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Chromeless vs Puppeteer: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this Markdown code, we will provide a comparison between Chromeless and Puppeteer, two popular tools for web automation and testing.

  1. Headless Chrome Support: One key difference between Chromeless and Puppeteer is their approach to headless Chrome support. Chromeless is focused on providing a high-level API for controlling headless Chrome, while Puppeteer is a Node.js library specifically designed to control the Chrome or Chromium browser. This means that Puppeteer offers more fine-grained control and access to Chrome's features, while Chromeless abstracts away some of the low-level details.

  2. API Design and Usability: Another difference lies in the design and usability of their APIs. Puppeteer's API is well-documented and follows the standard Node.js conventions, making it easy to use for developers familiar with Node.js. On the other hand, Chromeless aims for a simpler API syntax with a fluent interface, providing a more intuitive and user-friendly experience. This trade-off between simplicity and control gives users the flexibility to choose according to their preferences and project requirements.

  3. Community and Support: The size and activity of the community around each tool also differ. Puppeteer is an official Google project and benefits from the support of a large community and regular updates from its maintainers. It has a vibrant community, with a dedicated GitHub repository and active discussions on forums. Chromeless, while still actively maintained, has a relatively smaller community base and fewer resources available for support and troubleshooting.

  4. Browser Compatibility: Chromeless is primarily focused on Chrome and headless Chrome, while Puppeteer supports both Chrome and Chromium browsers. This difference in compatibility may be a consideration for developers targeting specific browsers other than Chrome.

  5. Performance and Speed: Another noteworthy difference is in terms of performance and speed. Puppeteer uses the Chrome DevTools Protocol behind the scenes, which enables a higher level of control and optimization. This can result in faster execution and better performance compared to Chromeless.

  6. Advanced Features and Extensibility: Puppeteer offers more advanced features and extensibility options compared to Chromeless. It provides direct DOM manipulation, network interception, and page events handling. Puppeteer's extensive feature set allows for more sophisticated automation scenarios, making it suitable for complex testing or scraping tasks. Chromeless, while still capable, may not provide the same level of flexibility when it comes to advanced usage.

In summary, Chromeless and Puppeteer differ in their approach to headless Chrome support, API design, community and support, browser compatibility, performance and speed, as well as advanced features and extensibility. The choice between the two depends on specific project requirements, familiarity with Node.js, and the need for fine-grained control or simplicity.

Advice on Chromeless and Puppeteer
Ankur Loriya
Needs advice
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PhantomJSPhantomJS
and
PuppeteerPuppeteer

I am using Node 12 for server scripting and have a function to generate PDF and send it to a browser. Currently, we are using PhantomJS to generate a PDF. Some web post shows that we can achieve PDF generation using Puppeteer. I was a bit confused. Should we move to puppeteerJS? Which one is better with NodeJS for generating PDF?

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Replies (2)
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PuppeteerPuppeteer

You better go with puppeteer. It is basically chrome automation tool, written in nodejs. So what you get is PDF, generated by chrome itself. I guess there is hardly better PDF generation tool for the web. Phantomjs is already more or less outdated as technology. It uses some old webkit port that's quite behind in terms of standards and features. It can be replaced with puppeteer for every single task.

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PuppeteerPuppeteer

I suggest puppeteer to go for. It is simple and easy to set up. Only limitaiton is it can be used only for chrome browser and currently they are looking into expanding into FF. The next thing is Playwright which is just a scale up of Puppeteer. It supports cross browsers.

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Pros of Chromeless
Pros of Puppeteer
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    • 10
      Very well documented
    • 10
      Scriptable web browser
    • 6
      Promise based

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    Cons of Chromeless
    Cons of Puppeteer
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      • 10
        Chrome only

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      What is Chromeless?

      Chrome automation made simple. Runs locally or headless on AWS Lambda.

      What is Puppeteer?

      Puppeteer is a Node library which provides a high-level API to control headless Chrome over the DevTools Protocol. It can also be configured to use full (non-headless) Chrome.

      Need advice about which tool to choose?Ask the StackShare community!

      Jobs that mention Chromeless and Puppeteer as a desired skillset
      What companies use Chromeless?
      What companies use Puppeteer?
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      What tools integrate with Chromeless?
      What tools integrate with Puppeteer?

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      What are some alternatives to Chromeless and Puppeteer?
      PhantomJS
      PhantomJS is a headless WebKit scriptable with JavaScript. It is used by hundreds of developers and dozens of organizations for web-related development workflow.
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      Git
      Git is a free and open source distributed version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency.
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      GitHub is the best place to share code with friends, co-workers, classmates, and complete strangers. Over three million people use GitHub to build amazing things together.
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      Build and debug modern web and cloud applications. Code is free and available on your favorite platform - Linux, Mac OSX, and Windows.
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