Session management (HTTP)

Last updated Sep 26, 2026 Use the HTTP API to manage browser sessions and tabs without using WebSocket connections. This is useful for session lifecycle operations like creating sessions, listing tabs, and cleaning up resources.

Before you begin, create a custom API Token with Browser Rendering - Edit permission.

The API reference documents all session management endpoints under /devtools.

When your code runs in a Worker, you can use the typed Browser binding API instead of constructing HTTP requests. The binding exposes acquire(), connectSession(), launch(), and a nested devtools target for session and target management.

Step 1: Acquire a browser session

Create a new browser session using the POST /devtools/browser endpoint. The session will remain active for the specified keep-alive time (in this example, 10 minutes).

curl "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/accounts/ACCOUNT_ID/browser-run/devtools/browser?keep_alive=600000" \
    --request POST \
    --header "Authorization: Bearer {api_token}"

{
    "sessionId": "1909cef7-23e8-4394-bc31-27404bf4348f",
    "webSocketDebuggerUrl": "wss://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/accounts/{account_id}/browser-run/devtools/browser/1909cef7-23e8-4394-bc31-27404bf4348f"
}

Save the sessionId from the response. You will use it in subsequent requests.

Step 2: Create a tab with a specific URL

Open a new tab in your browser session and navigate to a specific URL using the PUT /devtools/browser/{session_id}/json/new endpoint.

curl "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/accounts/ACCOUNT_ID/browser-run/devtools/browser/SESSION_ID/json/new?url=https%3A%2F%2Fexample.com" \
    --request PUT \
    --header "Authorization: Bearer {api_token}"

{
    "id": "8E598E996530FB09E46A22B8B7754F7F",
    "type": "page",
    "url": "https://example.com",
    "title": "Example Domain",
    "description": "",
    "devtoolsFrontendUrl": "https://live.browser.run/ui/view?wss=live.browser.run/api/devtools/browser/1909cef7-23e8-4394-bc31-27404bf4348f/page/8E598E996530FB09E46A22B8B7754F7F?jwt=...",
    "webSocketDebuggerUrl": "wss://live.browser.run/api/devtools/browser/1909cef7-23e8-4394-bc31-27404bf4348f/page/8E598E996530FB09E46A22B8B7754F7F?jwt=..."
}

Step 3: List all targets

List all targets (tabs) in your session to verify the tab was created and get the devtoolsFrontendUrl.

curl "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/accounts/ACCOUNT_ID/browser-run/devtools/browser/SESSION_ID/json/list" \
    --request GET \
    --header "Authorization: Bearer {api_token}"

[
    {
        "id": "8E598E996530FB09E46A22B8B7754F7F",
        "type": "page",
        "url": "https://example.com",
        "title": "Example Domain",
        "description": "",
        "devtoolsFrontendUrl": "https://live.browser.run/ui/view?wss=live.browser.run/api/devtools/browser/1909cef7-23e8-4394-bc31-27404bf4348f/page/8E598E996530FB09E46A22B8B7754F7F?jwt=...",
        "webSocketDebuggerUrl": "wss://live.browser.run/api/devtools/browser/1909cef7-23e8-4394-bc31-27404bf4348f/page/8E598E996530FB09E46A22B8B7754F7F?jwt=..."
    }
]

Step 4: Open the DevTools UI

Copy the devtoolsFrontendUrl from the response and open it in Chrome. This URL provides direct access to the Chrome DevTools UI connected to your remote browser session.

URL validity

The devtoolsFrontendUrl is valid for five minutes from when it was generated. If you do not open the URL within this timeframe, it will expire and you will need to list the targets again to get a fresh URL. Once the DevTools connection is established, it remains active as long as the browser session is alive.

Once opened, the DevTools UI will load and you can:

  • Inspect the DOM and CSS
  • Debug JavaScript with breakpoints
  • Monitor network requests
  • View console messages
  • Execute JavaScript in the console
  • Navigate to different URLs

Step 5: Clean up

When you are done, close the browser session to release resources.

curl "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/accounts/ACCOUNT_ID/browser-run/devtools/browser/SESSION_ID" \
    --request DELETE \
    --header "Authorization: Bearer {api_token}"

{
    "status": "closing"
}

Troubleshooting

If you have questions or encounter an error, see the Browser Run FAQ and troubleshooting guide.

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