Time Travel: Automatic Session Recording
Overview
Time Travel is Sniffer’s automatic session recording feature that continuously captures the last 30 seconds of your testing session in the background. When a bug occurs, you don’t need to worry about manually starting a recording. Sniffer has already captured everything leading up to that moment.
This means you’ll never miss the critical moments before a bug appears, ensuring complete context for every issue you report.
What is Time Travel?
Time Travel is an always-on background recording system that:
- Continuously records your browser session while you’re testing
- Automatically captures the 30 seconds before you “Report Bug”
- Preserves the complete context of what led to the issue
- Requires zero manual intervention. Just test naturally and report when something breaks.
How It Works
1. Automatic Background Recording
When you start testing with Sniffer’s browser extension active, Time Travel begins recording automatically:
- Recording runs silently in the background
- No performance impact on your testing
- No storage consumed until you report a bug
- Works across all supported browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
2. 30-Second Rolling Buffer
Sniffer maintains a continuous 30-second recording buffer:
- Only the most recent 30 seconds are kept in memory
- Older footage is automatically discarded
- Buffer resets when you navigate to a new page or context
- Optimized for minimal resource usage
3. Instant Bug Capture
When you click the “Report Bug” button:
- The previous 30 seconds are immediately saved
- Recording continues for as long as you need to demonstrate the issue
- You can add annotations, comments, and reproduction steps
- All technical context (console logs, network errors, environment data) is captured alongside the video
Key Benefits
Never Miss the Crucial Moments
Bugs often happen quickly or unexpectedly. With Time Travel, you don’t need to:
- Anticipate when a bug will occur
- Remember to start recording before testing
- Try to reproduce the issue just to record it
- Worry about missing critical context
Complete Bug Context
Every bug report includes:
- What happened before: The full 30 seconds leading up to the issue
- The exact moment: When the bug occurred
- What happened after: Your continued interaction showing the impact
- Technical context: Console logs, network errors, and environment data from the entire session
Faster Bug Resolution
Developers receive:
- Complete visual evidence of the bug’s trigger
- User actions that led to the issue
- Technical data from before, during, and after the bug
- Zero ambiguity about reproduction steps
Use Cases
QA Testing Workflows
Scenario: A QA engineer is testing a checkout flow and encounters an unexpected error after clicking “Place Order.”
Without Time Travel:
- QA notices the bug after it happens
- Has to remember what they did in the last 30 seconds
- Manually writes down each step from memory
- May miss crucial details about what forms were filled or buttons were clicked
With Time Travel:
- QA clicks “Report Bug” immediately
- Sniffer automatically includes the previous 30 seconds
- Video shows exactly: form fields filled → payment method selected → “Place Order” clicked → error appeared
- Developer can see and reproduce the exact sequence instantly
Client Feedback Sessions
Scenario: A client is reviewing a staging environment and finds something that “doesn’t feel right” but can’t articulate why.
Without Time Travel:
- Client tries to explain with words: “I clicked somewhere and something weird happened”
- Development team asks for screenshots
- Client can’t remember the exact sequence
- Issue takes days to reproduce
With Time Travel:
- Client clicks “Report Bug” the moment they notice the issue
- Video shows: navigation path → interactions → hover states → the unexpected behavior
- Product team sees exactly what the client experienced
- Issue is understood and fixed within hours
Edge Case Discovery
Scenario: A developer is testing a feature and triggers an intermittent bug that only happens under specific conditions.
Without Time Travel:
- Bug happens once and disappears
- Developer tries to reproduce but can’t remember the exact steps
- Bug gets filed as “unable to reproduce”
- Issue resurfaces in production
With Time Travel:
- Developer reports the bug immediately
- Recording shows: specific browser state → user interactions → timing of events → exact error
- Team can analyze the video frame-by-frame
- Edge case is documented and fixed
Technical Details
What Gets Recorded
Time Travel captures:
- Visual activity: Everything you see and interact with on the page
- User interactions: Clicks, scrolls, form inputs, hovers
- Page changes: Navigation, dynamic content updates, animations
- Timing information: Precise timestamps for every action
What Gets Captured with the Report
When you report a bug, Sniffer includes:
- 30-second pre-bug video: Automatic Time Travel recording
- Extended recording: Any additional time you record after clicking “Report Bug”
- Console logs: JavaScript errors and warnings from the entire session
- Network logs: API calls, failed requests, response times
- Environment data: Browser version, OS, screen resolution, URL
- AI-generated reproduction steps: Automatic step-by-step breakdown based on the video
Privacy & Security
- Local processing: Time Travel buffer stays in your browser until you report a bug
- Automatic cleanup: Unreported sessions are never saved or transmitted
- Sensitive data blur: Mark sensitive information to be automatically blurred in recordings
- No always-on cloud storage: Only reported bugs are sent to Sniffer’s servers
How to Use Time Travel
Step 1: Install & Activate
- Install the Sniffer browser extension. Please find the installation guide here .
