Getting Started with Cloud Browser

Cloud Browser provides remote browser sessions accessible via WebSocket using the Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP). Connect with Puppeteer, Playwright, Selenium, or AI agent frameworks like Browser Use, Stagehand, and Vibium.

Beta Feature: Cloud Browser is currently in beta and available to staff members only.

Key Features

Remote Browser Sessions

Access real Chrome browsers running in the cloud via CDP WebSocket connections

Proxy Integration

Choose between datacenter or residential proxy networks for geo-targeting

OS Fingerprinting

Emulate Windows, macOS, or Linux browser environments

Session Persistence

Maintain browser state across multiple connections with session resume

Human-in-the-Loop

Take manual control of sessions for debugging and CAPTCHA solving

Debug Mode

Record sessions as videos for debugging and analysis

WebSocket Connection

Connect to Cloud Browser using a CDP-compatible WebSocket URL with your API key and optional parameters:

Connection Parameters

Parameter Required Default Description
api_key Yes - Your Scrapfly API key for authentication
proxy_pool No datacenter Proxy network type: datacenter or residential
os No random Operating system fingerprint: linux, windows, or macos
browser_brand No chrome Chromium-based browser brand used for fingerprint generation. Valid values: chrome, edge, brave, opera. Invalid values are silently dropped and the default applies.
session No - Optional session identifier for maintaining browser state across connections. See Session Resume.
country No - Proxy country code (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2), e.g., us, uk, de
auto_close No true Automatically stop the browser session when the CDP connection disconnects. Set to false to keep the browser alive for reconnection.
timeout No 900 Maximum session duration in seconds (15 minutes default, 30 minutes max).
debug No false Enable session recording for debugging. See Debug Mode.
block_images No false Stub image requests with a transparent 1x1 pixel. Reduces bandwidth while remaining invisible to anti-bot systems.
block_styles No false Stub stylesheet requests with an empty CSS response.
block_fonts No false Stub font requests with an empty response.
block_media No false Stub video and audio media requests.
blacklist No false Stub known analytics, tracking, and telemetry URLs.
cache No false Enable HTTP cache for static resources. Cached bandwidth billed at 1 credit/MB.
Stubbing vs Blocking: Resources are stubbed, not blocked — the browser receives a valid but empty response (e.g. a transparent 1x1 pixel for images). This saves bandwidth while remaining invisible to anti-bot systems that detect blocked requests.

No-Effect CDP Commands

Cloud Browser automatically manages browser fingerprinting, emulation, and device metrics to provide optimal anti-detection and consistency. As a result, the following CDP commands are silently ignored when sent through the WebSocket connection:

These commands will not cause errors or break your automation — they are accepted and return a successful response, but they have no effect on the browser session. Cloud Browser handles these settings internally based on your connection parameters (os, country, etc.).
CDP Command Description
Emulation.setDeviceMetricsOverride Device screen dimensions, pixel ratio, and mobile emulation
Emulation.setUserAgentOverride User-Agent string, platform, and client hints
Emulation.setTimezoneOverride Browser timezone
Emulation.setLocaleOverride Browser locale and language settings
Emulation.setHardwareConcurrencyOverride Number of CPU cores reported by navigator.hardwareConcurrency
Emulation.setVisibleSize Visible viewport size
Emulation.setEmulatedMedia Media type and feature overrides (e.g. prefers-color-scheme)
Emulation.setDefaultBackgroundColorOverride Default background color override
Emulation.setNavigatorOverrides Navigator platform override
Emulation.setPageScaleFactor Page zoom/scale factor

If you need to control any of these settings, use the connection parameters instead (e.g. os for OS fingerprinting, country for locale/timezone).

Integrations

Cloud Browser uses the standard Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP), making it compatible with all major browser automation tools and AI agent frameworks.

Quick Start Examples

Connect to Cloud Browser using your preferred automation tool:

Billing

Cloud Browser uses a billing model based on session time, bandwidth, and optional cached bandwidth:

Time (per 30s)
  • All proxy types 1 credit
Bandwidth (per MB)
  • Datacenter 7 credits
  • Residential 52 credits
Cached BW (per MB)
  • All proxy types 1 credit
Minimum 5 credits per session. See Billing for details.

Troubleshooting

Cause: Invalid API key or network connectivity issues.

Solution:

  • Verify your API key is correct
  • Ensure your firewall allows WebSocket connections
  • Check if you're behind a corporate proxy that blocks WebSocket

Cause: Session ID not provided or session expired.

Solution: Always include the same session parameter in the WebSocket URL for persistent sessions.

Note: Sessions expire after 1 hour of inactivity by default.

Cause: Browser session timeout or crash.

Solution:

  • Always call browser.close() to properly terminate sessions
  • Implement reconnection logic in your automation
  • Monitor your scripts for memory leaks or infinite loops

Summary