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If a PHP Browsershot screenshot times out, first identify what timed out: the PHP-side browser process, a Puppeteer navigation, a browser protocol operation, or a page-readiness wait. Then check that Chromium can reach the target URL from its own runtime environment, confirm the page’s readiness condition and installed versions, and adjust only the matching timeout. A longer timeout will not fix a URL Chromium cannot reach or a wait condition that never becomes true.
Identify which timeout occurred
Save the complete exception and command output before changing configuration. Similar-looking failures can come from different layers, and Browsershot exposes separate settings for its process timeout and the browser protocol timeout. Puppeteer also has a navigation timeout API. A message such as “Navigation timeout of 30000 ms exceeded” points to the navigation path; it does not, by itself, prove that PHP’s process timeout is too short.
- PHP-side process: Browsershot’s script or process may exceed its allowed runtime.
- Navigation: Chromium is still navigating, or the configured navigation/readiness condition has not completed.
- Protocol operation: A browser communication operation exceeded its own limit.
- Page readiness: A selector, JavaScript condition, delay, or network-idle condition is still waiting.
Browsershot’s timeout() accepts seconds and converts that value to milliseconds for its browser script; protocolTimeout() is a distinct setting. Check the API and defaults in the installed-version source, since they can change between releases.
Check that Chromium can reach the target URL
A URL opening in your desktop browser does not establish that the process running Chromium can reach it. The screenshot browser may run in a container, worker, or server with different DNS, networking, certificates, credentials, and ports.
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- Confirm the hostname resolves from the machine or container that runs Chromium.
- Check that the target port is open and that the application is serving requests in that environment.
- Inspect authentication, redirects, and TLS certificate behavior.
- For
localhost, establish which machine or container “localhost” refers to. It may not be the machine where you opened the URL manually.
A Browsershot community discussion documents an individual localhost case with the error “Navigation timeout of 30000 ms exceeded.” Its suggested PHP built-in server adjustment is to increase PHP_CLI_SERVER_WORKERS so the server can process more than one request. Treat that as a case-specific possibility, not a universal Browsershot requirement: it applies only if your deployment uses the PHP built-in server and the request flow matches the reported issue. See the discussion and context.
Use a readiness condition that matches the page
Waiting for network activity to stop can be a poor fit for pages with persistent connections, analytics, polling, or other ongoing requests. Browsershot offers strict and non-strict network-idle modes, networkidle0 and networkidle2, as well as waitForSelector() and waitForFunction(). Choose the condition that represents the content you actually need in the screenshot.
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- Use a selector when the page exposes a reliable element only after the relevant content renders.
- Use a function when readiness is represented by application state rather than a single element.
- Use network idle only when the page’s network behavior makes that a meaningful completion signal.
- Use a fixed delay only when you have a known timing need and no better signal; a delay can still be too short or waste time.
Browsershot’s available options are documented in its source. Puppeteer documents navigation timeout behavior in Page.setDefaultNavigationTimeout() and navigation in Page.goto().
Verify installed versions and browser paths
Confirm that Node.js, Puppeteer, and Chrome or Chromium are installed and executable in the environment where PHP runs. Check any custom Node, module, or browser binary paths and verify executable permissions. Do not assume configuration copied from a different Browsershot release applies to your application.
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The Browsershot changelog says version 5.0.0 requires Puppeteer 23.0 or higher, and that protocol-timeout options were added in 4.2.0. These are release-specific compatibility details; check the changelog alongside the version actually installed in your project.
Increase only the timeout for the failing layer
Once the URL is reachable, dependencies are compatible, and the wait condition can complete, increase the timeout that corresponds to the failure. The current Browsershot source defines a 60-second default process timeout and converts timeout($seconds) to milliseconds for the browser option; verify those details against your installed version rather than treating them as permanent defaults.
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- For a genuinely slow but successful browser-script operation, adjust Browsershot’s
timeout(). - For a browser protocol operation, use the separate
protocolTimeout()setting available in supported versions. - For navigation, review the navigation wait and Puppeteer navigation-timeout behavior rather than assuming the PHP process limit is responsible.
Increasing a limit is reasonable when the operation is valid and predictably needs more time. It will not repair an unreachable URL, missing browser executable, incompatible dependency, or readiness condition that never becomes true.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Keep Chrome CLI timeout advice separate
Chrome’s standalone headless command-line --timeout flag controls when that CLI captures content, even if the page is still loading. It is not the same setting as Browsershot’s PHP API timeout. If you are invoking Chrome directly, consult the Chrome Headless command-line reference; do not apply that flag as though it changed Browsershot’s own timeout.
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Or skip the browser setup
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Quick Recap
Troubleshooting checklist
| Symptom | What to check | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| “Navigation timeout of 30000 ms exceeded” | URL reachability from Chromium, redirects, authentication, TLS, and the navigation/readiness condition. | Fix access or choose a completion signal that can become true; then adjust the relevant navigation limit if the valid page needs more time. |
| Only localhost targets fail | Which host or container owns localhost, whether the server is reachable there, and whether the PHP built-in server is handling concurrent requests. |
Correct the target address or server flow. Consider PHP_CLI_SERVER_WORKERS only when the built-in-server case matches. |
| Network-idle wait never finishes | Persistent requests such as polling, analytics, or open connections. | Wait for a reliable selector or application state instead. |
Timeout persists after increasing timeout() |
Whether the failure is navigation, protocol, readiness, or access-related rather than the process limit. | Set the matching timeout only after resolving reachability and dependency problems. |
| Browser fails to launch or behavior differs by environment | Node.js, Puppeteer, Chrome/Chromium versions, custom paths, and executable permissions in the PHP runtime. | Install compatible dependencies and correct paths and permissions; verify the Browsershot version and its changelog. |
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