The Puppeteer Process constructor accepts a LaunchOptions object, but most application code should not call it directly. To start a browser, use puppeteer.launch(options), create pages through the returned Browser, and close the browser when finished. This guide explains the constructor, the public launch workflow, which options matter, package setup, and common launch failures.
What the Puppeteer Process constructor does
The documented constructor signature is constructor(opts: LaunchOptions). It creates a Process instance, a lower-level process wrapper with a child-process property and lifecycle and logging methods such as close(), kill(), hasClosed(), waitForLineOutput(), and getRecentLogs(). The constructor reference is not a complete recipe for launching a browser. See the Process constructor reference and the Process class reference.
For ordinary automation, use the public Puppeteer launch API. The constructor page reports Puppeteer 25.10.0, while the current launch-options and launch-method references report 25.12.0. Check the declarations and documentation matching the version installed in your project; option availability and defaults can change between versions.
Launch a browser through Puppeteer’s public API
Install puppeteer, then call launch(). It returns a Promise<Browser>; the browser can create pages and should be closed in a finally block so cleanup still happens if navigation or page work fails.
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- Install: run
npm i puppeteerin your project. The package downloads a compatible Chrome for Testing browser. - Launch and use: save the following as
example.mjsand runnode example.mjs.
import puppeteer from 'puppeteer';
const browser = await puppeteer.launch({
headless: true,
timeout: 30_000,
});
try {
const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.goto('https://example.com', { waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' });
console.log(await page.title());
} finally {
await browser.close();
}The official launch method reference documents the public launch workflow. The installation guide lists equivalent Yarn, pnpm, and Bun commands.
Choose between puppeteer and puppeteer-core
| Choice | Browser installation | What to specify when launching | Best fit | Compatibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
puppeteer |
Downloads a compatible Chrome for Testing browser and chrome-headless-shell. |
Usually no executable path is needed for the bundled browser. | Local development or automation where Puppeteer can manage its browser download. | Puppeteer guarantees best compatibility with its bundled Chrome for Testing. |
puppeteer-core |
Does not download a browser. | When launching a managed browser, provide executablePath or a channel installed in a standard location. |
Remote-browser connections or environments where you manage the browser yourself. | Arbitrary custom executables may work, but compatibility is not guaranteed. |
The distinction and executable requirements are described in the installation guide and launch reference. If you connect to an already-running browser rather than launching one, Browser.process() returns null; for a browser Puppeteer launched, it returns the associated Node.js ChildProcess. See Browser.process().
Select launch options for your environment
LaunchOptions extends ConnectOptions. The current reference is for 25.12.0. Start with only the options that address your browser source, display mode, profile, or process behavior; add specialized settings when your use case requires them. The full LaunchOptions reference documents the complete interface.
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Choose the browser binary
browserselects the browser type and defaults tochrome.channelselects a regular Chrome installation at a known system location.executablePathpoints to a specific binary instead of Puppeteer’s bundled browser. The documentation advises settingbrowsertoo when using a custom executable and warns that compatibility with arbitrary binaries is not guaranteed.
Choose headless or visible operation
headlessdefaults totrue, which means the new headless mode.- Set
headless: 'shell'to use the old headless shell. devtools: trueforcesheadless: false, so the browser runs visibly.
Adjust browser arguments and profile
argsadds command-line arguments to the browser process. Use it for a specific browser flag your environment requires.ignoreDefaultArgscan disable or filter Puppeteer’s standard arguments. Use it cautiously because removing defaults can break assumptions Puppeteer makes when controlling the browser.userDataDirchooses the browser profile directory. Use distinct directories when separate runs must not share profile state; consider how your own cleanup policy handles profile data.envsets environment variables visible to the browser process and defaults toprocess.env.
Set startup, diagnostics, and shutdown behavior
timeoutsets the launch timeout in milliseconds. It defaults to 30,000; set it to0to disable that timeout.waitForInitialPagedefaults totrueand controls whether launch waits for the initial page.dumpiodefaults tofalse. Set it totrueto pipe browser stdout and stderr to Node.js streams, which can help diagnose startup problems.handleSIGHUP,handleSIGINT, andhandleSIGTERMdefault totrueand control whether Puppeteer handles those signals for browser shutdown.signallets an abort signal close the browser.pipeuses stdio streams instead of a WebSocket transport and is documented as Chrome-only.
Firefox preferences, extension settings, and protocol connection settings are also available for particular scenarios, but they are not needed in a routine Chrome launch. Confirm their types and behavior in the reference for your installed version before relying on them.
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The current Puppeteer system-requirements page lists Node.js 22.12 or later and, when using TypeScript, TypeScript 5.0.1 or later. Requirements can also vary with operating system and browser; consult the system requirements for your target environment.
Puppeteer downloads its browser into a cache directory that defaults to $HOME/.cache/puppeteer beginning with Puppeteer 19.0.0. The installation guide gives approximate Chrome for Testing download sizes of 170 MB on macOS, 282 MB on Linux, and 280 MB on Windows; these are documentation estimates, not fixed sizes for every release. Allow disk space and network access for the browser download, as well as the archive utilities required by your platform.
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Troubleshoot common launch failures
“Could not find Chrome (ver. …)”
The browser download may have been skipped because a package manager blocked dependency install scripts. Run npx puppeteer browsers install manually, or configure the package manager to permit Puppeteer’s install script, then retry. The official installation guide covers browser installation.
A custom browser executable will not start or behave as expected
Check that executablePath points to an installed browser binary for the correct operating system and architecture. Puppeteer guarantees compatibility with its bundled Chrome for Testing, not arbitrary executables. If you do use a custom path, follow the launch reference’s recommendation to set browser as well.
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First check whether the browser binary exists and can run in the target environment, then enable dumpio: true to inspect its output. Increase timeout only if startup is valid but needs longer than the 30-second default; setting it to 0 disables the launch timeout rather than fixing a missing binary or other startup error.
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The browser remains open after work completes
Close the Browser returned by launch() with await browser.close(), preferably in a finally block. Do not confuse that public browser lifecycle with directly constructing a lower-level Process object.
Or skip the browser setup
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does Puppeteer require directly calling the Process constructor to launch Chrome?
No. Use the public puppeteer.launch(options) workflow for routine browser automation.
What does Browser.process() return after connecting to an existing browser?
It returns null when Puppeteer connected to a browser that was already running.
Quick Recap
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