless mode guarantee the same result as a visible browser?
No. Headless is an execution mode, not a promise that every browser environment will render or behave identically. When a failure appears only in CI, compare the installed browser and channel, session settings, state, and network conditions, and reproduce it in headed mode if possible.
Can I use a proxy to make a site accept my automation?
A proxy changes the route used for network traffic; it does not guarantee that a site will allow an automated session or that a CAPTCHA will disappear. Confirm that the proxy is configured for the browser session and that its routing works before investigating page behavior.
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