Deploying a Puppeteer App

Puppeteer is a Node.js library that provides a high-level API to control headless Chrome or Chromium browsers. It’s widely used for web scraping, automated testing, rendering, and browser automation tasks, making it a powerful tool for developers who need to interact with web pages programmatically.

This guide explains how to deploy a Puppeteer application to Klutch.sh, both with and without a Dockerfile. It also covers installation and provides sample code to get started.

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• Git and GitHub account
• Klutch.sh account

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Getting Started: Install Puppeteer

1. Create a new directory for your app and initialize npm:

   mkdir my-puppeteer-app
   cd my-puppeteer-app
   npm init -y

2. Install Puppeteer:

   npm install puppeteer

3. Create a basic Puppeteer script (index.js):

   const puppeteer = require('puppeteer');
   
   (async () => {
     const browser = await puppeteer.launch();
     const page = await browser.newPage();
     await page.goto('https://example.com');
     const title = await page.title();
     console.log('Page title:', title);
     await browser.close();
   })();

4. Add a start script in your package.json:

   "scripts": {
     "start": "node index.js"
   }

5. Test locally:

   npm start

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Deploying Without a Dockerfile

1. Push your Puppeteer app to a GitHub repository.
2. Log in to Klutch.sh.
3. Create a new project and give it a name.
4. Create a new app:
   • Select your Puppeteer GitHub repository and branch
   • Set the port to route traffic (if your app exposes a web server, e.g., 3000)
   • Choose region, compute, number of instances, and add any environment variables
5. Add a start script in your package.json as shown above.
6. Click “Create” to deploy. Klutch.sh will build and deploy your app automatically.

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Deploying With a Dockerfile

1. Add a Dockerfile to your project root. Example:

   # Use official Node.js image with Chromium dependencies
   FROM node:18-bullseye-slim
   
   # Install Puppeteer dependencies
   RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
     ca-certificates \
     fonts-liberation \
     libasound2 \
     libatk-bridge2.0-0 \
     libatk1.0-0 \
     libcups2 \
     libdrm2 \
     libgbm1 \
     libgtk-3-0 \
     libnspr4 \
     libnss3 \
     libx11-xcb1 \
     libxcomposite1 \
     libxdamage1 \
     libxrandr2 \
     xdg-utils \
     --no-install-recommends \
     && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
   
   # Set working directory
   WORKDIR /app
   
   # Copy package files and install dependencies
   COPY package*.json ./
   RUN npm install --production
   
   # Copy app source
   COPY . .
   
   # Expose port (if your app exposes a web server)
   EXPOSE 3000
   
   # Start the app
   CMD ["npm", "start"]

2. Push your code (with Dockerfile) to GitHub.
3. In Klutch.sh, follow the same steps to create a project and app, but select the Dockerfile option when prompted.
4. Set the service details and environment variables as needed.
5. Click “Create” to deploy. Klutch.sh will build your Docker image and deploy your app.

Note: If your Puppeteer app exposes a web server, ensure it listens on the PORT environment variable as shown above.

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Resources

• Klutch.sh Documentation
• Puppeteer Documentation

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Deploying to Klutch.sh is simple and flexible. Choose the method that best fits your workflow and project requirements.