What causes Puppeteer to generate multiple errors on Google Cloud while functioning perfectly on my local environment?

Other Questions Puppeteer
1

I am utilizing Puppeteer for basic text scraping, and it operates without issues on my local setup. However, upon deploying it to Google App Engine, I encounter various errors such as navigation timeouts and CONNECTION FAILED notifications, despite occasional successful runs.

Below is my code example:

import puppeteer from 'puppeteer';
import * as cheerio from 'cheerio';
import { executablePath } from 'puppeteer';
import dotenv from 'dotenv';
dotenv.config();

async function fetchData(targetUrl) {
  const headlineFormat = {
    primary: '###',
    secondary: '##'
  };

  const browserInstance = await puppeteer.launch({
    headless: true,
    executablePath: executablePath(),
    args: ['--no-sandbox', '--disable-setuid-sandbox', '--proxy-server=***', '--ignore-certificate-errors'], 
    ignoreHTTPSErrors: true
  });

  const webpage = await browserInstance.newPage();
  await webpage.authenticate({
    username: '****',
    password: '****'
  });

  await webpage.goto(targetUrl, {timeout: 70000});

  const pageContent = await webpage.content();
  const $ = cheerio.load(pageContent);

  const extractedTexts = [];
  $('h1, h2, p').each((index, element) => {
    const elementTag = $(element).prop('tagName').toLowerCase();
    const elementText = $(element).text().replace(/\s+/g, ' ');
    if (elementText) {
      const formattingPrefix = elementTag === 'h1' ? '###' : elementTag === 'h2' ? '##' : '';
      extractedTexts.push(`${formattingPrefix} ${elementText}`);
    }
  });

  await browserInstance.close();
  console.log(extractedTexts.join('\n'));
  return extractedTexts.join('\n');
}

export default fetchData;
2

When deploying Puppeteer on Google Cloud, encountering issues that don't manifest locally is common due to variations in computing environments. To address these challenges, consider the following insights:

  • Environment Variability: Cloud environments might lack certain dependencies available locally, causing discrepancies. For Puppeteer, make sure Chrome's dependencies are included in your deployment package or use a version of Puppeteer bundled with Chromium.
  • Execution Mode: While using headless: true works locally, on cloud platforms, headless modes might require extra flags due to permission policies. Ensure --no-sandbox and --disable-setuid-sandbox are present as they often resolve execution issues.
  • Authentication and Proxy: Double-check the use of proxies and authentication settings. Ensure your credentials and proxies are valid and that the destination allows cloud-based scraping.
  • Network Constraints: On cloud platforms, network configurations can differ significantly, influencing connection establishment. If applicable, try explicitly allowing or denying HTTP(S) through cloud network policies.
  • Error Handling: Incorporate try-catch blocks around critical Puppeteer operations to better diagnose errors and response latencies in Google Cloud.
try {
  await webpage.goto(targetUrl, {timeout: 70000});
} catch (error) {
  console.error('Error navigating to the page:', error);
}

Implementing these strategies can help refine the behavior of Puppeteer on Google Cloud, moving it closer to how it operates locally.

3

Hello FlyingEagle,

Running Puppeteer in cloud environments like Google App Engine can indeed cause issues not seen locally. Here are some practical steps to enhance the reliability of your Puppeteer script on Google Cloud:

  • Use Stable Puppeteer Configuration: Ensure you're using the same version of Puppeteer locally and on Google Cloud. This consistency helps in managing dependencies effectively.
  • Environment Adjustments: Use the Puppeteer version bundled with Chromium to avoid missing dependencies. The standalone version of Chrome on some platforms might lack required libraries.
  • Network and Resource Configuration: Google Cloud platform's network conditions and allocated resources vary. Make sure your App Engine has adequate resources allocated, such as enough RAM and CPU.
  • Enhance Error Diagnostics: Implement error-handling with try-catch blocks for tracking exact errors during navigation, which aids in speedy resolution.
  • Proxy and Authentication Check: Verify your proxy settings and authentication data to ensure they're not causing connection issues. Sometimes invalid proxy configurations lead to repeated connection failures.
try {
  const response = await webpage.goto(targetUrl, {timeout: 70000});
  if (!response.ok()) {
    throw new Error(`Navigation failed with status ${response.status()}`);
  }
} catch (error) {
  console.error('Error navigating to the page:', error);
}

Adapting these methods should improve your Puppeteer script's functionality on Google Cloud. Best of luck!