Use a Node.js script to parse a CSV with a url header, visit each address with Playwright, and save a screenshot for each row. The example below processes URLs sequentially, captures the full page, records row-level failures, and uses indexed filenames so two URLs cannot overwrite each other.
Prepare the CSV and Node.js project
Save a file named urls.csv beside your script. This example expects a header called url and one address per row:
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url
https://example.com/
https://playwright.dev/
Use a CSV parser rather than splitting lines on commas: valid CSV can contain quoted fields, headers, and empty lines. Playwright’s parameterization guide notes that its test runner runs in Node.js, where files can be read and parsed with a preferred CSV library; its example uses csv-parse/sync with header columns and skipped empty lines (Playwright parameterize tests).
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- Install Node.js if it is not already available.
- In a new project directory, run
npm init -y. - Install the packages:
npm install playwright csv-parse. - Install Playwright’s Chromium browser:
npx playwright install chromium. - Save the CSV and the script below in that project directory.
The script uses ES module imports. Set the project to use modules by adding "type": "module" to the top-level of package.json, or save the file with an .mjs extension.
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Run a sequential CSV-to-screenshot script
Save this as capture.js (or capture.mjs). It creates a screenshots directory, reuses one page, saves full-page PNGs with stable row-index names, and continues after an individual navigation or capture error.
import fs from 'node:fs';
import path from 'node:path';
import { parse } from 'csv-parse/sync';
import { chromium } from 'playwright';
const inputFile = 'urls.csv';
const outputDir = 'screenshots';
const rows = parse(fs.readFileSync(inputFile), {
columns: true,
skip_empty_lines: true,
});
fs.mkdirSync(outputDir, { recursive: true });
const browser = await chromium.launch();
const failures = [];
try {
const page = await browser.newPage();
for (const [index, row] of rows.entries()) {
const url = row.url?.trim();
if (!url) {
failures.push({ row: index + 2, url: '', error: 'Missing url value' });
continue;
}
const filename = `page-${String(index + 1).padStart(4, '0')}.png`;
const outputPath = path.join(outputDir, filename);
try {
await page.goto(url, { waitUntil: 'load', timeout: 30000 });
await page.screenshot({ path: outputPath, fullPage: true });
console.log(`Saved ${outputPath} for ${url}`);
} catch (error) {
const message = error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error);
failures.push({ row: index + 2, url, error: message });
console.error(`Failed CSV row ${index + 2} (${url}): ${message}`);
}
}
} finally {
await browser.close();
}
fs.writeFileSync('screenshot-failures.json', JSON.stringify(failures, null, 2));
console.log(`Finished. ${failures.length} row(s) failed; see screenshot-failures.json.`);
Run it with node capture.js. Successful images appear in screenshots/; failed rows, including the CSV row number and URL, are written to screenshot-failures.json. Since the header is row 1, the first data record is CSV row 2. Blank lines are skipped by the parser; a nonblank record whose url cell is empty is logged as a missing value.
Choose what counts as a screenshot
Viewport or full page
By default, a Playwright screenshot captures the visible viewport. Set fullPage: true to capture the full scrollable page; set it to false or omit it for viewport-only output. The full-page option is documented by the Playwright Page API. Very long pages can produce large images, so choose based on whether you need the page as a whole or only what is visible at a particular viewport.
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Navigation readiness
The example waits for the browser’s load event, then captures. That is a simple starting point, not proof that every site’s dynamic content, animations, or delayed images are ready. If a page fills in after load, wait for a selector that identifies the needed content before taking the screenshot:
await page.goto(url, { waitUntil: 'load', timeout: 30000 });
await page.locator('main .report-ready').waitFor({ state: 'visible', timeout: 10000 });
await page.screenshot({ path: outputPath, fullPage: true });
Replace the selector with one specific to the site. A fixed delay is possible, but it can waste time on fast pages and still be too short on slow ones; a meaningful readiness condition is usually more reliable when the site provides one.
