Netscape Cookie ↔ JSON Converter
Securely Convert Netscape to JSON & Vice Versa. Edit, Clean & Manipulate Cookies Instantly.
How to Use This Tool (Step-by-Step)
Converting cookies between JSON and Netscape formats is seamless. Follow this visual guide for accurate results:
1 Input Session Data
Copy your cookie data from your browser developer tools or extension. Paste the content directly into the Left Input Box.
Figure 1: Paste your raw cookie data here.
2 Auto-Process Conversion
Click the Convert Now button. The smart engine automatically detects the input format (JSON or Netscape) and transforms it instantly.
3 Optimize & Clean (Recommended)
Before exporting, click the Clean Expired button. This removes invalid or old tokens, ensuring your session file works perfectly with tools like Selenium or cURL.
4 Use Advanced Tools (Optional)
Expand the Advanced Developer Tools panel to access the Bulk Domain Modifier, Expiry Manipulator, JSON Minifier, Puppeteer/Playwright Schema Filter, and the Cookie Utilities (remove duplicates, sort, Cookie header) for deeper control over your cookie data.
5 Export & Download
Your clean code is ready in the Right Output Box. Click Copy Result or use Download File to save it.
Figure 2: Successful conversion and download options.
Advanced Developer Features
Version 3.1 offers seven professional-grade tools, accessible from the Advanced Developer Tools accordion panel below the main converter.
1. Bulk Domain Modifier
When migrating sessions between environments (e.g., staging to production), you often need to remap every cookie's domain simultaneously. Enter the text to find in the Find Domain field and your target in Replace With, then click Apply Replace. The engine replaces every occurrence inside each cookie's domain, so .example.com also updates sub.example.com. It works for both JSON and Netscape input.
2. Expiry Manipulator
Two one-click operations give you full control over cookie longevity. Extend by 1 Year adds exactly 31,536,000 seconds (365 days) to the expirationDate of every non-session cookie — ideal for reviving recently expired auth tokens for testing. Force Session resets all expiry timestamps to 0, converting the entire set into temporary session cookies that expire on browser close.
3. JSON Minifier Toggle
Control the whitespace verbosity of JSON output. Beautified mode (default) produces human-readable output with 4-space indentation. Minified mode collapses the entire output to a compact single line, reducing payload size for API injection or environment variable usage. The toggle is accessible both in the output panel label and the Advanced Tools panel.
4. Strict Schema Filter (Puppeteer / Playwright)
Automation frameworks enforce strict field schemas. Both filters keep only name, value, domain, path, expires, httpOnly, secure and sameSite, and remove incompatible fields (storeId, session, hostOnly, id). The Puppeteer filter outputs an array ready for page.setCookie(...cookies) and omits expires for session cookies. The Playwright filter outputs an array ready for context.addCookies() and sets expires to -1 for session cookies.
5–7. Cookie Utilities
Remove Duplicates keeps one cookie per domain, path and name (the last occurrence wins). Sort orders cookies alphabetically by domain, then name. Copy as Cookie Header builds a name=value; name2=value2 string for use in a Cookie: HTTP header, for example curl -H "Cookie: ...".
Privacy & Security Architecture
Data privacy is critical when handling session tokens. Unlike many online converters that upload data to a backend server, Trusted Tools Web is engineered for privacy.
Client-Side Processing Technology:
- Zero Data Transfer: Your data never leaves your device. All conversions happen locally within your browser's JavaScript engine.
- Offline Capability: This tool functions 100% offline. You can disconnect your internet after loading the page to verify that no external requests are made.
Supported Formats
1. Netscape HTTP Cookie File
The industry standard for command-line tools. It allows utilities like cURL, Wget, and Python Requests to authenticate requests using a simple text file.
Structure: Tab-separated values: Domain, Flag, Path, Secure, Expiration, Name, Value.
2. JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)
The modern standard used by browser extensions and JavaScript frameworks. It provides a structured, readable format that allows developers to easily inspect and modify session attributes.
Use Cases for Developers
This utility is an essential part of a web developer's toolkit. Common scenarios include:
- Cross-Browser Testing: Migrate session states between Chrome (JSON) and Firefox/Safari (Netscape) to test application behavior without re-authenticating.
