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Browser tag vs. build ID: what each identifies
A tag such as stable or canary describes a release channel, not a permanent version number. Resolve a tag to a build ID when you need to select a concrete build. The Puppeteer BrowserTag documentation lists tags including stable, beta, canary, dev, devedition, esr, latest, and nightly.
A useful binary identity is the browser, build ID, and platform together. Puppeteer’s install and executable-path APIs use a build ID intended to uniquely identify a binary and support caching. A tag is useful when you want a channel’s current build; a resolved build ID is useful when you need to pin and record a specific selection. See the InstallOptions and Options documentation.
Resolve a tag and record the selected build
Use the browser-management APIs from @puppeteer/browsers. The essential workflow is to choose a browser and platform, resolve the channel tag to a build ID, and preserve those values with your environment or build logs. API signatures can vary across package versions, so follow the reference documentation for the version you have installed.
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- Choose a channel or pin. Use a tag when you want a release channel’s current selection; use a specific build ID when you need a reproducible binary selection.
- Resolve the tag. Call
resolveBuildId()for the selected browser and tag using the API version installed in your project. The result is the build ID, not the tag itself. - Record the complete identity. Log the browser family, resolved build ID, and platform (including the relevant operating-system and architecture choice). Do not store only a channel label if later reproduction matters.
- Install or locate that build. Supply the browser, build ID, and platform to the applicable installation or executable-path API.
- Verify the launched process. Ask the running Puppeteer browser for its version string and keep that output alongside the selected build details.
Consult the @puppeteer/browsers API reference for the exact calls available in your installed release. A channel can advance over time, so resolving it again later may select a different build.
Check which browser Puppeteer actually launched
Once launched, call browser.version(). Puppeteer’s examples show strings such as HeadlessChrome/..., Chrome/..., or Firefox/.... This is useful runtime evidence of the browser name and version, but Puppeteer warns that the format may change; avoid parsing it as a permanent, stable grammar. See Browser.version().
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Compare this runtime value with your recorded browser, build ID, and platform. If they do not correspond, check which executable your launch configuration selected, whether a channel setting or explicit path is in effect, and whether the process is using the binary you installed.
Find the browser version supported by your Puppeteer release
Use Puppeteer’s supported browsers table to check the Chrome for Testing and Firefox versions mapped to Puppeteer releases. Do not assume an arbitrary browser version is compatible. If the exact Puppeteer release is not listed, the documentation says its supported browser version is the one listed for the immediately prior Puppeteer version.
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Puppeteer tests and guarantees Chrome for Testing binaries. Other browser providers are not officially supported; if you use a custom or system-provided binary, compatibility testing, feature validation, maintenance, and cross-platform version consistency are your responsibility. The @puppeteer/browsers documentation describes this support boundary.
Configure browser selection with puppeteer-core
Unlike the standard Puppeteer setup that uses its bundled browser configuration, puppeteer-core requires an explicit executablePath or channel at launch. The API documents this requirement in PuppeteerNode and LaunchOptions.
- Choose
executablePathwhen you have installed a specific binary and need to point Puppeteer to that file. - Choose
channelwhen selecting through a supported release channel is the intended behavior. - For the documented guaranteed configuration, use Puppeteer’s bundled browser. Treat other executable paths as your compatibility responsibility.
Compare browser-build choices consistently
When reviewing two candidate builds, compare the properties that determine what will actually run:
- Selection: moving channel tag or pinned build ID.
- Browser family: for example, Chrome for Testing or Firefox.
- Platform: the target operating system and architecture.
- Puppeteer compatibility: the mapping for the installed Puppeteer version.
- Provider: Chrome for Testing or a custom/system provider with user-validated compatibility.
Troubleshoot mismatched or unexpected builds
- The browser changed between runs: you may have selected a moving channel tag. Resolve it and record the resulting build ID, or explicitly select a pinned build.
- The version string does not look as expected: inspect the launched executable and configured channel. Treat
browser.version()as runtime evidence, not as a guaranteed string format. - The browser launches but behaves incompatibly: check the supported-browser mapping for your Puppeteer release. If using a custom provider, validate the required features and platforms yourself.
puppeteer-corecannot select a browser: configure eitherexecutablePathorchannelin launch options.- A recorded build will not reproduce elsewhere: verify that the record includes browser family and platform as well as build ID, and that the same executable is being installed and launched.
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