- Sign in to your account
- Time Travel starts automatically—no setup required
Step 2: Test Naturally
- Navigate through your application normally
- Interact with features as you would during regular testing
- Time Travel records silently in the background
Step 3: Report Bugs Instantly
When you encounter a bug:
- Click the Sniffer extension icon or use the keyboard shortcut
- Select “Report Bug”
- The previous 30 seconds are automatically included
- Continue recording if you need to show more
- Add annotations, comments, or reproduction notes
- Click “Submit”
Step 4: Review & Share
Your bug report includes:
- Complete video showing what led to the bug
- All technical context automatically attached
- AI-generated reproduction steps
- Shareable link for team members
Comparison: With vs Without Time Travel
Best Practices
Maximize Time Travel Effectiveness
- Keep the extension active: Time Travel only works when Sniffer is running
- Report bugs immediately: The sooner you report, the more context is captured
- Use annotations: Add visual markers to highlight specific issues in the recording
- Add written context: Supplement the video with any additional observations
- Review before submitting: Watch the Time Travel footage to ensure it captured everything
When to Extend Recording
After Time Travel captures the initial 30 seconds, continue recording if:
- The bug’s impact takes time to fully appear
- You want to show attempted workarounds
- Multiple errors cascade over time
- You need to demonstrate the severity
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Time Travel slow down my browser?
No. Time Travel is highly optimized and has negligible impact on browser performance. The rolling buffer uses minimal memory and automatically discards old footage.
Can I disable Time Travel?
Yes. You can disable automatic recording in Sniffer’s extension settings. However, you’ll need to manually start recording before bugs occur to capture them.
What happens if I forget to report a bug?
If you don’t click “Report Bug,” the Time Travel buffer is automatically discarded. No recordings are saved or transmitted unless you explicitly create a bug report.
Can I adjust the 30-second window?
The 30-second buffer is optimized for most testing scenarios. Future versions may include customizable recording durations based on user feedback.
Does Time Travel work on mobile browsers?
Time Travel is currently available for desktop browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge). Mobile website testing is supported through desktop browsers with responsive design modes.
How much storage does Time Travel use?
Time Travel only stores the last 30 seconds in your browser’s memory. Reported bugs are compressed and uploaded to Sniffer’s servers, typically using 2-5 MB per 30-second clip depending on content complexity.
Technical Architecture
How Time Travel Works Under the Hood
Recording Pipeline:
- Browser API Integration: Leverages native screen capture APIs
- Rolling Buffer: Maintains circular buffer in browser memory
- Event Capture: Logs DOM interactions, network activity, console messages
- Compression: Encodes video efficiently to minimize resource usage
- Smart Upload: Only transmits data when a bug is reported
Performance Optimizations:
- Frame rate adjustment based on activity level
- Selective DOM mutation tracking
- Network log sampling for high-traffic pages
- Lazy loading of technical context data
What’s Next?
Sniffer’s Time Travel feature is continuously evolving. Upcoming enhancements include:
- Adjustable time windows: Choose 15, 30, 60, or 90-second buffers
- Automatic bug detection: AI identifies potential issues and prompts for reporting
- Session bookmarks: Mark important moments during testing for later review
- Collaborative annotations: Team members can annotate Time Travel recordings together
Get Started with Time Travel
Ready to never miss a bug again?
- Install Sniffer: Get the browser extension from sniffer.dev
- Start testing: Time Travel activates automatically
- Report bugs instantly: Click once and everything’s captured
No setup. No configuration. Just automatic bug capture, every time.
Time Travel is included in all Sniffer plans, including the free tier. Learn more at sniffer.dev/features/time-travel