Overview
ObservePoint's HAR Analyzer capability ingests HTTP archive (HAR) files that contain network logs and other information passed between between devices and hosting servers that power websites and mobile apps.
These fairly large files contain a vault of useful information, including the network requests fired from all of the analytics events triggered (page load, click, scroll, etc.) during a session. This data is also very valuable for identifying technologies firing that should not be under certain conditions and regulatory requirements.
Once ingested, ObservePoint analyzes these files and generates reports on Tags identified in the network logs and allows you to process that data with Rules which save you significant time and reduce human error when testing analytics, confirming 3rd party pixels are working as expected, or monitoring for unauthorized technologies.
Downloading a HAR File
There are 3 popular ways to produce HAR files:
Export from web browser (e.g. Chrome, Safari, Firefox)
Export through a proxy tool (e.g. Charles, ProxyMan)
Export from a device farm technology (e.g. BrowserStack, SauceLabs, etc.)
Export from a Web Browser
HAR files can be download easily from a Web Browser.
Note: In this example, we'll show how to download the file in a Chrome browser, but it is accessible in other browsers as well.
Open your browser DevTools and select the Network ribbon.
Ensure the round button at the top left of the DevTools window is red and select the Preserve Logs option.
Once you have ensured that the session is recorded, navigate through the user journey in the browser e.g. purchase flow, application flow, etc.
Once you are done, save the HAR file by right-clicking anywhere in the table and selecting "Save as HAR with content" or you can click the download icon highlighted in the image below.
Export from a Proxy tool
HAR files can be exported from popular proxy tools e.g. Charles, Proxyman. This is very popular when your goal is to conduct tests for a mobile app on a phone or an app on an OTT device (e.g. AppleTV, Xbox, Roku, etc.)
ObservePoint also offers its own proxy capability called LiveConnect which you should strongly consider using. The advantages of using LiveConnect over Charles or Proxyman is that you can skip the step of uploading the file, configuration is less complicated, user seats in ObservePoint are unlimited, you get the full power of automated data processing and easy to consume reporting, and, like HAR Analyzer, you can start using it for free.
If you choose to use Charles, ProxyMan, or some other tool to capture the network logs, you can find documentation on their website or YouTube guides to show how to export the HAR file after recording a session.
Make sure that when you export you choose the correct file format .har.
Export from a Device Farm
HAR files can also be exported from Device Farms (e.g. BrowserStack, AWS Device Farm, Sauce Labs, LambdaTest, etc).
A Device Farm is physical or virtual cloud-based environment with a large collection of real mobile and web devices that developers and testers can use to test their applications across a variety of hardware, operating systems, and configurations simultaneously. Device farms facilitate rigorous testing by running automated and manual tests against diverse device fleets, providing detailed reports on performance, issues, and crashes to ensure app quality and compatibility before release.
It is not uncommon for Front-end developers and QA engineers at large organizations to already be using one of these tools. If that is the case, we suggest you consider collaboration with these teams to see if they would be willing to export HAR files after the completion of these web and mobile app tests for ingestion.
BrowserStack offers programmatic export options for Selenium and Appium scripts through their REST API.
Selenium:
Appium:
Uploading a HAR File
Once you have produced the HAR file, follow the steps below to upload and analyze it.
Open HAR Analyzer.
Create a new Configuration (previously referred to as devices) or select an existing one. This configuration allows you to upload multiple HAR files with the same rules applied to each file.
We recommend that you name the Configuration something descriptive of the test scenario e.g. iPhone - Order Purchase, Google Pixel - Login, etc.
Select Upload HAR File.
Add a HAR name (optional) and choose the file(s) or drag them into the box, then click Upload.
The file could take up to a few minutes to process, depending on the file size. After processing is complete, you will see the report appear with Tag & Variable data, Request Log, and Rules reports.
Reporting
Reporting is broken down into 3 sections:
Tags & Variables
Requests Log
Rules
Tags & Variables
This report displays all tags recognized in the HAR file, their status codes, and all variables included in the tag payloads. You can filter by tag, variable, or value to focus on tags that contain significant data e.g. conversion events.
Pro-tip: If you are focused on analytics validation, consider filtering by that Tag's name or enabling Primary Tags only if it is already configured as a primary tag.
Requests Log
This report shows all network requests and allows you to drill into the request payload and response payloads.
Rules
This report tells you the status of each rule you have assigned and whether it passed, failed, or was not applied.
You can inspect specific tag or variable conditions that were not met.
For a rule to pass, each condition must be satisfied. If at least once a tag is identified that matches all of the expectation criteria, the rule will pass, otherwise, it will fail.
Exports
All data found in the reporting is exportable for sharing and deeper analysis. You can find the export icon in the top right corner of any session.
When you click the export button you will be presented with options. You may included or exclude details as desired.
Note: If you open the export file in excel, the data will be found in separate tabs along the bottom of the worksheet.
Here is what a sample export looks like in excel.
FAQs
What types of devices can this be used for?
This solution is device agnostic because it only requires a
.harfile as an input. If you can produce a .har file from mobile phones, laptops, or OTT device we can upload it here for analysis.
Why am I not seeing the the tags I am expecting?
First, make sure you don't have any filters that you have applied unintentionally. Second, verify that when you exported the HAR file that it included network logs from page navigation or other interactions. Third, the tag could truly be missing if you need help verifying contact our support team at [email protected] and provide a link to the session and attach the HAR file.