Advanced Hybrid Automations

Advanced Configurations

Stream Quality and Performance

Control bandwidth usage and visual quality based on your needs:

Puppeteer

const { liveURL } = await cdp.send('Browserless.liveURL', {
  quality: 50,        // 1-100, lower = less bandwidth
  type: 'jpeg',       // 'jpeg' or 'png'
  timeout: 60000,     // Session timeout in milliseconds
});

Playwright

const { liveURL } = await cdpSession.send('Browserless.liveURL', {
  quality: 50,        // 1-100, lower = less bandwidth
  type: 'jpeg',       // 'jpeg' or 'png'
  timeout: 60000,     // Session timeout in milliseconds
});

Viewport and Interaction Control

Puppeteer

const { liveURL } = await cdp.send('Browserless.liveURL', {
  resizable: false,      // Maintain fixed viewport
  interactable: true,    // Allow user interaction
  showBrowserInterface: false, // Show/hide browser tabs and UI
});

Playwright

const { liveURL } = await cdpSession.send('Browserless.liveURL', {
  resizable: false,      // Maintain fixed viewport
  interactable: true,    // Allow user interaction
  showBrowserInterface: false, // Show/hide browser tabs and UI
});

Event Handling

Listen for important events during the session:

Puppeteer

// Detect CAPTCHA challenges
cdp.on('Browserless.captchaFound', () => {
  console.log('CAPTCHA detected - user intervention needed');
});
  
// Session completion
cdp.on('Browserless.liveComplete', () => {
  console.log('User closed the session');
});

Playwright

// Detect CAPTCHA challenges
cdpSession.on('Browserless.captchaFound', () => {
  console.log('CAPTCHA detected - user intervention needed');
});
  
// Session completion
cdpSession.on('Browserless.liveComplete', () => {
  console.log('User closed the session');
});

Programmatic Session Control

Manage sessions programmatically for precise control:

Puppeteer

// Get both URL and ID for programmatic control
const { liveURL, liveURLId } = await cdp.send('Browserless.liveURL');
  
// Wait for specific condition
await page.waitForSelector('.success-indicator');
  
// Programmatically close the session
await cdp.send('Browserless.closeLiveURL', { liveURLId });

Playwright

// Get both URL and ID for programmatic control
const { liveURL, liveURLId } = await cdpSession.send('Browserless.liveURL');
  
// Wait for specific condition
await page.waitForSelector('.success-indicator');
  
// Programmatically close the session
await cdpSession.send('Browserless.closeLiveURL', { liveURLId });

Read-Only Sessions

Create view-only sessions for monitoring or demonstrations:

Puppeteer

const { liveURL } = await cdp.send('Browserless.liveURL', {
  interactable: false, // Users can only view, not interact
  quality: 80,
});

Playwright

const { liveURL } = await cdpSession.send('Browserless.liveURL', {
  interactable: false, // Users can only view, not interact
  quality: 80,
});

Best Practices

Security Considerations

• LiveURLs contain no API tokens - safe to share externally
• Set appropriate timeouts to limit session duration
• Use interactable: false for view-only scenarios

Performance Optimization

• Use quality: 30-50 for mobile devices or slow connections
• Choose type: 'jpeg' for better compression
• Set reasonable timeouts to prevent resource waste

Error Handling

• Always implement proper cleanup in try/finally blocks
• Listen for Browserless.liveComplete events to detect early termination
• Handle network interruptions gracefully