What is a HAR file?
HAR (HTTP Archive) is a JSON-based format for recording HTTP traffic between a client and a server. Every major browser’s DevTools can export the current Network tab as a .har file, and proxies like Charles, Fiddler, and Insomnia produce HAR exports as well.
A HAR file is a snapshot of a browsing session. it captures URLs, methods, status codes, request and response headers, cookies, request and response bodies (when available), and a detailed timing breakdown per request.
Treat HAR files as sensitive
HAR files frequently contain authorization tokens, session cookies, OAuth bearer tokens, and request bodies that may include passwords or PII. Before posting a HAR in a bug report or sharing it with a vendor:
- Toggle Redact secrets in this viewer to mask
Authorization, Cookie, and Set-Cookie headers
- Use the filter bar to narrow down to only the requests that demonstrate the issue
- Use Export filtered HAR to save a clean, minimal HAR that contains only what you need to share