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Short answer: Use a Playwright trace to understand what a Playwright test did and what the browser showed at each step. Use a HAR file to inspect the HTTP requests and responses, their contents, and their timing. They overlap on network activity, but they answer different debugging questions.
What a Playwright trace shows
A Playwright trace is a time-ordered, Playwright-aware record of a browser run. Its main advantage is connecting test actions to the page state around them. In Trace Viewer, selecting an action can show the locator used, the action log and timing, source location, screenshots, DOM snapshots before and after the action, and related console and network records.
That makes a trace a strong first choice when a UI test fails: you can follow the sequence of actions and inspect what the page looked like when the failure occurred. Screenshots and the film-strip view add visual context; DOM snapshots help you examine the page structure around an action.
Playwright exports traces as ZIP archives, commonly named trace.zip. The official Trace Viewer documentation describes the viewer as a GUI for exploring recorded traces after a script has run. Open a local archive with npx playwright show-trace path/to/trace.zip, or use the hosted viewer at trace.playwright.dev. The hosted viewer documentation says the trace is loaded in the browser and is not transmitted externally.
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What a HAR file shows
A HAR file is an archive of HTTP transactions. The W3C HAR specification defines a JSON structure whose root log includes creator information and an entries array. Each entry represents a tracked HTTP request and can include request and response details, content, cache information, and timing data.
HAR is useful when the question is about the network conversation: which URL was requested, which method and headers were used, what status and response content came back, whether redirects or caching were involved, and how long phases such as DNS, connection, waiting, and receiving took where recorded. It is centered on HTTP exchanges, not on the Playwright locator and action timeline.
A HAR is a JSON archival format, so it can be inspected with HAR-compatible tools. It does not provide the full action, source, screenshot, and DOM debugging experience available in Trace Viewer.
Trace vs. HAR at a glance
| Question | Playwright trace | HAR file |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Connect Playwright test actions to browser state and debugging context. | Examine tracked HTTP requests, responses, content, and timing. |
| Typical details | Actions, locators, source locations, screenshots, DOM snapshots, logs, and network context when enabled. | Request and response entries, headers, cookies, content, cache details, and timing phases as represented in the HAR. |
| Best first choice | A failed UI test, unexpected locator behavior, a visual problem, or an action timeout. | An API, routing, response, caching, or latency investigation. |
| Assertions | Low-level context tracing does not record test assertions. Playwright Test tracing provides better failure context when assertions matter. | No Playwright assertion model. |
| How to inspect | Playwright Trace Viewer or npx playwright show-trace. |
A HAR-compatible inspector or other tooling that reads the JSON archive. |
Which should you use to debug?
Start with a trace for a UI or test-flow failure
- A click or other action targeted the wrong element, or a locator resolved unexpectedly.
- The page looked wrong, content was missing, or an action timed out.
- A failure happened in CI and you need a visual and DOM timeline of what the test did.
- An assertion failed and you need the surrounding test-runner context. In this case, use Playwright Test tracing rather than relying only on the low-level tracing API.
Start with a HAR for a network failure
- You need to verify a request URL, method, headers, cookies, status code, redirect, or response content.
- You are investigating cache behavior or request-phase timing.
- You need a network artifact that another HTTP-focused tool can consume.
Capture both when the issue crosses the boundary
If a UI action may have triggered a bad request, use both artifacts: the trace can connect the action to what the browser displayed, while the HAR records the HTTP exchanges in a focused format. This is a practical combination of their documented capabilities, not a requirement for every test run.
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Record a Playwright trace
The low-level tracing API starts before the browser actions and stops to write an archive. The example below uses Node.js and Playwright’s context tracing API:
const { chromium } = require('playwright');
(async () => {
const browser = await chromium.launch();
const context = await browser.newContext();
await context.tracing.start({
screenshots: true,
snapshots: true
});
const page = await context.newPage();
await page.goto('https://example.com');
await page.getByRole('link').first().click();
await context.tracing.stop({ path: 'trace.zip' });
await browser.close();
})();Run it in a project with Playwright installed, then open the result with npx playwright show-trace trace.zip. Screenshots and snapshots are useful for visual and DOM context, but they can also make an artifact more revealing; review what the trace contains before sharing it.
