How to I run Chromium-browser in headless mode on Ubuntu? Is it possible?

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joël maranhão

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Apr 25, 2016, 6:38:39 AM4/25/16

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I have been failing miserably to start Chromium in headless mode using Xvfb.

Hereafter the details

# Ubuntu

$ lsb_release -a

No LSB modules are available.

Distributor ID: Ubuntu

Description: Ubuntu 14.04.4 LTS

Release: 14.04

Codename: trusty

# Chromium

chromium-browser --version

Chromium 48.0.2564.116 Ubuntu 14.04

I am serving a Flask web application on `localhost` and I want to browse to it in headless mode.

### X virtual frame buffer `xvfb-run`

$ apt-get install xvfb

Running **Chromium** with the following options

--allow-running-insecure-content // trying to get passed

--ignore-certificate-errors // the self-signed certs

--ignore-urlfetcher-cert-requests //

--disable-gpu

--no-sandbox

the command

xvfb-run --server-args='-screen 0, 1024x768x24' chromium-browser --allow-running-insecure-content --ignore-certificate-errors --ignore-urlfetcher-cert-requests --disable-gpu --no-sandbox https://admin:password@localhost

# Xlib: extension "RANDR" missing on display ":99".

[2596:2596:0407/170544:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(206)] Running without the SUID sandbox! See https://code.google.com/p/chromium/wiki/LinuxSUIDSandboxDevelopment for more information on developing with the sandbox on.

Xlib: extension "RANDR" missing on display ":99".

[2596:2596:0407/170544:ERROR:desktop_window_tree_host_x11.cc(892)] Not implemented reached in virtual void views::DesktopWindowTreeHostX11::InitModalType(ui::ModalType)

[2596:2596:0407/170545:ERROR:logging.h(808)] Failed to call method: org.freedesktop.DBus.ObjectManager.GetManagedObjects: object_path= /: org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.UnknownMethod: Method "GetManagedObjects" with signature "" on interface "org.freedesktop.DBus.ObjectManager" doesn't exist

[2596:2596:0407/170629:ERROR:chrome_browser_main_extra_parts_x11.cc(62)] X IO error received (X server probably went away)

## Without `--disable-gpu` and `--no-sandbox`

[3122:3122:0407/172728:ERROR:sandbox_linux.cc(338)] InitializeSandbox() called with multiple threads in process gpu-process

[3062:3099:0407/172728:ERROR:browser_gpu_channel_host_factory.cc(144)] Failed to create channel.

# Also tried the following

$ sudo Xvfb :1 -screen 0 1024x768x24 -ac +extension GLX +extension RANDR +render -noreset &

$ export DISPLAY=":1"

$ chromium-browser --allow-running-insecure-content --ignore-certificate-errors --ignore-urlfetcher-cert-requests --disable-gpu --no-sandbox https://admin:password@localhost

getting

[3413:3413:0407/174058:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(206)] Running without the SUID sandbox! See https://code.google.com/p/chromium/wiki/LinuxSUIDSandboxDevelopment for more information on developing with the sandbox on.

[3413:3413:0407/174058:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(256)] Gtk: cannot open display: :1

[3422:3422:0100/000000:ERROR:zygote_linux.cc(674)] write: Broken pipe

So is it even possible to run Chromium in headless mode?

Anand

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Apr 26, 2016, 4:38:36 AM4/26/16

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It should be possible. I run browser tests (which is basically chromium) all the time under xvfb using https://code.google.com/p/chromium/codesearch#chromium/src/testing/xvfb.py