const browserInstance = await puppeteer.start({
execPath: process.env.EXECUTABLE_PATH_PUPPETEER,
options: ['--no-sandbox', '--disable-setuid-sandbox'],
});
const newPage = await browserInstance.createPage();
I’m implementing this code in a NestJs service. In my AWS setup, I specified EXECUTABLE_PATH_PUPPETEER: /usr/bin/chromium-browser
, but I encounter an error:
Failed to generate PDF: Browser was not found at the specified executablePath (/usr/bin/chromium-browser).
During the build process using a GitLab pipeline, I installed the following:
- echo "Beginning image setup... Including necessary tools --> aws-cli, nodejs, npm"
# Install required tools
- apk add --no-cache aws-cli nodejs npm
- apk update
- apk add --no-cache chromium nss freetype harfbuzz ca-certificates -ttf-freefont
- chromium --version
- which chromium-browser
The command which chromium-browser
returns /usr/bin/chromium-browser
, and chromium --version
shows Chromium 131.0.6778.85 Alpine Linux
. Despite trying numerous solutions, the initial error persists. I’ve set the environment variable to both /usr/bin/chromium-browser
and /usr/bin/chromium
, and I experimented with headless: true
in puppeteer.start()
. Any suggestions?
To resolve the issue with Puppeteer not recognizing the Chromium executable in your Alpine Linux Docker setup, you can try the following steps to ensure proper configuration:
- Verify Executable Path: Make sure the executable path in your environment variable matches exactly with the output from
which chromium
instead of chromium-browser
. In Alpine Linux, it may simply be /usr/bin/chromium
.
<li>Install Missing Dependencies: Ensure all necessary dependencies for Chromium are installed by adding the following packages to your Dockerfile or build script:
<pre><code>- apk add --no-cache udev ttf-freefont</code></pre>
<p>These are crucial for Chromium and Puppeteer to run smoothly.</p>
</li>
<li>Use Correct Options: In Puppeteer, ensure you include options that allow Chromium to operate in environments like Docker without crashes:
<pre><code>const browserInstance = await puppeteer.launch({
executablePath: '/usr/bin/chromium', // Ensure it matches here
args: ['--no-sandbox', '--disable-setuid-sandbox'],
headless: true
});
const newPage = await browserInstance.newPage();
<li>Debugging: Use Puppeteer’s debug mode to log any errors or additional information by setting the <code>PUPPETEER_DEBUG</code> environment variable to <code>true</code> before the launch. This will provide more detailed insight into where the issue might be occurring.</li>
These steps should help you resolve the error and generate PDFs without issues. Let me know how it goes!
In addition to the excellent advice provided by FlyingLeaf, there are a few more points to consider when troubleshooting issues with Puppeteer and Chromium in an Alpine Linux Docker setup:
- Update Chrome Versions: It's beneficial to ensure that the installed version of Chromium aligns with the version Puppeteer is tested against. This can often be checked and updated via Puppeteer's documentation or using a compatible release from Alpine repositories.
<li><strong>Check for Symlinks:</strong> Given the path discrepancy, ensure that there are no symbolic links causing the path confusion. You can manually verify this by checking with <code>ls -l /usr/bin/chromium-browser</code> to see if it points to <code>/usr/bin/chromium</code>.</li>
<li><strong>Adjust RAM and Swap:</strong> Build environments, especially in CI/CD pipelines, might have restricted resources. Increasing available RAM or swap space for the Docker container could alleviate silent crashes or unexpected behavior in Chromium.</li>
<li><strong>Add Puppeteer CLI Arguments:</strong> Consider additional Puppeteer arguments that are sometimes necessary in server environments. For example:
<pre><code>args: [
'--no-sandbox',
'--disable-setuid-sandbox',
'--disable-dev-shm-usage'
],
The –disable-dev-shm-usage
flag can resolve issues related to insufficient shared memory.
<li><strong>Utilize Docker Best Practices:</strong> Ensure your Docker container follows best practices, such as ensuring the container exits cleanly and resources are properly allocated. Sometimes, Docker-specific settings or optimizations can unexpectedly rectify performance or path issues.</li>
<li><strong>Environment Verification:</strong> Log the environment variables and paths inside the Docker container as a debugging aid. It could be useful to add a step in your Dockerfile or build script that writes the full environment state to a log before the Puppeteer code is run.</li>
Implementing these additional steps can often resolve complex issues when combining Puppeteer with Docker and Alpine. Keep us updated on which solution worked best for your setup!