The low-level context.tracing API records browser operations and network activity, but it does not record test assertions. Playwright documents this distinction in its tracing API. If assertion failure context is central, use Playwright Test’s tracing workflow instead.
Record a HAR with Playwright
HAR capture is separate from the trace recording calls. Playwright’s BrowserContext API provides routeFromHAR and the recordHar context option. In the current API documentation, tracing.startHar is listed as added in Playwright v1.60; check the documentation for the installed version before using that API.
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This example records a HAR using the documented BrowserContext option, then closes the context so the recording can be written:
const { chromium } = require('playwright');
(async () => {
const browser = await chromium.launch();
const context = await browser.newContext({
recordHar: {
path: 'network.har',
content: 'embed',
mode: 'full'
}
});
const page = await context.newPage();
await page.goto('https://example.com');
await context.close();
await browser.close();
})();Playwright’s tracing API also documents startHar(path) and stopHar() for recording network activity in a browser context. If the path ends in .zip, response bodies can be stored as attached files in the ZIP. The content setting can omit, embed, or attach resource content. The mode setting accepts full or minimal: minimal mode retains information needed for routing and omits fields such as sizes, timing, page, cookies, and security data that are not required for replay. Choose the mode and content behavior according to whether you need inspection detail, replay data, or a smaller and less sensitive artifact.
Handle traces and HAR files carefully
Both formats can contain information you would not want to publish or send indiscriminately. A trace may include URLs, screenshots, DOM state, source locations, logs, and network activity. A HAR may include URLs, headers, cookies, request data, and response content. Before sharing an artifact, inspect it and limit access to people who need it; use the capture settings appropriate to the debugging task.
Troubleshooting capture and inspection
The trace file was not created
- Confirm that tracing started before the browser actions and that
stop()ran with a writable output path. - Check that the script reached the stop call. An exception or early exit can prevent the normal write step; ensure cleanup runs on failure.
- Use the Playwright CLI to inspect the archive:
npx playwright show-trace path/to/trace.zip.
The trace opens but does not explain an assertion failure
That is expected with low-level context tracing: it captures browser operations and network activity, not test assertions. Configure tracing through Playwright Test when you need the test runner’s failure context.
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The HAR is missing response content or timing fields
Check the recording configuration. Content can be omitted, embedded, or attached, and minimal mode intentionally leaves out fields that are not needed for routing. Use an appropriate content setting and full mode when you need a richer inspection record.
The HAR cannot be used for routing as expected
Confirm that the capture mode retains the data your replay workflow needs and that resource content was recorded in the needed form. Minimal mode is intended to keep routing information, not to preserve every inspection field.
The artifact is unexpectedly large or sensitive
Response content, screenshots, snapshots, cookies, and headers can add size or disclose data. Capture only what the diagnosis needs, select HAR content and mode deliberately, and review the output before sharing.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.ScreenshotNeo as a separate screenshot option
ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server for developers, made by Yorker Media. It is an alternative to consider when the task is obtaining a clean website screenshot or PDF rather than recording a Playwright test trace or archiving HTTP transactions. It is not a replacement for either artifact in test diagnosis. See ScreenshotNeo for the service.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Playwright trace replace a HAR file?
No. A trace provides Playwright action and page-state context; a HAR is the more focused HTTP transaction archive. Choose based on the evidence you need.
Does a Playwright trace include network requests?
The low-level Playwright tracing API captures network activity alongside browser operations. HAR recording is a separate API and presents HTTP transactions as its central record.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesCan I open a HAR file in Playwright Trace Viewer?
Trace Viewer is for Playwright trace archives such as trace.zip. Inspect HAR files with a HAR-compatible tool.
Quick Recap
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