How to Run Browsers in Headless Mode#

What Is Headless?#

Headless simply means that the browser runs in the background without being visible on the screen. This is also more efficient because it uses fewer resources, while headless browsers often are faster.

How to Configure#

The default setting for headless is False in BrowserSettings. Simply alter this to True, and now your browser driver runs in headless mode:

Python
from browserist import Browser, BrowserSettings

settings = BrowserSettings(headless=True)

with Browser(settings) as browser:
    browser.open.url("https://example.com")

Note

Not all browsers support headless mode, for instance Safari and Internet Explorer.

Advantages and Disadvantages#

When you want to run an automated browser in the background while doing something else, headless mode is a good option. Also, headless mode often is faster and takes up less resources now that the browser doesn't have to render a window on the screen.

In the other hand, the disadvantage is obviously that you can't observe what the browser is doing.

Tip

Not all websites support interaction with an automated browser in headless mode. Sometimes you then need to revert back to the default non-headless mode.

Standardised Settings Across Browser Types#

If you want a headless browser with Selenium, you typically would use different settings from browser to browser. Browserist solves this problem so that settings for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, etc. are standardised.

For example, you can easily scale test runs across different browsers in a lightweight, headless configuration:

Python
from browserist import Browser, BrowserSettings, BrowserType

chrome = BrowserSettings(type=BrowserType.CHROME, headless=True)
edge = BrowserSettings(type=BrowserType.EDGE, headless=True)
firefox = BrowserSettings(type=BrowserType.FIREFOX, headless=True)

for settings in [chrome, edge, firefox]:
    with Browser(settings) as browser:
        browser.open.url("https://example.com")