Best Headless Browsers of 2024 — Tested!

There are many headless options available. These include headless versions of popular browsers like Chrome and Firefox and tools that simulate different browsers. Understanding the benefits of headless testing can help you improve your development process. You can choose the best tools for your web development and testing needs by exploring these options.

Headless browsers can improve your workflow, making it easier to detect issues early and ensure your site meets users’ expectations. This approach helps you deliver a smoother and more reliable web experience.

Basics of Headless Browsers

Headless browsing might sound strange, but it’s a browser without a visual interface. Instead of testing a site using graphical elements, you use a command-line interface to automate and test tasks.

I use headless browsers for several purposes. They are great for:

• Website and application testing
• JavaScript library testing
• Simulating JavaScript interactions
• Running automated UI tests in the background

These tasks help me ensure that common website actions work smoothly. They also help identify potential issues with UI and UX. In today’s web environment, the end user’s experience is crucial. Therefore, fixing as many bugs as possible before launching a site is essential.

Using headless browsers makes it easier to catch problems early, ensuring a better user experience. This method allows me to deliver a reliable and smooth web experience.

Common Use Cases for Headless Testing

What should you test with headless browsers? Focus on the most frequent actions users might take on a page. Every time a user types, clicks, or interacts with an element, there’s a chance something could go wrong. Finding and fixing these issues during testing is better than dealing with complaints later.

In a headless testing environment, you can write and run scripts to:

• Test basic and alternative user flows
• Simulate clicks on links and buttons
• Automate form filling and submission
• Test SSL performance
• Experiment with different server loads
• Get reports on page response times
• Scrape useful website data (For enhanced scraping, consider using residential proxies)
• Take screenshots of test results

Testing these use cases gives you a clear picture of how a site’s UI performs. It also provides essential information for making improvements before the site goes live. Choosing the right headless browser is key to efficient and effective testing.

Choosing the Most Popular Headless Browsers of 2024

Today’s websites have many complex use cases that developers didn’t have to consider in the past. With a greater focus on user engagement, there are more interactive elements. E-commerce sites, especially, need complex multi-level flows for smooth navigation. Any issue that disrupts a user’s experience can harm the site’s success.

When evaluating popular headless browsers, you must consider a few things. You need a lightweight solution that doesn’t drain resources so it can run in the background without slowing down your work. However, it must also be capable of executing all the necessary tests to simulate user actions.

Headless Chrome

Headless Chrome is a powerful tool for developers. From version 59 onwards, Chrome can be run in headless mode, leveraging the Chromium and Blink rendering engine. This headless browser is efficient and uses less memory.

With Headless Chrome, you can:

• Test different levels of navigation
• Collect page data
• Capture screenshots
• Create PDFs

Navigation is crucial in modern websites, especially with the rise of mobile users. Headless Chrome helps ensure smooth user movement across a site. It allows you to collect reports and images, showing how the site performs. This information is valuable for making UI improvements.

Headless Chrome helps developers optimize website navigation, provide a better user experience, and test and improve site performance. It’s an essential asset for any web developer.

Firefox Headless Mode

With the launch of version 56, Firefox introduced support for headless testing. Developers can now use several APIs to run Firefox in headless mode and test various scenarios without other tools.

Headless Firefox can be controlled by:

• Selenium
• SlimmerJS
• W3C WebDriver

Many developers prefer Selenium for headless Firefox testing and automation. However, you can use any API you are comfortable with for scripting and running basic unit tests.

Headless Firefox is valuable for testing user interactions on modern websites. It allows developers to examine each element individually. This helps identify and fix issues within complex flows that users might struggle to report.

Using Firefox in headless mode simplifies the development process. It ensures smooth user experiences by resolving problems in specific interactions. This makes headless Firefox a powerful tool for developers working on web projects.

Zombie.js

Credit: Slant.co

Zombie.js is a lightweight framework for testing client-side JavaScript in a simulated environment without a browser. It works with Node.js versions 4–6, and the current version is Zombie 5.x.

Some benefits of Zombie.js include:

• Integration with Node.js projects.
• A fully featured API.
• High speed.

Zombie.js also provides a set of assertions that can be accessed directly from the browser object. For instance, you can use an assertion to check if a page has loaded successfully. Additionally, Zombie.js includes methods to handle cookies, tabs, authentication, and more. This makes it a versatile tool for various testing needs.

Whether you need to manage cookies, open new tabs, or handle user authentication, Zombie.js has the methods to support your requirements efficiently.

PhantomJS

PhantomJS is designed to handle the complexities of modern web testing using simple command-line tools. This headless WebKit can be scripted through the JavaScript API and uses CasperJS for testing. PhantomJS can simulate full navigation scenarios, helping identify where users might encounter errors while browsing.

PhantomJS supports multiple web standards, making it a robust tool. Its features include page automation, network monitoring, and simulating various user interactions. This makes it ideal for:

• Testing navigation
• Simulating user behavior
• Working with assertions
• Taking screenshots

PhantomJS is open source, adding to its appeal. Released in 2011, it continues to receive updates from dedicated developers. For more information and to access the latest updates, visit the official GitHub repository.

Playwright

Playwright is a powerful headless browser developed by Microsoft, which you probably already know. It supports multiple browsers, including Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit, making it a versatile tool for developers. Playwright can run browser tests in headless mode and provides a rich set of APIs for automated testing and web scraping.

Playwright is ideal for:

• Cross-browser testing
• Automating user interactions
• Taking screenshots and generating PDFs
• Intercepting network requests and modifying responses
• Handling multi-page scenarios

Playwright allows you to simulate a variety of user interactions, making it a comprehensive tool for ensuring your web applications perform well across different browsers and platforms. Its support for multiple browsers and ease of integration with testing frameworks like Jest and Mocha makes Playwright a preferred choice for modern web development.

Due to its extensive feature set and reliability, Playwright is a valuable addition to any developer’s toolkit, ensuring seamless and efficient testing and automation.

Final Words

These headless browsers are just a few of the options available to developers. Comparing the first five headless browsers with Google Trends shows that Playwright remains one of the most popular choices.

Headless browser trends indicate variety, allowing you to try different tools for various use cases. I recommend trying multiple headless browsers to see which works best for your needs. Each browser offers different features, so experimenting with a few can help you find the perfect fit.

Headless browsers can handle everything from basic interactions to complex automated processes. They provide a solid framework to optimize the user interface and user experience for any site you develop. These tools will ensure that your website is thoroughly tested and performs well.

Got any questions or suggestions? Let me know in the comments!