Puppeteer manages browser processes in one of two ways: it either starts a browser with puppeteer.launch() or connects to a browser started elsewhere with puppeteer.connect(). If Puppeteer launched it, use await browser.close() to shut it down gracefully. If another process owns it, use browser.disconnect() to detach without stopping the browser. Choosing the right cleanup method prevents a client from terminating a browser that other work still needs.
Choose the lifecycle based on who owns the browser
| Situation | Use | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Your Node.js application starts and owns the browser. | puppeteer.launch(), then await browser.close() during cleanup. |
Puppeteer shuts down the browser it launched gracefully. |
| A service or another process owns the browser. | puppeteer.connect(), then browser.disconnect() when your client is finished. |
The Puppeteer client detaches; the browser and its pages remain running. |
| You need to inspect the process for a browser Puppeteer launched. | browser.process() |
Returns a Node.js ChildProcess. For a connected browser, it returns null. |
The key question is not simply whether your code can reach a browser. It is whether your code owns the browser’s lifecycle and is responsible for stopping or restarting it. Puppeteer’s browser management guide describes the launch and connection models.
Start a browser with Puppeteer
Call puppeteer.launch(options) to start a browser and receive a Browser handle. This is the straightforward choice when the Node.js application should control the browser process and its lifetime.
const puppeteer = require('puppeteer');
async function main() {
const browser = await puppeteer.launch();
try {
const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.goto('https://example.com');
console.log(await page.title());
} finally {
await browser.close();
}
}
main().catch(error => {
console.error(error);
process.exitCode = 1;
});The finally block makes cleanup run whether page work succeeds or throws. For a long-running application, put browser cleanup in the application’s coordinated shutdown path rather than closing the browser after each task if it is meant to serve multiple tasks.
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Configure how the browser starts
The launch options can select the browser executable or release channel, set command-line arguments and environment variables, configure the user data directory, control headless behavior, and select WebSocket or pipe transport. Puppeteer’s current generic launch-options documentation lists Chrome as the default browser, headless mode enabled by default, and a 30-second startup timeout. These are version-sensitive defaults; check the documentation for the version installed in your application before depending on them. See the LaunchOptions interface.
Puppeteer says it works best with the Chrome for Testing version it downloads by default and does not guarantee compatibility with arbitrary Chrome versions. With puppeteer-core, provide options.executablePath or options.channel; do not assume it will choose a browser binary for you. The PuppeteerNode.launch() documentation explains that distinction.
Connect to a browser started elsewhere
If a browser is managed by another process or service, connect to its browser WebSocket endpoint with puppeteer.connect(). The external launcher remains responsible for starting, supervising, and ultimately stopping that browser.
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const puppeteer = require('puppeteer');
async function main() {
const browser = await puppeteer.connect({
browserWSEndpoint: process.env.BROWSER_WS_ENDPOINT,
});
try {
const pages = await browser.pages();
console.log(`Connected; open pages: ${pages.length}`);
} finally {
// Detaches this Puppeteer client; it does not stop the external browser.
browser.disconnect();
}
}
main().catch(error => {
console.error(error);
process.exitCode = 1;
});Supply a valid endpoint from the process that launched the browser. Avoid calling browser.close() merely to end a client session when the browser is shared or externally managed: closing is a browser shutdown operation, while disconnecting is a client detach operation. See Puppeteer’s Browser.disconnect() documentation.
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Understand process handles and shutdown behavior
Check whether Puppeteer launched the browser
browser.process() returns the associated Node.js ChildProcess when the browser was started by Puppeteer. It returns null when the browser was reached through puppeteer.connect(), because the external launcher owns that process. Treat this as an ownership clue, not as a substitute for choosing the correct cleanup method. The API is documented at Browser.process().
Close versus disconnect
await browser.close(): gracefully closes a browser Puppeteer launched; use it when your application owns that browser and its work is finished.browser.disconnect(): detaches the Puppeteer client and leaves a connected browser running; use it when another process owns the browser or it should remain available.
Launch options enable handling for SIGHUP, SIGINT, and SIGTERM by default; the documented behavior is to close the browser process on those signals. An optional AbortSignal can also close the browser when it is aborted. If your application has its own shutdown hooks, account for Puppeteer’s signal handling so cleanup is coordinated rather than duplicated or conflicting. Details are in the launch options documentation.
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Manage browser binaries separately when needed
Browser process ownership and browser installation are related but distinct concerns. Puppeteer configuration can control downloads and cache behavior; the separate @puppeteer/browsers package provides APIs to install and uninstall browsers, list available installations, compute executable paths, and launch a managed browser. Its Process wrapper exposes the underlying Node child process, close and kill operations, closed-state inspection, and recent browser logs. Consult the Configuration interface and @puppeteer/browsers API for the installed version’s supported methods.
Troubleshoot process lifecycle problems
The browser stays open after my script finishes
If your code launched it, make sure every success and error path reaches await browser.close(). A process that is still doing useful work should instead remain open by design. If your code connected to an externally launched browser, browser.disconnect() intentionally leaves that process running; stop it through its owning service or launcher.
Disconnecting appears to stop shared browser work
browser.disconnect() detaches the Puppeteer client; it is not intended to shut down the browser. Check whether another part of your application is calling browser.close(), or whether the external owner is stopping or restarting the process. A connected browser’s browser.process() result is null, so the Puppeteer client does not hold its child-process handle.
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Launch fails or the expected browser binary is missing
Check which package you use and which executable it is configured to start. With puppeteer-core, pass an executablePath or channel. For compatibility, Puppeteer recommends its downloaded Chrome for Testing build rather than promising support for arbitrary Chrome versions. Check the version-specific launch and configuration documentation before changing binary or download settings.
Cleanup runs twice or conflicts with application shutdown
Puppeteer’s documented launch behavior handles SIGHUP, SIGINT, and SIGTERM by closing the browser, and an AbortSignal can also trigger closure. Review those settings alongside your own process signal listeners and abort handling. Assign one coordinated cleanup path responsibility for closing a Puppeteer-owned browser; do not use process-level force termination as a substitute for ordinary graceful cleanup.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does browser.disconnect() close the pages in an externally managed browser?
No. It detaches the Puppeteer client; the browser and its pages continue running unless their owner stops them.
Can browser.process() tell me who launched a connected browser?
It returns null for a browser reached through puppeteer.connect(), so it indicates that Puppeteer does not own the child-process handle; it does not identify the external launcher.
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