Implement initial MVP for Docker-based browser management in Crawl4ai, enabling
remote browser execution in containerized environments.
Key Changes:
- Add browser_farm module with Docker support components:
* BrowserFarmService: Manages browser endpoints
* DockerBrowser: Handles Docker browser communication
* Basic health check implementation
* Dockerfile with optimized Chrome/Playwright setup:
- Based on python:3.10-slim for minimal size
- Includes all required system dependencies
- Auto-installs crawl4ai and sets up Playwright
- Configures Chrome with remote debugging
- Uses socat for port forwarding (9223)
- Update core components:
* Rename use_managed_browser to use_remote_browser for clarity
* Modify BrowserManager to support Docker mode
* Add Docker configuration in BrowserConfig
* Update context handling for remote browsers
- Add example:
* hello_world_docker.py demonstrating Docker browser usage
Technical Details:
- Docker container exposes port 9223 (mapped to host:9333)
- Uses CDP (Chrome DevTools Protocol) for remote connection
- Maintains compatibility with existing managed browser features
- Simplified endpoint management for MVP phase
- Optimized Docker setup:
* Minimal dependencies installation
* Proper Chrome flags for containerized environment
* Headless mode with GPU disabled
* Security considerations (no-sandbox mode)
Testing:
- Extensive Docker configuration testing and optimization
- Verified with hello_world_docker.py example
- Confirmed remote browser connection and crawling functionality
- Tested basic health checks
This is the first step towards a scalable browser farm solution, setting up
the foundation for future enhancements like resource monitoring, multiple
browser instances, and container lifecycle management.
- Added detailed CrawlerRunConfig parameters documentation.
- Introduced plans for real-time event-driven crawling.
- Updated async logger default level to DEBUG for better insights.
- Improved structure and readability in configuration file.
- Enhanced documentation on future capabilities in new blog entries.
Major changes:
- Add browser takeover feature using CDP for authentic browsing
- Implement Docker support with full API server documentation
- Enhance Mockdown with tag preservation system
- Improve parallel crawling performance
This release focuses on authenticity and scalability, introducing the ability
to use users' own browsers while providing containerized deployment options.
Breaking changes include modified browser handling and API response structure.
See CHANGELOG.md for detailed migration guide.
