Issues with NestJs and Puppeteer on Docker using Alpine Linux in AWS

Other Questions Puppeteer
1 
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?

2

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:

  1. 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.
    2. <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!

3

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:

  1. 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.
    2. <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!