Capturing .HAR Files

A video shows what broke; a .HAR file shows why.

What is a .HAR file?

HAR stands for HTTP Archive. It is a JSON-formatted file that logs all network requests a web browser makes while loading a page or executing an action. If a user clicks "Save" and nothing happens, the .HAR file will reveal if the API returned a 500 error, if the request timed out, or if the browser blocked it due to CORS.

How to generate it (Chrome/Edge/Brave)

1. Right-click anywhere on the page and select Inspect.
2. Navigate to the Network tab.
3. Ensure the "Record" button (red circle) in the upper left corner of the tab is active.
4. Check the Preserve log checkbox. This is critical—without it, the log clears if the page reloads.
5. Clear the current log (circle with a slash) to remove noise.
6. Perform the action that causes the bug.
7. Click the down-arrow icon (Export HAR) or right-click any request and select Save all as HAR with content.