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Freedom251 › Blog › authentication

Best Way to Store Login State for Scheduled Screenshots of a Private Website

By Freedom251 Team · · 6 min read

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For scheduled screenshots with Playwright, log in during a separate setup step, save the authenticated browser context with storageState, and load that state into a fresh context for each capture. Treat the saved state as a password: it may contain cookies or headers that let someone impersonate the account. Keep it out of source control and logs, restrict access to the screenshot job, and refresh it when the site’s session expires.

Save login state once, then reuse it for screenshots

Playwright’s documented pattern separates authentication from the capture run. A setup step completes the site’s supported login flow and writes a state file. The scheduled job then starts a new browser context from that file, navigates to the private page, and takes its screenshot.

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The example below uses a UI login because login form selectors and post-login indicators vary by site. Replace the example URL, selectors, and signed-in check with values for your site. Store the username and password in your CI platform’s secret facility, not in the script.

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1. Install Playwright

For a JavaScript project, install Playwright and its Chromium browser:

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npm install --save-dev playwright
npx playwright install chromium

2. Create the authenticated state

Save this as auth-setup.js. It writes playwright/.auth/user.json only after the page reaches the expected signed-in state. Set LOGIN_USER and LOGIN_PASSWORD in the environment where you run it.

const { chromium } = require('playwright');
const fs = require('node:fs/promises');

(async () => {
  const browser = await chromium.launch({ headless: true });
  const context = await browser.newContext();
  const page = await context.newPage();

  try {
    await page.goto('https://private.example.com/login', {
      waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded',
    });
    await page.locator('#username').fill(process.env.LOGIN_USER);
    await page.locator('#password').fill(process.env.LOGIN_PASSWORD);
    await page.locator('button[type="submit"]').click();

    // Replace this with a reliable indicator that proves login succeeded.
    await page.locator('[data-testid="account-menu"]').waitFor({
      state: 'visible',
      timeout: 30000,
    });

    await fs.mkdir('playwright/.auth', { recursive: true });
    await context.storageState({ path: 'playwright/.auth/user.json' });
  } finally {
    await browser.close();
  }
})().catch((error) => {
  console.error('Authentication setup failed:', error);
  process.exitCode = 1;
});

If the site provides a suitable authentication API, Playwright also documents authenticating through an API request and saving the resulting state. Prefer the site’s supported route; an API login can avoid brittle form interaction, but the right request and any MFA requirements depend on that site.

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3. Load the state for each scheduled capture

Save as capture.js. A new context is created from the state file; the browser itself does not need to reuse the setup context.

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const { chromium } = require('playwright');

(async () => {
  const browser = await chromium.launch({ headless: true });
  try {
    const context = await browser.newContext({
      storageState: 'playwright/.auth/user.json',
      viewport: { width: 1440, height: 1000 },
    });
    const page = await context.newPage();
    await page.goto('https://private.example.com/reports', {
      waitUntil: 'networkidle',
      timeout: 60000,
    });

    // Fail rather than silently saving a login page or access-denied screen.
    if (new URL(page.url()).pathname === '/login') {
      throw new Error('Saved login state was rejected; rerun auth-setup.js');
    }
    await page.screenshot({ path: 'report.png', fullPage: true });
    await context.close();
  } finally {
    await browser.close();
  }
})().catch((error) => {
  console.error('Screenshot failed:', error);
  process.exitCode = 1;
});

4. Keep the artifact out of Git

Add the auth directory to .gitignore and verify that it is not included in uploaded artifacts, debug bundles, or screenshot output:

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playwright/.auth/

The state file is not merely test data. Anyone who obtains usable cookies or headers from it may be able to act as the account. Give the scheduled job only the access it needs, limit the artifact’s lifetime, and avoid printing its contents.

Choose whether to reuse state or sign in every run

Approach Good fit Trade-off
Reuse saved storageState The site’s authentication is represented in browser state and recurring UI login is unnecessary. The artifact is credential-like, must be protected, and can expire.
Log in for each scheduled run You want a shorter-lived session artifact or site policy makes reuse unsuitable. Each run must complete login; MFA, CAPTCHA, or interactive controls may prevent unattended execution.

The appropriate choice depends on the site’s authentication policy and the sensitivity of the account. Playwright’s documented reuse workflow favors saved state, but it does not establish a universal session lifetime or a refresh interval.

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Know what Playwright saves—and what it does not

Playwright’s storage-state documentation covers cookies, local storage, IndexedDB, and passkey-based authentication. Feature details can change across releases, so check the documentation matching your installed Playwright version before depending on a particular storage type.

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Session storage needs separate handling

storageState does not persist sessionStorage. If the site keeps its login token there, saving the ordinary state file alone will not restore the session. Playwright’s guide shows manually serializing values for the relevant origin and restoring them before page scripts run. Do this only for the necessary origin and keys; session tokens remain sensitive credentials.

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Wait for authentication to finish

Do not save state immediately after clicking a login button. Wait for a final URL or a signed-in UI element that reliably indicates the session is established. Otherwise, the file may capture an intermediate page before the site sets the authentication cookies or storage values.

Set up scheduled refresh and parallel jobs carefully

Refresh on evidence of expiry, not an assumed timer

The site determines how long a session lasts; there is no universal refresh cadence. Have the capture job detect an authentication failure—such as a redirect to the login route or a missing signed-in element—and fail clearly. Rerun the setup step to create fresh state, then retry the capture. Avoid retry loops that repeatedly submit credentials or hide a persistent login failure.

Choose the state file’s lifetime

If state should not survive between runs, Playwright’s guide suggests writing it under the test project’s output directory, which is automatically cleaned before each run. If you deliberately retain a reusable artifact, define who can read it, where it is stored, how it is replaced, and how old copies are removed. The right secret-storage controls depend on your CI environment.

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Use separate accounts when parallel work can conflict

A shared account can be suitable when simultaneous captures are read-only and do not alter relevant server-side state. Use distinct accounts for parallel workers that modify shared state; one worker’s changes could otherwise affect another worker’s screenshot or session.

Troubleshoot scheduled captures

  • The screenshot shows the login page: the state may have expired, the setup may have saved before login completed, or the capture may be visiting a different host or origin. Confirm the setup’s signed-in check, regenerate state, and verify the capture URL.
  • Cookies appear present but the site still rejects the session: check whether authentication depends on sessionStorage, a different origin, or a site-specific login condition. Ordinary storage state does not include session storage.
  • Local runs work but CI does not: confirm the state file is actually available to the scheduled job, its path matches the configured storageState, and the job is not using an expired or inaccessible artifact. Do not print the state contents as a debugging shortcut.
  • Setup hangs or times out: verify the login selectors and success indicator against the current site. MFA, CAPTCHA, or other interactive steps may make unattended authentication unsuitable; follow the site’s supported automation and account policies.
  • Parallel captures interfere with one another: determine whether the site changes shared server-side state during capture. If workers can modify it, assign separate accounts rather than sharing one session.

Or skip the browser setup

For pages the screenshot service can access, ScreenshotNeo offers a one-call screenshot API. It accepts custom headers, cookies, and Authorization, but this is not the same as restoring an arbitrary Playwright login state; confirm that your site’s authentication method can be supplied that way before using it for a private page. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation.

curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://private.example.com/reports -o shot.webp

ScreenshotNeo removes supported cookie banners, popups, and chat widgets before capture; bot checks, blank pages, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed. Its MCP server lets AI agents take screenshots. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000. Learn about ScreenshotNeo or sign up free.

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