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ComponentsEngine
Availability2014.1 or later

About HAR Files

What HAR files contain

Import a HAR File into GermainUX

Turn traffic into scenarios

Export a HAR File from GermainUX

Save captured session traffic

Security Considerations

Handle HAR data carefully

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Overview

An HTTP Archive—or HAR—file is a JSON-formatted record of the HTTP and HTTPS requests exchanged between a browser and a web application. HAR files typically use the .har extension. Importing a HAR file is one of the fastest ways to create a GermainUX synthetic HTTP scenario from an existing user journey. A HAR-based scenario reproduces the journey at the HTTP protocol level. It does not reproduce browser rendering, clicks, JavaScript behavior, or visual interactions. Use a Click-based synthetic scenario when those browser-level behaviors must be tested.

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About HAR Files

A HAR file can contain details such as:
  • Request URLs
  • HTTP methods
  • Request and response headers
  • Query parameters
  • Request payloads
  • Response status codes
  • Timing information
  • Resource types
  • Cookies and authentication data, when captured
Most browser developer tools can export network activity as a HAR file.

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Create a HAR File from a Browser Session

Follow these steps to export a HAR file from a browser:
1

Open the target web application

2

Open the browser’s developer tools

3

Select the Network tab

4

Confirm that network recording is enabled

5

Clear any unrelated requests

6

Perform the workflow you want GermainUX to reproduce

7

Export the captured network activity as a .har file

8

Review and sanitize the file before importing it into GermainUX

You can also export HTTP activity from a real user session monitored by GermainUX and use it as the starting point for a synthetic HTTP scenario.

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Import a HAR File into GermainUX

A HAR file can be imported to generate an executable HTTP scenario.
1

Open the GermainUX HTTP configuration page

2

Select the Add icon above HTTP Scenarios

3

Choose HTTP Scenario (from .har file)

4

Select where the scenario will execute, including the Monitoring Node and Engine

5

Select Next

6

Configure the protocol and target server

7

Select the Import icon

8

Choose the .har file

9

Review the number of HTTP requests generated from the file

10

Remove requests that should not be included in the synthetic scenario

11

Configure authentication, variables, validations, and request dependencies as required

12

Optionally configure an SLA for the complete scenario

13

Configure the execution schedule

14

Finish the wizard to create and deploy the HTTP scenario

After deployment, run the scenario manually once and confirm that:
  • Each request reaches the correct endpoint.
  • Authentication works.
  • Dynamic tokens and session values are handled correctly.
  • Responses meet the expected conditions.
  • The total duration and SLA are calculated correctly.

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Export a HAR File from GermainUX

To export the HTTP and HTTPS requests captured during a monitored user session:
  1. Open the applicable session or transaction in the GermainUX Analysis Dashboard.
  2. Locate the network or issue-details section.
  3. Select Export.

    Export HAR - GermainUX

  4. Choose the HAR format.
  5. Save the generated .har file.
The export contains the HTTP and HTTPS requests available for the selected session or analysis context.

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Security Considerations

HAR files can contain sensitive information, including:
  • Cookies
  • Authorization headers
  • Session tokens
  • Query-string values
  • Form submissions
  • API payloads
  • Personal or business data
Before sharing, storing, or importing a HAR file:
  • Remove credentials, tokens, and unnecessary cookies.
  • Replace production secrets with secure GermainUX credential references.
  • Restrict access to authorized users.
  • Apply the organization’s retention and data-handling policies.
  • Avoid committing HAR files containing sensitive data to source control.
  • Confirm that the synthetic scenario targets an authorized environment.

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HAR-Based vs. Click-Based Scenarios

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Get Help

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The content of this document is proprietary to GERMAIN SOFTWARE.