Browser process launch failure in Puppeteer: Troubleshooting needed

Other Questions Puppeteer
1

Hey everyone, I’m having trouble with Puppeteer. I’m trying to generate a PDF file, but I keep getting an error saying it failed to launch the browser process. The error message mentions something about ‘crashForExceptionInNonABIComplianceCodeRange’. I’m not sure what that means or how to fix it.

Here’s a simplified version of what I’m trying to do:

async function createPdf() {
  try {
    const browser = await puppeteer.launch();
    const page = await browser.newPage();
    
    await page.setContent(htmlContent);
    await page.emulateMedia('screen');
    await page.pdf({
      path: 'output/generated.pdf',
      format: 'A4',
      printBackground: true
    });
    
    console.log('PDF created successfully');
    await browser.close();
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error:', error);
  }
}

createPdf();

Has anyone encountered this issue before? Any ideas on what might be causing it or how to resolve it? Thanks in advance for any help!

2

I’ve dealt with this exact problem before, and it can be a real headache. One thing that worked for me was running Puppeteer in a Docker container. It eliminates a lot of the system-level issues that can cause these weird crashes.

If you’re not keen on using Docker, another approach is to explicitly set the executable path for Chrome. Sometimes Puppeteer struggles to find the right Chrome binary, especially on certain Linux distros. You can do this by modifying your launch options:

const browser = await puppeteer.launch({
  executablePath: '/path/to/chrome'
});

Replace ‘/path/to/chrome’ with the actual path on your system. This often resolves those cryptic error messages.

Lastly, make sure you’re not running into any permission issues. If you’re on Linux, try running your script with sudo (though be cautious with this in production).

3

hey there, i’ve run into similar issues before. have u tried updating puppeteer to the latest version? sometimes older versions can cause weird errors like that. also, check if ur using the right chromium version that’s compatible with ur puppeteer version. hope this helps!

4

I’ve encountered this issue before, and it’s often related to system-level incompatibilities. First, ensure you’re running Puppeteer on a supported OS and architecture. If that’s not the problem, try launching Puppeteer with specific arguments:

const browser = await puppeteer.launch({
  args: ['--no-sandbox', '--disable-setuid-sandbox']
});

This can bypass some security features that might be causing the crash. However, use these flags cautiously, especially in production environments. If the issue persists, consider checking your system’s available memory and CPU resources, as insufficient resources can sometimes trigger this error.