Filenames and manifests
The row-index filename makes output deterministic and avoids collisions when multiple URLs have the same hostname or path. To make files easier to identify, add a sanitized hostname while retaining the index. For workflows that need to map every output back to its input, write a manifest containing the CSV row, URL, output path, and status. Do not use an unsanitized URL directly as a filename; URLs contain characters that are invalid or awkward in file paths.
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Adapt the batch strategy
Reuse a page or create one per URL
One reused page is simple and avoids creating a new page for every row. It also means each navigation uses the same page context. If rows need separate cookies, storage, or other browser state, create a fresh browser context or page per row and close it after capture. The appropriate isolation level depends on the sites and what the screenshots must represent.
Sequential or concurrent captures
The example is sequential: it opens the next URL after the current screenshot attempt finishes. This is easy to reason about and limits simultaneous browser work and requests to sites. Concurrency can shorten a large batch’s elapsed time, but raises memory and CPU use and can trigger rate limits or defensive responses on target sites. Start sequentially; add a small, controlled concurrency limit only when needed, and retain row-level error reporting.
Standalone script or Playwright Test
A standalone Node.js script is a direct fit for a one-off or scheduled batch job. Playwright Test is useful when the capture is part of a test suite or when you need test-runner features; Playwright’s CSV guide demonstrates reading input data in that environment. The browser automation itself can still use the Page API’s navigation and screenshot methods.
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Repeatability, performance, and cost
For visual baselines, run captures in a consistent environment. Playwright cautions that rendering can vary with operating system, browser version, settings, hardware, power source, and headless mode (Playwright visual comparisons). Keep the browser version, viewport, device scale factor, locale, color scheme, and execution mode fixed if you intend to compare images over time.
There is no universal completion signal or capture speed for arbitrary websites. Network conditions, page complexity, browser resources, and site behavior affect how long each row takes. Set timeouts suitable for the batch, monitor failures rather than assuming all rows succeeded, and consider whether full-page images are necessary for every URL. For a large run, save progress as each row completes so an interrupted process does not require starting from scratch.
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Troubleshooting common failures
- “Cannot use import statement outside a module”: mark the package as an ES module with
"type": "module", or rename the script to.mjs. - Playwright reports that the browser executable is missing: install the matching browser with
npx playwright install chromium. - CSV parsing fails or columns are wrong: confirm the first row contains the exact header
url, the file is valid CSV, and values containing commas or quotes are properly quoted. Avoid hand-splitting lines. - A row is skipped as missing a URL: check for an empty cell or a different header spelling, such as
URL. Header names are case-sensitive in this script. - Navigation times out: the host may be slow, unreachable, or waiting on page activity. Check the URL from the same machine, then choose an appropriate timeout or a readiness condition suited to that site. The per-row catch keeps later rows running.
- The screenshot looks incomplete:
loadmay occur before the specific content appears. Wait for a site-specific selector or readiness signal before capture. - Images overwrite each other: retain the row index in filenames. Hostname-only names can collide when the CSV contains multiple URLs from one site.
- The run is slow or uses too many resources: sequential capture favors simplicity and bounded load. If increasing throughput, use limited concurrency rather than launching an uncontrolled number of pages.
Or skip the browser setup
If you would rather send each URL to a screenshot endpoint than install and maintain a local browser, ScreenshotNeo accepts one GET request per URL and returns an image or PDF. For this CSV workflow, keep the same parsing loop and call its endpoint for each row. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for options.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does the CSV need a header row?
Yes. This script expects a header named url; the parser uses the header to read each record’s URL.
Can I save JPEG or WebP instead of PNG?
Yes. Set the screenshot format and use the matching filename extension; Playwright supports image screenshot output formats documented by its Page API.
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A page can be saved as a PDF using Playwright’s PDF capability in a supported browser, but PDF output is separate from the image screenshot flow shown here.
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