browsh README

The project's README from github.com/browsh-org/browsh. As one markdown file: README.md.

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Browsh Logo

A fully interactive, real-time, and modern text-based browser rendered to TTYs and browsers

Browsh GIF

Why use Browsh?

Not all the world has good Internet.

If you only have a 3kbps internet connection tethered from a phone, then it's good to SSH into a server and browse the web through, say, elinks. That way the server downloads the web pages and uses the limited bandwidth of an SSH connection to display the result. However, traditional text-based browsers lack JS and all other modern HTML5 support. Browsh is different in that it's backed by a real browser, namely headless Firefox, to create a purely text-based version of web pages and web apps. These can be easily rendered in a terminal or indeed, ironically, in another browser. Do note that currently the browser client doesn't have feature parity with the terminal client.

Why not VNC? Well VNC is certainly one solution but it doesn't quite have the same ability to deal with extremely bad Internet. Terminal Browsh can also use MoSH to further reduce bandwidth and increase stability of the connection. Mosh offers features like automatic reconnection of dropped or roamed connections and diff-only screen updates. Furthermore, other than SSH or MoSH, terminal Browsh doesn't require a client like VNC.

One final reason to use terminal Browsh could be to offload the battery-drain of a modern browser from your laptop or low-powered device like a Raspberry Pi. If you're a CLI-native, then you could potentially get a few more hours of life if your CPU-hungry browser is running somewhere else on mains electricity.

Installation

Download a binary from the releases (~11MB). You will need to have Firefox already installed.

Or download and run the Docker image (~230MB) with: docker run --rm -it browsh/browsh

Usage

Most keys and mouse gestures should work as you'd expect on a desktop browser.

For full documentation click here.

Development

The Firefox Web Extension

This is needed to run essential JS inside web pages so that they render in a way that Browsh can consume.

You will need to install nodejs, usually available from your OS package manager. Though for development purposes the recommended method is with https://mise.jdx.dev.

Then in the webext directory

The browsh Golang code

You will need to install go, usually available from your OS package manager. Though for development purposes the recommended method is with https://mise.jdx.dev.

Then in the interfacer directory

Logs will be available in interfacer/debug.log

Tests

For the webextension: in webext/ folder, npm test
For CLI unit tests: in /interfacer run go test src/browsh/*.go
For CLI E2E tests: in /interfacer run go test test/tty/*.go
For HTTP Service tests: in /interfacer run go test test/http-server/*.go

Special Thanks

Donating

Please consider donating: https://www.brow.sh/donate

License

GNU Lesser General Public License v2.1

browsh (browsh-org/browsh)

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19.1K ·GitHub
Browsh
What is this?Browsh is a fully modern text-based browser: it renders real web pages and web apps as pure text in your terminal, with a headless Firefox doing the actual browsing behind the scenes.
So is this like elinks or w3m, or something else?The idea is similar, but classic text browsers lack JS and modern HTML5. Browsh is backed by a real browser (headless Firefox), so full modern pages and web apps work — they just come out as text.
How do I get it running?Download a ~11MB binary from the releases page (Firefox must already be installed on the machine), or skip the install entirely with the ~230MB Docker image: docker run --rm -it browsh/browsh
It can render into a normal browser too — is that experience on par with the terminal?Not yet: the README warns that the browser client doesn't have feature parity with the terminal client, so the terminal is where you get the full experience.
Why would anyone browse the web through a terminal?Mainly people on very slow links: you SSH into a server, Browsh downloads full pages there, and only text crosses your connection. It also offloads battery-draining browser work from a laptop or a low-powered Raspberry Pi.
Can I run it over Mosh instead of plain SSH?Yes. Terminal Browsh can use Mosh to cut bandwidth further and keep the session stable: dropped or roamed connections reconnect automatically, and only screen diffs get sent.
Why not just use VNC on a bad connection?The README's own argument: VNC can't cope with extremely bad Internet, while terminal Browsh needs nothing but SSH or Mosh on the client side. As a bonus, your CPU-hungry browser runs on mains power somewhere else.
What is Browsh built with under the hood?Two parts: a Firefox web extension (JavaScript, built with npm and webpack) that runs essential JS inside pages so Browsh can consume them, and a Go 'interfacer' you can run with go run ./cmd/browsh --debug.
What are similar projects?carbonyl, camofox-browser, xterm.js, hqtui, ArchiveBox, Surge, gotty, labtether
Which topics is it in?tty, vnc, firefox, headless, raspberry-pi, ssh, tui, browser, performance, go, terminal, tool
Creator
browsh-org
Size
7.8 MB
Stars
19.1K
Updated
CommitJul 11Releasev1.8.3Jan 29
Age
10y
Commits · 90 Days