Question 1

How to install Browsershot on a server without root access?

Accepted Answer

It's challenging because Browsershot requires Node.js and Puppeteer, which often need system-level installations. Consider using Docker or a managed service, or fall back to the older v2 version that uses Chrome CLI if Node isn't available.

Question 2

Browsershot vs wkhtmltopdf for PHP PDF generation?

Accepted Answer

Browsershot uses modern Chrome for accurate JavaScript rendering but requires Node and is heavier. wkhtmltopdf is lighter and easier to install but may not handle complex JavaScript pages as well. Choose Browsershot for dynamic content, wkhtmltopdf for simplicity.

Question 3

Can Browsershot capture screenshots of password-protected pages?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but you'll need to handle authentication programmatically, such as by logging in via Puppeteer methods or setting cookies. The README doesn't provide built-in auth helpers, so custom scripting is required.

Question 4

How to set custom viewport sizes in Browsershot?

Accepted Answer

Use the setOption() method or dedicated methods like windowSize() from the documentation. For example, Browsershot::url()->windowSize(1920, 1080)->save() sets the viewport to 1920x1080 pixels before capture.

Question 5

Does Browsershot work well with Laravel queues?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but be cautious of memory leaks and long runtimes. Since headless Chrome can be resource-heavy, ensure your queue workers have sufficient memory and timeouts adjusted, and consider limiting concurrency.

Question 6

What are the alternatives if Puppeteer installation fails?

Accepted Answer

The README mentions v2 which uses Chrome headless CLI (less maintained) and v1 with PhantomJS (abandoned). For a PHP-native option, consider libraries like Dompdf or TCPDF, though they lack JavaScript execution.

Browsershot

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