Browser Storage Exporter

A Node.js CLI tool to export browser storage states (cookies, localStorage, sessionStorage) using Playwright. This tool can connect to a running browser instance and extract authentication data for testing and development purposes.

Features

• Export cookies and localStorage from running browser instances
• Support for multiple browser contexts and pages
• Configurable debug endpoint URL
• Direct page navigation and export
• JSON output format compatible with Playwright's storageState

Installation

npm install browser-storage-exporter

Or use directly with npx:

npx browser-storage-exporter

Configuration

Environment Variables

Create a .env file in your project root based on .env.example:

cp .env.example .env

Edit .env to configure your browser debug URL:

# Browser Debug Configuration
DEBUG_URL=http://localhost:52686/json/version

Common debug URLs:

• http://localhost:52686/json/version (default)
• http://localhost:9222/json/version (standard Chrome debug port)
• http://localhost:9223/json/version (alternative port)

Usage

Basic Usage

# Connect to local browser using default/env debug URL
npx browser-storage-exporter

# Specify output directory
npx browser-storage-exporter -o ./exports

# Use custom debug URL
npx browser-storage-exporter -d http://localhost:9222/json/version

Advanced Usage

# Connect using WebSocket URL directly
npx browser-storage-exporter ws://localhost:9222/devtools/browser/your-browser-id

# Open specific page and export its storage
npx browser-storage-exporter https://example.com

# Combine options
npx browser-storage-exporter -o ./my-exports -d http://localhost:9222/json/version

Command Line Options

Options:
  -h, --help              Show help information
  -o, --output <dir>      Specify output directory (default: current directory)
  -d, --debug-url <url>   Browser debug endpoint URL (default: from .env or http://localhost:52686/json/version)

Configuration:
  Create a .env file based on .env.example to set default DEBUG_URL

Browser Setup

For Chrome/Chromium

Start Chrome with remote debugging enabled:

# macOS
/Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome --remote-debugging-port=9222

# Linux
google-chrome --remote-debugging-port=9222

# Windows
"C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --remote-debugging-port=9222

For Microsoft Edge

# Windows
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe" --remote-debugging-port=9222

Output Format

The tool generates a JSON file containing:

{
  "cookies": [
    {
      "name": "session_id",
      "value": "abc123",
      "domain": ".example.com",
      "path": "/",
      "expires": 1640995200,
      "httpOnly": true,
      "secure": true,
      "sameSite": "Lax"
    }
  ],
  "origins": [
    {
      "origin": "https://example.com",
      "localStorage": [
        {
          "name": "user_preferences",
          "value": "{\"theme\":\"dark\"}"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Using with Playwright

You can use the exported storage state with Playwright:

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

(async () => {
  const browser = await chromium.launch();
  const context = await browser.newContext({
    storageState: './browser-auth-complete.json'
  });
  
  const page = await context.newPage();
  await page.goto('https://example.com');
  // You should now be logged in with the exported session
  
  await browser.close();
})();

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. "No browser contexts found"

   • Make sure your browser is running with remote debugging enabled
   • Check that the debug URL is accessible (try opening it in a browser)
   • Verify the port number matches your browser's debug port

2. "Error processing page"

   • Some pages may block script execution
   • Try refreshing the target page
   • Ensure the page has finished loading

3. Connection refused

   • Verify the browser is running with --remote-debugging-port
   • Check if another application is using the debug port
   • Try a different port number

Debug URLs

You can verify your browser's debug endpoint by visiting:

• http://localhost:9222/json/version (or your configured port)

This should return JSON with browser information including the WebSocket debug URL.

Development

# Clone the repository
git clone <repository-url>
cd browser-storage-exporter

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run locally
node bin/cli.js --help

License

MIT

Contributing

Pull requests are welcome. For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.