Today, we're announcing a new feature to view the usage metrics for a browser session using the Browser Activity Logs in Playwright Workspaces. Modern test automation and browser-based workflows increasingly rely on cloud-hosted browsers. As teams scale their usage across test runs, automation tools, and AI-driven agents, visibility and traceability into browser usage become critical, not just for debugging, but also for cost awareness and governance.

To address this, Browser Activity Logs in Playwright Workspaces provide a centralized view of every cloud browser session provisioned by Playwright Workspaces. In this post, we’ll walk through what Browser Activity Logs are, what insights they offer, and how you can access them from the Azure portal.

What is a Browser Session?

In Playwright Workspaces, a Browser Session represents any browser instance provisioned by the service, regardless of how it was initiated. This includes browsers started by:

• Playwright Workspaces test run
• Browser Automation Tool
• Other automation clients that connect to the workspace

Every time a browser is requested, Playwright Workspaces automatically creates a Browser Session and records it in the Browser Activity Logs in the Azure portal. This ensures that all browser usage (testing and non-testing scenarios) is fully observable from a single view.

What are Browser Activity Logs?

The Browser Activity Logs page lets you track the full lifecycle of each browser session, from creation to completion. For every session, you can view the following details:

• Session Name / ID – A unique identifier for the browser session
• Start Time – When the browser session started
• End Time – When the browser session ended
• Billable Time – Total duration of the session that is billable
• Source Type – The client that initiated the session
  • Playwright Workspaces test run
  • Browser automation tool
  • Others
• Source ID – Identifier of the initiating client
  • Test run ID
  • Conversation ID
• Status – Current state of the session.
  • Created
  • Active
  • Completed
  • Failed
• Browser Type – Browser used for the session
• Operating System – OS used by the browser
• Creator Name / ID – User who initiated the session

Together, these fields give you end-to-end traceability for every browser instance created in your workspace.

Filtering and Analyzing Browser Usage

The Browser Activity Logs page includes built-in filters to help you quickly analyze usage patterns. You can filter browser sessions by:

• Time range
  • Last 30 days
  • Last 60 days
  • Last 90 days
• Source type
  • Playwright Workspaces test runs
  • Browser automation tools
  • Other sources
• Source ID
  • Test run ID
  • Conversation ID
• Status
  • Created
  • Active
  • Completed
  • Failed

These filters make it easy to answer common questions such as:

• How many browser sessions were created by a specific test run?
• Which automation scenarios are consuming the most browser time?
• How much billable browser time was used in a given period?

How to View Browser Activity Logs in the Azure Portal

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• An Azure account with an active subscription
• Owner, Contributor, or a classic administrator role on the subscription
• A Playwright Workspace created in your subscription
• Reader, Contributor, or Owner access to the Playwright Workspace

Step-by-step: Accessing Browser Activity Logs

1. Sign in to the Azure portal.
2. From the home page, search for and select Azure App Testing. 
3. In the Azure App Testing hub, select View resources under Playwright Workspaces. 

    

4. Search for and open your Playwright Workspace.
5. In the left navigation pane, select: Browser sessions → Browser activity log 

    

6. Click on the Browser session to see additional details. 

    

7. Use the Source ID filter to narrow down results:
   • Enter a Playwright Workspaces test run ID to view browser sessions for a specific test run. 
   • Enter a Foundry conversation ID to view browser sessions created by a browser automation tool.
8. Alternatively, filter by Source type to view all sessions from a specific client. 

    

Why Browser Activity Logs Matter

Browser Activity Logs unlock three key benefits for teams using Playwright Workspaces:

• Visibility – See every browser session created across testing and automation scenarios.
• Traceability – Correlate browser usage back to test runs, tools, or conversations.
• Cost transparency – Understand billable browser time and optimize usage as you scale.

Whether you’re debugging a failed automation workflow, reviewing usage across teams, or tracking costs, Browser Activity Logs give you the clarity you need.

Get Started Today

Browser Activity Logs in Playwright Workspaces is now available for all Playwright Workspace users. To learn more and start exploring your browser usage, visit the Azure portal and head to the Browser Activity Log page in Playwright Workspaces today.

Share your feedback

As always, we welcome feedback, let us know what works great for you and what you’d love to see next.