Implementation:Microsoft Playwright Server Android

Knowledge Sources	Microsoft_Playwright
Domains	Mobile Automation, Android ADB
Last Updated	2026-02-12 00:00 GMT

Overview

Concrete tool for server-side Android device automation via ADB provided by the Playwright library.

Description

This module provides the server-side implementation for Android device automation. It defines the `Backend` and `DeviceBackend` interfaces for abstracting ADB communication, and the `AndroidDevice` class (extending `SdkObject`) which manages device interaction including shell commands, file operations, WebView discovery, browser launching via Chromium, and input events. The module uses ADB protocol for device communication, creates temporary artifacts folders, and leverages the Chromium browser engine to drive web content within Android WebViews. Socket-based communication is handled through the `SocketBackend` interface.

Usage

Use this module on the server side when implementing Android device automation features, such as discovering connected devices, running shell commands, managing WebViews, or launching Chromium-based browser contexts on Android devices.

Code Reference

Source Location

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

Signature

export interface Backend {
  devices(options: channels.AndroidDevicesOptions): Promise<DeviceBackend[]>;
}

export interface DeviceBackend {
  serial: string;
  status: string;
  close(): Promise<void>;
  init(): Promise<void>;
  runCommand(command: string): Promise<Buffer>;
  open(command: string): Promise<SocketBackend>;
}

export class AndroidDevice extends SdkObject {
  readonly _android: Android;
  readonly model: string;
  readonly serial: string;

  constructor(android: Android, backend: DeviceBackend, model: string, options: channels.AndroidDevicesOptions);
  async shell(command: string): Promise<Buffer>;
  async open(command: string): Promise<SocketBackend>;
  async launchBrowser(pkg?: string, options?: types.BrowserContextOptions): Promise<BrowserContext>;
  async close(): Promise<void>;
}

Import

import { AndroidDevice, Backend, DeviceBackend } from '../server/android/android';

I/O Contract

Inputs

Name	Type	Required	Description
android	Android	Yes	Parent Android manager instance
backend	DeviceBackend	Yes	ADB backend for device communication
model	string	Yes	Device model name
options	channels.AndroidDevicesOptions	Yes	Device discovery options including port
command	string	Yes	Shell command or socket command to execute
pkg	string	No	Android browser package to launch (defaults to Chrome)

Outputs

Name	Type	Description
devices	DeviceBackend[]	List of discovered device backends
shell result	Buffer	Output of shell command execution
BrowserContext	BrowserContext	Chromium browser context launched on the device
SocketBackend	SocketBackend	Socket connection for bidirectional communication

Usage Examples

// Server-side usage
const android = new Android(sdkObject, adbBackend);
const devices = await android.devices(progress, { port: 5037 });
const device = devices[0];

// Run a shell command
const output = await device.shell('pm list packages');

// Launch browser on device
const context = await device.launchBrowser('com.android.chrome', {
  viewport: { width: 412, height: 732 }
});

await device.close();

Related Pages

• Environment:Microsoft_Playwright_Node_Runtime_Environment