Use Playwright’s page.on('request') and page.on('response') listeners to observe background traffic, waitForResponse() to capture the response caused by a specific action, and page.route() or browserContext.route() to intercept, mock, modify, or block requests. Register listeners and waits before navigation or the action that triggers traffic, then choose the narrowest tool that matches your goal.
Choose the right Playwright network API
| Goal | API | Scope and result |
|---|---|---|
| Log a stream of traffic | page.on('request'), page.on('response') |
One page; passive observation |
| Log traffic from every page, including popups | browserContext.on('request'), browserContext.on('response') |
All pages in a browser context |
| Wait for one response after a click or submit | page.waitForResponse() |
A promise resolved by a URL, glob, regular expression, or predicate |
| Wait for the outgoing request | page.waitForRequest() |
Captures method, URL, headers, and post data |
| Mock, alter, continue, or abort traffic | page.route(), browserContext.route() |
Intercepts matching requests; every handler must decide what happens |
Playwright’s network guide and Page API document these interfaces. Use listeners when you only need to see traffic; routing changes the request path and can affect application behavior.
Capture every request and response on one page
Attach handlers before goto() or before the user action under investigation. Otherwise an early request can occur before your code starts listening.
import { test } from '@playwright/test';
test('log background traffic', async ({ page }) => {
page.on('request', request => {
console.log('REQUEST', request.method(), request.url());
});
page.on('response', response => {
console.log('RESPONSE', response.status(), response.url());
});
page.on('requestfailed', request => {
console.log('FAILED', request.failure()?.errorText, request.url());
});
await page.goto('https://example.com');
});The request event fires when Playwright sends the request. The response event fires when status and headers arrive; it does not guarantee that the body has downloaded. A request that reaches an HTTP server and receives 404 or 503 is still an HTTP response, not a transport failure. requestfailed is for conditions such as DNS errors, connection failures, or timeouts. See the Request API for lifecycle details.
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Read a response body
page.on('response', async response => {
if (!response.url().includes('/api/')) return;
try {
const contentType = response.headers()['content-type'] || '';
const body = contentType.includes('application/json')
? await response.json()
: await response.text();
console.log(response.status(), response.url(), body);
} catch (error) {
console.warn('Body unavailable:', response.url(), error);
}
});Body reads can fail for an aborted request, a response whose body is unavailable, or a non-text binary resource. Filter before reading to avoid attempting to parse images, fonts, and large files.
Capture traffic from every page in a browser context
Use context listeners when a test opens popups, creates multiple pages, or needs one central network log.
const context = await browser.newContext();
context.on('request', request => {
console.log('>>', request.method(), request.url());
});
context.on('response', response => {
console.log('<<', response.status(), response.url());
});
const page = await context.newPage();
await page.goto('https://example.com');Context-level events cover pages sharing that context. The BrowserContext API also provides context routing. For popup traffic, context routing is safer: the Page API notes that page.route() does not intercept the first request made by a popup.
Filter noisy logs
Network-heavy pages can produce thousands of events. Filter by URL, method, resource type, or status.
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page.on('request', request => {
if (request.method() === 'POST' && request.url().includes('/api/')) {
console.log(request.url(), request.postData());
}
});
page.on('response', response => {
if (response.url().includes('/api/') && response.status() >= 400) {
console.error(response.status(), response.url());
}
});Playwright URL globs support * for characters other than /, ** across path separators, and braces for alternatives. Regular expressions and predicate functions are also supported; details are in the network documentation.
Wait for the response caused by an action
Create the wait promise first, perform the action second, and await the promise third. This ordering prevents a fast response from winning a race against your listener.
const responsePromise = page.waitForResponse(response =>
response.url().includes('/api/search') &&
response.request().method() === 'GET' &&
response.status() === 200
);
await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Search' }).click();
const response = await responsePromise;
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);The predicate should match the URL the application actually requests. You can pass a glob such as **/api/search, a regular expression, or a function. Set an explicit timeout when a missing response should fail quickly:
const response = await page.waitForResponse(
r => r.url().endsWith('/api/search') && r.ok(),
{ timeout: 15_000 }
);For the outgoing request, use the analogous page.waitForRequest() before the action. Avoid using networkidle as a general readiness signal; the Page documentation marks it as discouraged for tests. Assert on the UI or wait for the specific response your scenario requires.
