Use a Node.js script to parse the CSV, validate its URL column, then visit each address with Playwright and save a screenshot for that row. The example below runs sequentially by default, records individual failures without abandoning the batch, and lets you choose viewport or full-page captures.
Prepare the CSV and Node.js project
Use a header row with a clearly named URL column. For example, save this as urls.csv:
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url
https://example.com
https://playwright.dev
Playwright’s documentation notes that its test runner runs in Node.js, so it can read local files and use a CSV library. Its parameterization guide demonstrates csv-parse/sync with headers and empty-line skipping: Playwright: Parameterize tests.
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Create a project and install the browser automation and CSV dependencies:
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npm init -y
npm install playwright csv-parse
npx playwright install chromiumSave the script below as capture-csv.mjs. It uses Chromium; install another Playwright browser and change chromium if your targets need a different browser engine.
Run a CSV screenshot batch
This version validates the URL field, skips blank values, writes one image per valid row, and continues after a row-level error. Output names use row numbers rather than raw URLs, which can contain characters unsuitable for filenames.
import { readFile, mkdir } from 'node:fs/promises';
import { parse } from 'csv-parse/sync';
import { chromium } from 'playwright';
const inputPath = process.argv[2] ?? 'urls.csv';
const outputDir = process.argv[3] ?? 'screenshots';
const fullPage = process.env.FULL_PAGE === '1';
const imageType = process.env.IMAGE_TYPE ?? 'png'; // png, jpeg, or webp
const navigationTimeout = Number(process.env.NAVIGATION_TIMEOUT_MS ?? 30000);
if (!['png', 'jpeg', 'webp'].includes(imageType)) {
throw new Error('IMAGE_TYPE must be png, jpeg, or webp');
}
const csv = await readFile(inputPath, 'utf8');
const rows = parse(csv, {
columns: true,
skip_empty_lines: true,
trim: true,
});
if (rows.length && !Object.hasOwn(rows[0], 'url')) {
throw new Error('CSV must include a header named "url"');
}
await mkdir(outputDir, { recursive: true });
const browser = await chromium.launch({ headless: true });
const context = await browser.newContext({ viewport: { width: 1365, height: 768 } });
try {
for (let index = 0; index < rows.length; index++) {
const rowNumber = index + 2; // header occupies line 1 in this simple CSV
const raw = rows[index].url?.trim();
if (!raw) {
console.warn(`Row ${rowNumber}: blank URL; skipped`);
continue;
}
let target;
try {
target = new URL(raw);
if (!['http:', 'https:'].includes(target.protocol)) {
throw new Error('URL must use http or https');
}
} catch (error) {
console.error(`Row ${rowNumber}: invalid URL ${JSON.stringify(raw)}: ${error.message}`);
continue;
}
const page = await context.newPage();
const filename = `${String(index + 1).padStart(5, '0')}.${imageType}`;
const outputPath = `${outputDir}/${filename}`;
try {
await page.goto(target.href, {
waitUntil: 'load',
timeout: navigationTimeout,
});
// Replace or supplement the load wait with a target-specific readiness
// condition when the page renders important content after load.
await page.screenshot({
path: outputPath,
type: imageType,
fullPage,
scale: 'css',
});
console.log(`OK row ${rowNumber}: ${target.href} -> ${outputPath}`);
} catch (error) {
console.error(`FAIL row ${rowNumber}: ${target.href}: ${error.message}`);
} finally {
await page.close();
}
}
} finally {
await context.close();
await browser.close();
}Run it from the project directory:
node capture-csv.mjs urls.csv screenshotsFor full-page images, set the environment variable for the command:
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Choose capture size, format, and output handling
Viewport or full page
Without fullPage: true, Playwright captures the visible viewport. With it, Playwright captures the full scrollable page. Very tall or resource-heavy pages can take longer to capture and produce larger files; there is no fixed processing time or output size. See the Page API.
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Image format and scale
The API supports PNG, JPEG, and WebP screenshots. The script selects the format through IMAGE_TYPE and matches the file extension. PNG is the default. For JPEG or WebP, Playwright also supports a quality setting; add quality to the screenshot options if you want to trade image fidelity for smaller output. The API documents scale: 'css' as one image pixel per CSS pixel. scale: 'device' uses device pixels and can create larger images on high-DPI displays.
Row identity and duplicates
Each valid record gets a numbered filename based on its position in the parsed rows, so duplicate URLs still produce distinct files. The console output connects each filename to the URL. If you need a durable mapping after the run, write a separate manifest containing the row number, URL, filename, and result. This example skips blanks and reports malformed values rather than silently dropping them.
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Scale the batch without hiding failures
The example processes one page at a time. That is straightforward to debug and avoids opening many pages at once. Playwright supports multiple pages in a browser context, but the documentation does not specify a universal concurrency value. Suitable parallelism depends on the pages, available machine resources, and each site’s behavior. If you add concurrency, make it configurable and keep per-row logging so one failure does not erase the status of other URLs. See Playwright: Pages.
For a large CSV, consider writing results incrementally to a log or manifest rather than keeping them only in terminal output. Set a navigation timeout appropriate to your targets; a timeout is a failed capture, not proof that the URL is invalid. Retry only when it fits your use case, and record retries and final outcomes rather than concealing intermittent errors.
For repeatable visual comparisons, keep the capture environment consistent. Playwright notes that screenshots can vary with operating system, browser version, settings, hardware, power source, and headless mode: Playwright: Visual comparisons.
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Troubleshoot common failures
- “CSV must include a header named url”: Rename the column to exactly
url, or change the script to use your actual header name. - Invalid URL or unsupported protocol: Check for missing schemes, stray whitespace, or values other than HTTP and HTTPS. The script trims whitespace but intentionally rejects other protocols.
- Navigation timeout: The host may be slow, unreachable, or waiting on behavior beyond the selected load milestone. Confirm the URL works in a browser, adjust
NAVIGATION_TIMEOUT_MS, and use a page-specific readiness condition where needed. - Screenshot contains a loading state or missing content: A successful
page.goto()does not mean every application has finished rendering. Wait for a meaningful selector or other site-specific signal before capture. - Browser executable is missing: Install the browser used by the script with
npx playwright install chromium. - Files are unexpectedly large: Full-page and device-scale screenshots can contain many more pixels. Try viewport capture or
scale: 'css', and use JPEG or WebP with an appropriate quality setting when those formats suit the content.
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A direct script is suitable when the goal is simply to save a set of images. If each URL should be an independent test result in a test suite, Playwright’s parameterized-test approach can generate tests from CSV records; the official guide includes that pattern at Parameterize tests.
Or skip the browser setup
If you want a screenshot service to process URLs instead of maintaining a local browser script, ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server from ScreenshotNeo. Its API accepts one GET request per URL and can return PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF. A one-call example using cURL:
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://example.com -o shot.webpSee the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for authentication and request options. Before capture, it accepts the cookie or consent banner like a visitor and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets; each step can be turned off. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and the response identifies page verdict and billing status in headers. Its MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf tools for AI agents and MCP clients.
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Can Playwright save screenshots as WebP?
Yes. The Page API supports WebP; set the screenshot type to webp and use a matching filename extension.
Can I use the CSV rows as individual Playwright tests instead of running a capture script?
Yes. Playwright’s parameterization guide shows how to generate tests from CSV records, which is useful when each URL should have its own test result.
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