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Keep Alive

Keep sessions available after disconnects so you can reconnect without starting over.

Timeout

Extend session duration beyond the default timeout for long-running tasks.
By default, Browserbase sessions automatically terminate in two scenarios:
  1. When a session disconnects
  2. When the session reaches its timeout
This behavior optimizes resource utilization and session management, but you may need sessions that run longer or survive disconnections. Browserbase offers session keep alive and custom timeout to address this need.

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Two ways to extend sessions

FeatureProblem it solves
Session Timeouts”I need my session to run longer than the default”
Keep Alive”I need to disconnect and reconnect without ending my session”

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When to use each

Timeouts extend how long a session can run before it automatically terminates. Use this when you have long-running tasks that exceed the default timeout. Keep Alive lets you disconnect and reconnect to the same session. Use this when your workflow involves multiple connections, when you need resilience against network issues, or when you want to reuse the same session for multiple runs.

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Using both together

If you need a session that both survives disconnects and runs for an extended period, configure both options: 
const session = await bb.sessions.create({
  keepAlive: true,
  timeout: 3600, // 1 hour
});
Session keep alive is only available on paid plans.

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Why keep sessions alive?

Custom timeouts and session keep alive support a broad spectrum of use cases. Key benefits include:
  • Avoid interrupting long-running tasks and workflows.
  • Connect, disconnect, and reconnect to the same session.
  • Keep working with a session without worrying about it timing out.
  • Reusing existing sessions is more performant than creating new ones.
Looking for serverless execution? If you don’t need persistent sessions or reconnection capabilities, consider Functions for on-demand, serverless browser automation. Functions automatically manage session lifecycle and are ideal for webhooks, scheduled tasks, and API endpoints.

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Keep alive sessions

The keepAlive feature allows you to keep sessions alive across disconnects, permitting you to continue using it as long as needed.

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Create a keep alive session

Setting keepAlive to true will keep the session available for later use. You can reconnect to the keep alive session using the same connection URL as the original session. Here’s an example of how to keep a session alive:
SDK
const bb = new Browserbase({ apiKey: process.env.BROWSERBASE_API_KEY! });
const session = await bb.sessions.create({
  keepAlive: true,
});
Next time you run the script, you can reconnect to the same session after a disconnect, reusing it for multiple runs.

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Stop a keep alive session

To stop the session, use the Browserbase API or SDK: 
import Browserbase from "browserbase";

const BROWSERBASE_API_KEY = process.env.BROWSERBASE_API_KEY!;
const BROWSERBASE_PROJECT_ID = process.env.BROWSERBASE_PROJECT_ID!;

const bb = new Browserbase({
  apiKey: BROWSERBASE_API_KEY,
});

// Create a session with keep alive set.
// Then, end it by closing it.
(async () => {
  const session = await bb.sessions.create({
    keepAlive: true,
  });

  await bb.sessions.update(session.id, {
    status: "REQUEST_RELEASE",
  });
})();
Stop your keep alive sessions explicitly when no longer needed. They’ll time out eventually, but you may be charged for the unneeded browser minutes.

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Session timeouts

After the script exceeds the default timeout, you’ll see a TimeoutError: Timeout _____ms exceeded Browserbase has project-wide settings for session timeout. You can change the session timeout to a different value in the toggle.

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Custom session timeout

You can also set a custom timeout for a created session through code. If you’d like to set a custom timeout that isn’t shown in the toggle, set it in the createSession function. To set a custom timeout for your session, specify the timeout option in the API request body or with the SDK. 
import Browserbase from "browserbase";

const BROWSERBASE_API_KEY = process.env.BROWSERBASE_API_KEY!;
const BROWSERBASE_PROJECT_ID = process.env.BROWSERBASE_PROJECT_ID!;

const bb = new Browserbase({
  apiKey: BROWSERBASE_API_KEY,
});

// Creates a session with a timeout of 3600 seconds
(async () => {
  const session = await bb.sessions.create({
    timeout: 3600,
  });
})();
Here the timeout has been set to 3600 seconds (1 hour), overriding the default. That means that unless explicitly closed beforehand, the session will continue running for an hour before terminating. At disconnect, it will end. Setting a custom timeout won’t keep the session alive after disconnecting. To reconnect to a session after disconnecting, configure it for keep alive.
The maximum duration of a session is 6 hours. Once a session times out, it can no longer be used.

Session timeouts

Extend session duration beyond the default

Keep alive

Survive disconnects and reconnect to sessions

Session inspector

Watch your session in real time and debug issues after the session has ended

Browserbase Functions

Deploy serverless browser automation with automatic session management