Actions7
- Content Actions
- Navigation Actions
Overview
The node provides the ability to interact with websites through a cloud-based browser instance. Specifically, for the Navigation > Open Browser operation, it opens a new browser instance in the cloud with customizable settings such as browser type, headless mode, stealth mode, session management, proxy configuration, and custom launch arguments.
This operation is useful when you want to programmatically start a browser session remotely without managing local browser installations. It can be used as a starting point for further automated web interactions like navigation, clicking elements, capturing screenshots, or generating PDFs by connecting to the opened browser via its WebSocket address.
Practical examples:
- Opening a browser instance to later navigate to a URL and scrape content.
- Starting a stealth browser session to avoid detection by anti-bot measures.
- Using proxy settings to route traffic through a specific server.
- Keeping the browser open for a specified time to perform multiple actions before closing.
Properties
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Browser Type | Choose the browser engine to use: Chrome, Chromium, or ChromeHeadlessShell. |
| Headless Mode | Whether to run the browser in headless mode (no visible UI). |
| Stealth Mode | Enable stealth mode to reduce detection by websites that block automated browsers. |
| Keep Open (Seconds) | Duration in seconds before the browser auto-closes. Set to 0 to keep the browser open indefinitely. |
| Label | A custom name/label for the browser instance to help recognize it later. |
| Save Session | Whether to save the browser session data for reuse in future executions. |
| Recover Session | Whether to recover a previously saved browser session instead of starting fresh. |
| Custom Arguments | Additional command-line arguments to pass to the browser on startup. |
| Ignored Default Arguments | List of default browser arguments to ignore/remove when launching the browser. |
| Proxy Configuration | Settings for routing browser traffic through a proxy server, including host, port, username, and password. |
Output
The output JSON contains information about the newly opened browser instance:
webSocketAddress: The WebSocket endpoint address to connect to this browser instance for further control.sessionId: An identifier for the browser session.status: A message indicating successful opening of the browser.
This WebSocket address is essential for subsequent operations like navigating to URLs, clicking page elements, or closing the browser.
Dependencies
- Requires an active API token credential for the cloud browser service.
- Uses Puppeteer library internally to manage browser connections.
- Network access to the cloud browser API endpoint (
https://production.cloudbrowser.ai/api/v1/Browser/Open). - Optional proxy server if configured.
Troubleshooting
- No WebSocket address received: This error occurs if the cloud browser service does not return a valid WebSocket address after opening the browser. Ensure your API token is valid and the service is reachable.
- Authentication errors: Verify that the API token credential is correctly set up and has necessary permissions.
- Timeouts or connection failures: Check network connectivity and proxy settings if used.
- Invalid custom arguments: Passing unsupported or malformed browser arguments may cause the browser to fail to start.
- Session recovery issues: If recovering a session fails, try disabling session recovery or ensure the session data exists and is accessible.
Links and References
- Puppeteer Documentation
- Cloud browser service API documentation (not publicly linked here; refer to your service provider)
- n8n documentation on using credentials and HTTP request nodes for API integration