I’m looking for a proper headless browser solution that works with C# and .NET projects. I need something that can handle JavaScript execution on the client side and can be integrated by adding a reference to my project.
I’ve been searching around and found several packages mentioned in various discussions, but many of them seem to have issues. Some people complain that certain solutions aren’t truly headless, which is exactly what I’m trying to avoid.
I already tested WatiN but it doesn’t run in headless mode, so that’s not what I need. What I’m looking for is a library that I can import as an assembly, runs completely headless without any GUI, and has full JavaScript support for dynamic web content.
Are there any reliable alternatives that meet these requirements? I want to make sure I pick something that actually works headless before spending time on implementation.
Here’s a different take - embedding browser libraries directly into C# apps creates way more problems than it’s worth.
You’ll deal with browser binary management, version updates, memory leaks from bad disposal, and deployment nightmares across environments. Your app gets locked to whatever browser engine you choose.
I ditched this approach completely. Now I handle headless browsing through external automation workflows that my C# apps talk to via HTTP calls.
Set up workflows in Latenode that run headless Chrome, execute JavaScript, handle dynamic content, and send structured data back. Your C# code stays clean and just makes API requests.
No NuGet dependencies for browser stuff, no memory issues, and easy scaling for multiple pages. The workflows handle browser complexity while your app focuses on business logic.
Need different browsers or updated JavaScript handling? Change the workflow without touching your C# code. Way cleaner than bundling browser engines into your app.
I’ve hit this exact problem multiple times in enterprise projects. Traditional browser automation libraries always have some weird quirk that’ll bite you.
After banging my head against Selenium, Playwright, and others - they’re solid for testing but become a total nightmare for reliable headless automation at scale.
Game changer: build this as an automated workflow instead of hardcoding browser libraries into your app. I handle all my headless browsing through Latenode now. Set up workflows that run headless Chrome, execute JavaScript, scrape dynamic content, and return results to your C# app via APIs.
This keeps your C# application clean. No browser dependencies, version conflicts, or headless mode failures. Just HTTP calls to your automation workflows.
I’ve got workflows running 24/7 handling complex JavaScript-heavy sites, managing sessions, dealing with timeouts, and auto-retrying failed attempts. Your .NET app sends requests and gets clean data back.
When requirements change or you need different browsers, modify the workflow without touching your application code.
chromeDriver with selenium works fine headless. Just add the --headless flag and ur good. I been using it for months on js-heavy sites, no gui issues. easy setup via nuget and the perfomance is solid for lots of projects.
Try HtmlAgilityPack with CefSharp.OffScreen if you need full Chromium rendering. I hit similar headless requirements last year and this combo worked great for complex JavaScript stuff. CefSharp.OffScreen gives you real headless Chromium with full V8 support, while HtmlAgilityPack handles DOM parsing efficiently. Takes more setup than some options, but you get proper headless execution without visual components. Memory usage is higher than lighter solutions, but JavaScript compatibility is excellent. Just make sure you dispose browser instances properly to avoid memory leaks on long-running operations. Both NuGet packages integrate cleanly into .NET projects without external dependencies.
PuppeteerSharp is worth checking out. I switched to it after dealing with the same headless reliability issues you’re facing. It’s basically Google’s Puppeteer wrapped for .NET - no Node.js needed. The headless mode actually works headless (no phantom windows or GUI stuff popping up). Handles all the JavaScript I’ve tested, including heavy AJAX apps and complex DOM stuff. NuGet install is easy, just make sure you set up the browser download path right for deployment. It’s consistently faster than Selenium in my tests. The API feels natural if you’re used to C#, and error handling doesn’t surprise you like other headless tools.
Playwright for .NET has been rock solid in my production apps. I switched after hitting the same issues you’re dealing with using other tools. The Microsoft.Playwright package drops right into .NET projects and gives you true headless execution - no browser windows popping up. The JavaScript handling really impressed me. I’ve scraped dynamic content from SPAs and complex web apps where everything loads async, and it just works reliably. The API’s straightforward and docs are solid. You’ll need to run playwright install after adding the NuGet package to grab the browser binaries, but after that it’s smooth sailing. Performance’s been great, plus you get multiple browser engines if you need flexibility down the road.