How to Download a File with Vibium

To download a file with Vibium, wrap the click that starts it in vibe.capture.download(), then call save_as() on the result to write it to disk. capture.download() sets up the listener, runs your action, and hands back the finished download — name, source URL, and temp path included.

What is the download script?

from vibium import browser
 
bro = browser.launch()
vibe = bro.page()
vibe.go("http://localhost:3000")
 
result = vibe.capture.download(lambda: vibe.find("#dl-link").click())
 
print(result["suggested_filename"])  # hello.txt
result.save_as("/tmp/hello.txt")
 
bro.close()

The lambda is the action that triggers the download — here, clicking a link. Vibium starts listening first, runs the click, waits for the file, and returns the result.

How does each step work?

1. vibe.go(url) — open the page that has the download link or button.
2. vibe.capture.download(action) — register a download listener, run action, and return once the download completes.
3. result["suggested_filename"] — the name the server suggested (from the Content-Disposition header).
4. result.save_as(path) — copy the downloaded file to the path you want.
5. bro.close() — close the browser.

In sync mode the result is a dict-like object: you can read result["url"], result["suggested_filename"], and result["path"], and it still has the save_as() method.

Why do I need a real download endpoint?

Browsers only start a download when the server sends a Content-Disposition: attachment header. A plain link that navigates or opens a file inline will not fire one. For local testing, a tiny server that sets that header is enough:

# server.py
from http.server import HTTPServer, BaseHTTPRequestHandler
 
class Handler(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
    def do_GET(self):
        if self.path == "/file":
            self.send_response(200)
            self.send_header("Content-Type", "text/plain")
            self.send_header("Content-Disposition", 'attachment; filename="hello.txt"')
            self.end_headers()
            self.wfile.write(b"hello world")
        else:
            self.send_response(200)
            self.send_header("Content-Type", "text/html")
            self.end_headers()
            self.wfile.write(b'<a href="/file" id="dl-link">Download hello.txt</a>')
 
HTTPServer(("localhost", 3000), Handler).serve_forever()

Run python server.py in one terminal, then run the download script in another.

How do I monitor every download?

If files can download at any time, register on_download() once and collect them as they arrive instead of wrapping a single action:

import time
 
downloads = []
vibe.on_download(lambda dl: downloads.append(dl))
 
vibe.find("#dl-link").click()
time.sleep(2)
 
print(downloads[0]["suggested_filename"])  # hello.txt

Tips for reliable downloads

• Always save explicitly with save_as() — the temp path may be cleaned up when the browser closes.
• Check suggested_filename before saving so you keep the right extension.
• Prefer capture.download() for a single known action; use on_download() for ongoing monitoring.

Next steps

• Take a full-page screenshot
• Scrape a table with Vibium
• What is Vibium?