Getting Started With the Puppeteer API for Headless Chrome

Google Chrome is, by far, the most mainstream web browser with its best of all security features and enhanced functionality. It’s easy to use and smooth surfing capabilities have made it the most sought after browser. The concept of web browser automation has been in practice for some time now. Automating browsers, to scrap carrying out redundant and repetitive tasks like screen navigation, filling out forms, taking screenshots, etc that hamper the speed of any application, is a methodology every developer follows. There are various multi-browser automation tools like Selenium, being one of the most popular, as well as other dedicated browser extensions like Chrome Browser extension (CBA) for Chrome, that help carry out smooth web browser automation.

The Rise of Headless Chrome and Puppeteer

In reference to this context, Google Chrome introduced the Headless Chrome functionality to allow automating the browser in a headless mode. The Headless Chrome enables the complete execution of Google Chrome on servers that run without a Graphical User Interface (GUI). It lets you programmatically test your web app without the need for any frontend framework. The entire automated testing process is carried out in the background, without you seeing anything happening in the testing process. Headless Chrome has gained immense popularity in the field of web development, due to its swift and fast execution.