- API Debugging: Generate valid cookie files or Cookie header strings for
cURLor Postman to test authenticated API endpoints directly from the terminal. - Automation Scripts: Format cookies for use with Selenium WebDriver or Puppeteer to simulate user sessions in automated testing pipelines.
- Environment Migration: Use the Bulk Domain Modifier to remap entire session cookie sets from staging to production domains in one click.
- Token Renewal Testing: Use the Expiry Manipulator to extend or expire cookies on-demand without needing to re-authenticate with the target service.
Integration with cURL & Wget
For DevOps engineers, the Netscape format is a requirement for many CLI tools. For example, wget uses the --load-cookies flag which requires a specifically formatted text file.
This tool bridges the gap between browser data (JSON) and terminal applications, allowing seamless session import for debugging server responses.
Selenium & Automation Support
Automation frameworks like Selenium WebDriver often require cookies in a specific JSON structure (array of dictionaries). Legacy data sources, however, might provide Netscape text files.
This converter transforms legacy Netscape files into JSON arrays compatible with driver.add_cookie(), streamlining the setup process for test automation suites.
Puppeteer & Playwright Integration
Puppeteer and Playwright enforce a strict cookie schema. Fields like storeId, hostOnly, and session are not recognised and will throw errors if passed directly. The Strict Schema Filter in the Advanced Developer Tools panel automatically strips and remaps all incompatible fields.
The expirationDate field is remapped to expires, and sameSite values are normalised to the accepted "Strict" | "Lax" | "None" enum. The Playwright output can be passed directly into context.addCookies(), and the Puppeteer output into page.setCookie(...cookies), without modification.
Importance of Cleaning Expired Sessions
Importing expired cookies can cause authentication failures in scripts. Browsers handle this automatically, but raw text files do not.
The Clean Expired algorithm parses Unix timestamps and removes any entries that are no longer valid. This ensures your exported file contains only active session tokens, reducing debugging time.
Handling 'HttpOnly' & 'Secure' Attributes
The HttpOnly flag is a vital security feature protecting cookies from XSS attacks. Standard Netscape files do not have a dedicated column for this.
To maintain security integrity, we follow the convention of prepending #HttpOnly_ to the domain name. This ensures that tools respecting this convention will treat the cookie with the appropriate security level.
Troubleshooting Common Errors
If you encounter parsing errors, verify the input integrity. A common issue is "Line Wrapping" where long strings break into new lines.
Ensure your input does not contain raw HTTP headers (e.g., Cookie: ...). This tool expects raw JSON objects or standard tab-separated Netscape lines.
For Puppeteer/Playwright compatibility errors, use the Strict Schema Filter in the Advanced Developer Tools panel to automatically sanitize the output.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my cookie data safe?
Yes. This tool is 100% client-side. No data is sent to any server, logged, or stored. You can disconnect from the internet after the page loads and every feature will continue to work.
Why am I getting a parsing error?
The most common cause is line wrapping — long cookie value strings broken across multiple lines by a text editor. Ensure each cookie is on a single line. Also confirm the input contains no raw HTTP headers like Cookie: ....
Which Puppeteer / Playwright method does the output target?
The Puppeteer filter targets page.setCookie(...cookies). The Playwright filter targets context.addCookies(cookies). Both produce arrays in the exact schema each API expects.
Can I use the Bulk Domain Modifier on Netscape-format input?
Yes. The engine automatically detects the input format. Domain replacement is applied correctly to both JSON and Netscape-format inputs, and the output is serialised back into the original format.
What is "Copy as Cookie Header" for?
It turns your cookies into a single name=value; name2=value2 string that you can paste into a Cookie: HTTP header, for example with curl -H or in Postman.
Legal Disclaimer
Trusted Tools Web provides this utility strictly for Development, Debugging, and Educational purposes.
- Misuse of this tool for unauthorized access, session hijacking, or bypassing security controls is strictly prohibited.
- We do not condone the violation of any third-party Terms of Service.
- Privacy Note: This tool operates 100% Client-Side. No data is stored or transmitted by our servers. Users are solely responsible for their data usage.
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