Implementation:Microsoft Playwright BidiNetworkManager

Knowledge Sources	Microsoft_Playwright
Domains	Network Interception, WebDriver BiDi Protocol
Last Updated	2026-02-12 00:00 GMT

Overview

Concrete tool for managing network requests via the WebDriver BiDi protocol provided by the Playwright library.

Description

The `BidiNetworkManager` class handles network event processing and request interception for browsers communicating over the WebDriver BiDi protocol. It listens to BiDi network events (`network.beforeRequestSent`, `network.responseStarted`, `network.responseCompleted`, `network.fetchError`, `network.authRequired`) and translates them into Playwright's internal `network.Request` and `network.Response` objects. The class supports request interception for route handling, HTTP authentication with credentials, and tracks in-flight requests. It manages the lifecycle of network intercepts by toggling protocol-level interception when user interception is enabled or disabled.

Usage

Use this class internally when the BiDi browser backend needs to track, intercept, or modify network requests passing through the browser. It is instantiated by `BidiPage` and provides the network layer for BiDi-based browser automation.

Code Reference

Source Location

• Repository: Microsoft_Playwright
• File: packages/playwright-core/src/server/bidi/bidiNetworkManager.ts

Signature

export class BidiNetworkManager {
  private readonly _session: BidiSession;
  private readonly _requests: Map<string, BidiRequest>;
  private readonly _page: Page;
  private _userRequestInterceptionEnabled: boolean;
  private _protocolRequestInterceptionEnabled: boolean;
  private _credentials: types.Credentials | undefined;

  constructor(bidiSession: BidiSession, page: Page);
  dispose(): void;
  async setRequestInterception(value: boolean): Promise<void>;
  async authenticate(credentials: types.Credentials | undefined): Promise<void>;
}

Import

import { BidiNetworkManager } from '../server/bidi/bidiNetworkManager';

I/O Contract

Inputs

Name	Type	Required	Description
bidiSession	BidiSession	Yes	BiDi session for sending/receiving protocol messages
page	Page	Yes	The page instance this network manager is associated with
value	boolean	Yes	Whether to enable or disable request interception
credentials	types.Credentials	No	HTTP authentication credentials (username/password)

Outputs

Name	Type	Description
network.Request	network.Request	Playwright request object emitted for each network request
network.Response	network.Response	Playwright response object emitted for each network response

Usage Examples

// Internal usage within BidiPage
const networkManager = new BidiNetworkManager(bidiSession, page);

// Enable request interception
await networkManager.setRequestInterception(true);

// Set HTTP authentication credentials
await networkManager.authenticate({ username: 'user', password: 'pass' });

// Clean up
networkManager.dispose();

Related Pages

• Environment:Microsoft_Playwright_Node_Runtime_Environment