Browser-as-a-Service

Browser-as-a-Service (BaaS) gives you a real remote Chromium browser you control with Playwright or Puppeteer over a WebSocket. Use it when you need to click, type, log in, or run any multi-step interactive flow — not just fetch a page.

Endpoint: wss://browser.omniscrape.io?apikey=YOUR_API_KEY
Billed: by connection time — $0.02/min standard, $0.10/min with media loaded.
Connect with: Playwright (Node.js or Python) or Puppeteer.

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When to use BaaS vs Web Unlocker

Need	Use
Fetch a page's content (HTML, Markdown, JSON)	Web Unlocker
Render a SPA and read its content	Web Unlocker (mode: js_rendering)
Click buttons, fill forms, basic interactions	Web Unlocker (js_actions)
Full login flow (email + password + 2FA)	BaaS
Drive many pages in one browser session	BaaS
Keep a live browser open across many steps	BaaS

If you're just reading page content, Web Unlocker is simpler and cheaper. BaaS is for automation flows where you need the full power of Playwright/Puppeteer.

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Connect

Playwright — Node.js

import { chromium } from "playwright";

const browser = await chromium.connectOverCDP(
  `wss://browser.omniscrape.io?apikey=${process.env.OMNISCRAPE_KEY}`
);

const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.goto("https://example.com/login");
await page.fill("#email", "user@example.com");
await page.fill("#password", "mypassword");
await page.click("button[type=submit]");
await page.waitForSelector(".dashboard");
console.log(await page.title());

await browser.close(); // ends the session — billing stops here

Playwright — Python

import os
from playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright

ws = f"wss://browser.omniscrape.io?apikey={os.environ['OMNISCRAPE_KEY']}"

with sync_playwright() as p:
    browser = p.chromium.connect_over_cdp(ws)
    page = browser.new_page()
    page.goto("https://example.com")
    print(page.title())
    browser.close()  # ends the session — billing stops here

Puppeteer — Node.js

import puppeteer from "puppeteer-core";

const browser = await puppeteer.connect({
  browserWSEndpoint: `wss://browser.omniscrape.io?apikey=${process.env.OMNISCRAPE_KEY}`,
});

const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.goto("https://example.com");
console.log(await page.title());
await browser.close();

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Connection options

Pass options as query parameters on the WebSocket URL:

Parameter	Default	Description
apikey	—	Required. Your API key.
proxy_country	auto	Route through a specific country — ISO code, e.g. us, de, jp.
render_media	false	Load images, fonts, and video. Billed at the higher rate ($0.10/min) when true.
session_id	—	Pin the same residential IP across reconnects for sticky flows.

const url =
  "wss://browser.omniscrape.io" +
  `?apikey=${process.env.OMNISCRAPE_KEY}` +
  "&proxy_country=de" +
  "&render_media=false";

const browser = await chromium.connectOverCDP(url);

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Billing

The meter starts the moment you connect and stops when the WebSocket closes (either you call browser.close() or the connection drops).

Mode	Rate
Standard (render_media=false)	$0.02 / minute
Full media (render_media=true)	$0.10 / minute

Always call browser.close() in a finally block — an uncaught error that leaves the socket open keeps billing:

const browser = await chromium.connectOverCDP(wsUrl);
try {
  const page = await browser.newPage();
  await page.goto("https://example.com");
  // ... your automation
} finally {
  await browser.close(); // always runs, even on error
}

Tips to keep costs low:

• Keep render_media=false unless you explicitly need images loaded.
• For pages you only need to read (not interact with), Web Unlocker at $0.0035/request is much cheaper than a browser-minute.

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Errors

The WebSocket connection is rejected before it upgrades when:

HTTP code	Cause
401	Missing or invalid apikey.
402	Balance too low, trial expired (TRIAL_EXPIRED), or plan concurrent browser limit reached.
429	Concurrent browser limit for your plan. Back off and retry.

Your Playwright/Puppeteer client surfaces these as a failed connection — check the error message for the status code, verify your apikey, and check your account balance in the dashboard.

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Alternative WebSocket endpoint

If browser.omniscrape.io is blocked in your network, use the API host instead:

wss://api.omniscrape.io/v1/browser?apikey=YOUR_API_KEY

Both endpoints are equivalent.