Quickstart

This guide will walk you through setting up your Steel account, running your first browser session in the cloud, and driving it using TypeScript/Puppeteer. In just a few minutes, you'll be ready to start automating with Steel.

Initial SetupCopied!

1. Create a Steel Account

1. Sign up for a free account at steel.dev

2. The free plan includes 100 browser hours to get you started

3. No credit card required

2. Get Your API Key

1. After signing up, navigate to Settings > API Keys

2. Create an API key and save it somewhere safe. You will not be able to generate the same key again.

3. Set Up Environment Variables

1. Create a .env file in your project root (if you don't have one)

2. Add your Steel API key:

STEEL_API_KEY=ste_***

Make sure to add .env to your .gitignore file to keep your key secure

Install the SDKCopied!

Now install the Steel Node SDK:

// For node.js
npm install steel-sdk

Create Your First SessionCopied!

Let's create a simple script that launches a session and visits a webpage.

import Steel from 'steel-sdk';
import dotenv from 'dotenv';

dotenv.config();

const client = new Steel({
  steelAPIKey: process.env.STEEL_API_KEY,
});

async function main() {
  // Create a session
  const session = await client.sessions.create();
  console.log('Session created:', session.id);
  
  // Your session is now ready to use!
  // Keep this ID handy - you'll need it to connect with automation tools

  // When done, release the session
  await client.sessions.release(session.id);
  console.log('Session released');
}

main().catch(console.error);

Connecting to Your SessionCopied!

Now that you have a session, you can connect to it using your preferred automation tool.

Here are some quick ways for each supported tool:

import puppeteer from 'puppeteer';

const browser = await puppeteer.connect({
    browserWSEndpoint: `wss://connect.steel.dev?apiKey=${process.env.STEEL_API_KEY}&sessionId=${session.id}`,
});

const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.goto('https://example.com');

Session FeaturesCopied!

Want to do more with your session? Here are some common options you can add when creating:

const session = await client.sessions.create({
    useProxy: true,           // Use Steel's residential proxy network
    solveCaptcha: true,       // Enable automatic CAPTCHA solving
    sessionTimeout: 1800000,  // Set 30-minute timeout (default is 5 minutes)
    userAgent: 'custom-ua'    // Set a custom user agent
});

You've now created your first Steel session and learned the basics of session management. With these fundamentals, you can start building more complex automations using Steel's cloud browser infrastructure.

Need help? Join our Discord community or check out our full API Reference.