It is interesting that using simple playwright works ins headful mode against their anti-bot system, and headless is not working. I assume if they can detect headless mode they should be able to detect playwright as well. I strongly recommend an anti-detect browser for long-term solution. That can easily be integrated with Playwright while it ensures your browsers stays under the radar.
Detecting headless mode is usually easier, as it requires different low-level settings in the browser compared to traditional headed mode (for example, a different user agent). So, Thus, Booking.com’s behavior is neither unique nor unusual.
That being said, your recommendations are more than accurate, as anti-detection browsers are always useful in such scenarios. That is especially true for production-ready integrations with Playwright!
It is interesting that using simple playwright works ins headful mode against their anti-bot system, and headless is not working. I assume if they can detect headless mode they should be able to detect playwright as well. I strongly recommend an anti-detect browser for long-term solution. That can easily be integrated with Playwright while it ensures your browsers stays under the radar.
Thanks for commenting and sharing your insights!
Detecting headless mode is usually easier, as it requires different low-level settings in the browser compared to traditional headed mode (for example, a different user agent). So, Thus, Booking.com’s behavior is neither unique nor unusual.
That being said, your recommendations are more than accurate, as anti-detection browsers are always useful in such scenarios. That is especially true for production-ready integrations with Playwright!