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Understand the request lifecycle
For a successful request, the normal order is request, response, then requestfinished. The response event means that status and headers arrived. requestfinished follows completion of the response body download. A redirect finishes the original request and creates a new request for the redirected URL.
page.on('requestfinished', request => {
console.log('BODY COMPLETE', request.url());
});
page.on('requestfailed', request => {
console.log('NO HTTP RESPONSE', request.url(), request.failure());
});Do not classify an HTTP error status as a failed transport. Check response.status() or response.ok() for server errors, and request.failure() for network-level failures. The lifecycle is described in the Request API.
Intercept, mock, or modify requests
Listeners observe traffic; routes intercept it. Register a route before navigation or the action that causes the request. A matching route remains stalled until your handler calls continue(), fulfill(), or abort().
Return a fixture instead of calling the real API
await page.route('**/api/search', route => route.fulfill({
status: 200,
contentType: 'application/json',
body: JSON.stringify({ results: [] }),
}));
await page.goto('https://example.com');Let the request continue
await page.route('**/analytics/**', route => route.continue());Fetch the real response, then change it
await page.route('**/api/profile', async route => {
const response = await route.fetch();
const json = await response.json();
json.plan = 'test';
await route.fulfill({
response,
contentType: 'application/json',
body: JSON.stringify(json),
});
});Use browserContext.route() when all pages need the same interception or when a popup’s first request must be handled. Routing is documented in the network guide and BrowserContext API.
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Why page.route() may not catch a request
A Service Worker handled it
Native page and context routing does not intercept requests intercepted by a Service Worker. When the worker is not the subject of the test, create the context with workers blocked:
const context = await browser.newContext({ serviceWorkers: 'block' });This changes the site’s behavior, so do not block workers in a test whose purpose is to verify worker caching or fetch handling. Mock Service Worker (MSW) also installs a Service Worker and can make requests invisible to built-in routing.
You registered too late
Move the route, listener, or wait before goto(), popup creation, or the click that starts the request.
The matcher is wrong
Log request.url() first, then adjust the glob, regular expression, or predicate. Query strings, redirects, versioned paths, and different HTTP methods commonly cause a mismatch.
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Inspect worker-originated traffic
Context request and response events include Service Worker requests. Where supported, inspect request.serviceWorker(); a Service Worker-originated request has no frame. response.fromServiceWorker() identifies a page response handled by a worker. Playwright’s documented Service Worker support is limited to Chromium-based browsers; see Service Workers.
Reliability, performance, and test design
- Install only the listeners needed for the test and filter early; logging every body can consume memory and slow runs.
- Prefer a targeted
waitForResponse()over sleeping for a fixed duration. - Use unique predicates when several identical API calls can occur, such as checking method, URL, status, and a request payload value.
- Always remove long-lived listeners in shared fixtures when they should not leak into later tests.
- Set timeouts appropriate to your CI network, and report the URL and predicate when a wait times out.
- Use
requestfinishedwhen you need to know that the body downloaded, not merely that headers arrived. - Remember that routes alter application behavior; use passive listeners for diagnostics and route interception for deliberate mocks.
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FAQ
Does response mean the body is ready?
No. It means status and headers arrived. Wait for requestfinished when body-download completion matters.
Should I use page or context listeners?
Use page listeners for one page and context listeners for all pages, including popup-related traffic.
Why does a 404 not trigger requestfailed?
A 404 is a valid HTTP response. requestfailed indicates that no HTTP response was successfully received.
Can routing and Service Workers coexist?
Worker-intercepted requests are invisible to native routing. Block workers when appropriate, or observe worker behavior with context events.
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