# Browserless

Browserless is a Docker-based service that provides remote headless browser automation for scripting, scraping, testing, and content fetching. It is open source and self-hosted, installable on Docker Hub and Unraid.

Canonical page: https://ourlocalhost.com/app/36/browserless

## Description

Browserless is a Docker-based service that provides remote headless browser automation for scripting, scraping, testing, and content fetching. It exposes Puppeteer, Playwright, Selenium WebDriver, and Representational State Transfer (REST) endpoints so applications can control a shared browser. It suits developers and homelab users who need a reusable browser backend for tools such as changedetection.io. It centralizes browser execution, reducing local setup and making JavaScript-heavy page retrieval more reliable.

## Platform availability

Available on 1 of 9 platforms: Unraid.

## Health score

80/100 (Excellent), based on 5 of 5 factors.
- Maintained: 100 (last commit 18 days ago)
- Popular: 83 (13,776 GitHub stars)
- Easy to install: 35 (1 install platform, install notes, Docker image)
- Light to run: 60 (2 GB minimum RAM, runs on ARM)
- Security check: 94 (no serious findings, 1 minor, CI, tests)

## Links

- Documentation: https://docs.browserless.io/docs/docker-quickstart.html
- GitHub: https://github.com/browserless/browserless
- Official website: https://docs.browserless.io
- Docker Hub: https://hub.docker.com/r/browserless/chrome/
- Unraid: https://ca.unraid.net/apps/browserless-1wps5h10qklk9t?q=browserless

## Common questions

### How do I connect Puppeteer or Playwright to a self-hosted Browserless instance?

Use the WebSocket endpoint on the mapped port 3000. For Firefox, use the Firefox image or multi image and connect to the Firefox Playwright endpoint.

### How can I protect a self-hosted Browserless endpoint from anonymous use?

Set the TOKEN environment variable to a long random secret before starting Browserless. Without a token, anyone who can reach the service can use it and consume machine resources.

### Can changedetection.io be used with the rewritten Browserless v2 in a self-hosted setup?

A self-hosted user reports updating their setup so changedetection.io works with Browserless v2.

## Alternatives

- BrowserStack: BrowserStack is the world’s largest cloud platform for software testing, with 20,000+ real Android and iOS devices that allow developers to…

---
Source: Our Local Host (https://ourlocalhost.com/app/36/browserless), the self-hosted and open-source app directory.