In JavaScript, read the current address with page.url(), turn its hostname and pathname into a safe filename, then pass the result to page.screenshot({ path }). The example below adds a short hash of the full URL so pages with different query strings or fragments do not overwrite each other.
Save a screenshot using the current page URL
This runnable Node.js example uses Playwright, creates a screenshots directory if needed, and saves a full-page PNG. Install Playwright in your project first; the Chromium browser must also be installed for the selected browser to launch.
import { createHash } from 'node:crypto';
import { mkdir } from 'node:fs/promises';
import path from 'node:path';
import { chromium } from 'playwright';
function filenameFromUrl(rawUrl) {
const url = new URL(rawUrl);
const readable = `${url.hostname}${url.pathname}`
.replace(/[^a-zA-Z0-9._-]+/g, '-')
.replace(/^-+|-+$/g, '')
.slice(0, 100) || 'page';
// Include the full URL in the hash to distinguish query strings and fragments.
const hash = createHash('sha256').update(rawUrl).digest('hex').slice(0, 10);
return `${readable}-${hash}.png`;
}
const browser = await chromium.launch();
try {
const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.goto('https://example.com/products?id=42');
const outputDir = path.resolve('screenshots');
await mkdir(outputDir, { recursive: true });
const outputPath = path.join(outputDir, filenameFromUrl(page.url()));
await page.screenshot({ path: outputPath, fullPage: true });
console.log(`Saved ${outputPath}`);
} finally {
await browser.close();
}The official Playwright Page API documents page.url() and the screenshot path option. Playwright accepts the path; it does not prescribe this filename scheme. Sanitizing, limiting the length, and deciding how to handle collisions are application choices.
How the filename policy works
Readable hostname and path
The visible part uses the hostname and pathname, for example example.com-products-.... Characters outside letters, digits, periods, underscores, and hyphens are replaced with hyphens, preventing URL path separators from becoming filesystem directories. The readable portion is capped at 100 characters before the hash and extension are added.
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Query strings, fragments, and collisions
The hash uses the full URL. Thus two URLs that have the same host and path but different query strings or fragments produce different names, while potentially sensitive query values do not appear in readable form. A short hash makes accidental collisions unlikely, but it is not a guarantee of uniqueness. If query parameters are only tracking values and should not create distinct files, hash a normalized URL with those parameters removed instead. That changes the naming policy and may cause distinct page states to share a filename.
Relative paths and output format
path.resolve('screenshots') makes the output directory absolute from the current working directory. The explicit .png extension matches Playwright’s default PNG screenshot format. For an ordinary viewport screenshot, omit fullPage: true; full-page capture is an explicit option, not the default. See the Playwright screenshots guide for the screenshot workflow and full-page examples.
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Choose the right URL-to-filename behavior
| Policy | Useful when | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Hostname and pathname only | Query values do not represent different pages and stable names matter. | Different query-driven page states can overwrite one another. |
| Readable hostname/path plus hash of the full URL | You want recognizable names and separation for query or fragment variants. | The suffix is not human-readable; changing any URL component changes the name. |
| Include query text directly | The query is short, safe to expose, and operators need to inspect it in filenames. | Names can become long, contain awkward characters, or expose tokens and personal data. |
Do not put raw URLs into filenames without sanitizing them. Query strings can contain credentials, session identifiers, email addresses, or other sensitive values; prefer a hash when those values should not be visible in directory listings or logs.
Other useful Playwright variants
Save only the viewport
Use the same generated path but call await page.screenshot({ path: outputPath }). Without fullPage: true, Playwright captures the current viewport.
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Keep the bytes for upload or processing
You can omit path and capture the returned image buffer instead: const image = await page.screenshot({ fullPage: true });. Your script can then upload or process image rather than writing directly to a file. The Page API documents both the path option and screenshot output behavior.
Playwright Test snapshots
For screenshot assertions in Playwright Test, test.info().snapshotPath(name, { kind: 'screenshot' }) returns a path governed by the test project’s configured snapshot layout. That is useful for test snapshots; for an arbitrary filename derived from the live page URL, generate your own path and pass it to page.screenshot(). See the TestInfo API documentation.
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Troubleshoot common failures
- Invalid URL:
new URL(rawUrl)requires a valid absolute URL. Ensure navigation completed and that the page has a usable address before deriving the filename. - Browser launch failure: Install the browser binary for the Playwright package in the environment where the script runs, and verify that the selected browser is available.
- Directory or permission error: Check that the process can create or write to the output directory. The sample creates the directory recursively, but cannot override filesystem permissions.
- Screenshot not found where expected: The sample resolves
screenshotsfrom the process’s current working directory. Log the absoluteoutputPathor use a configured absolute output directory. - Unexpected overwrite: Confirm whether query parameters and fragments should distinguish captures. The sample hashes the full URL; a hostname/path-only strategy intentionally does not.
- Very long filename: The readable host/path portion is capped at 100 characters, but the hash and extension are added afterward. Adjust the cap if the target filesystem has stricter limits.
Or skip the browser setup
If you need an image from a URL without managing a local Playwright browser, ScreenshotNeo offers a screenshot API. This call saves a WebP screenshot; its API documentation describes the available parameters.
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