Crate stygian_browser

Expand description

§stygian-browser

High-performance, anti-detection browser automation library for Rust.

Built on the Chrome DevTools Protocol via chromiumoxide with comprehensive stealth features for bypassing modern anti-bot systems: Cloudflare, DataDome, PerimeterX, Akamai.

§Features

Feature	Description
Browser pooling	Warm pool with configurable min/max, LRU eviction, backpressure
Anti-detection	Navigator spoofing, canvas noise, WebGL randomisation, UA patching
Human behavior	Bézier-curve mouse paths, realistic keystroke timing, random interactions
CDP leak protection	Hides `Runtime.enable` artifacts that expose automation
WebRTC control	Block, proxy-route, or allow WebRTC — prevent IP leaks
Fingerprint generation	Statistically-weighted device profiles (Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS)
Stealth levels	`None` / `Basic` / `Advanced` — tune evasion vs. performance

§Installation

[dependencies]
stygian-browser = { path = "../crates/stygian-browser" }   # workspace
# or once published to crates.io:
# stygian-browser = "0.2"
tokio = { version = "1", features = ["full"] }

Enable (or disable) stealth features:

[dependencies]
# stealth is the default feature; disable for a minimal build
stygian-browser = { version = "0.2", default-features = false }

§Quick Start

use stygian_browser::{BrowserConfig, BrowserPool, WaitUntil};
use std::time::Duration;

#[tokio::main]
async fn main() -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
    // Build a config — defaults are headless Chrome with Advanced stealth
    let config = BrowserConfig::default();

    // Launch a warm pool (2 browsers ready immediately)
    let pool = BrowserPool::new(config).await?;

    // Acquire a browser handle (< 100 ms from warm pool)
    let handle = pool.acquire().await?;

    // Open a tab and navigate
    let mut page = handle.browser().unwrap().new_page().await?;
    page.navigate(
        "https://example.com",
        WaitUntil::Selector("body".to_string()),
        Duration::from_secs(30),
    )
    .await?;

    println!("Title: {}", page.title().await?);

    // Release the browser back to the pool
    handle.release().await;
    Ok(())
}

§Configuration

BrowserConfig controls every aspect of browser launch, anti-detection, and pooling.

use stygian_browser::{BrowserConfig, StealthLevel};
use stygian_browser::config::PoolConfig;
use stygian_browser::webrtc::{WebRtcConfig, WebRtcPolicy};
use std::time::Duration;

let config = BrowserConfig::builder()
    // Browser basics
    .headless(true)
    .window_size(1920, 1080)
    // Use a specific Chrome binary
    // .chrome_path("/usr/bin/google-chrome".into())
    // Stealth level
    .stealth_level(StealthLevel::Advanced)
    // Proxy (supports http/https/socks5)
    // .proxy("http://user:pass@proxy.example.com:8080".to_string())
    // WebRTC policy
    .webrtc(WebRtcConfig {
        policy: WebRtcPolicy::DisableNonProxied,
        ..Default::default()
    })
    // Pool settings
    .pool(PoolConfig {
        min_size: 2,
        max_size: 10,
        acquire_timeout: Duration::from_secs(5),
        ..Default::default()
    })
    .build();

§Environment Variable Overrides

All config values can be overridden at runtime without recompiling:

Variable	Default	Description
`STYGIAN_CHROME_PATH`	auto-detect	Path to Chrome/Chromium binary
`STYGIAN_HEADLESS`	`true`	`false` for headed mode
`STYGIAN_STEALTH_LEVEL`	`advanced`	`none`, `basic`, `advanced`
`STYGIAN_POOL_MIN`	`2`	Minimum warm browser count
`STYGIAN_POOL_MAX`	`10`	Maximum concurrent browsers
`STYGIAN_POOL_ACQUIRE_TIMEOUT_SECS`	`30`	Seconds to wait for pool slot
`STYGIAN_CDP_FIX_MODE`	`addBinding`	`addBinding`, `isolatedworld`, `enabledisable`
`STYGIAN_PROXY`	—	Proxy URL
`STYGIAN_DISABLE_SANDBOX`	auto-detect	`true` to pass `--no-sandbox` (see note below)

§Stealth Levels

Level	`navigator` spoof	Canvas noise	WebGL random	CDP protection	Human behavior
`None`	—	—	—	—	—
`Basic`	✓	—	—	✓	—
`Advanced`	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓

Trade-offs:

None — maximum performance, no evasion. Suitable for sites with no bot detection.
Basic — hides navigator.webdriver, masks the headless UA, enables CDP protection. Fast; appropriate for most scraping workloads.
Advanced — full fingerprint injection (canvas noise, WebGL, audio, fonts, hardware concurrency, device memory), human-like mouse/keyboard events. Adds ~10–30 ms overhead per page but passes all major detection suites.

§Browser Pool

The pool maintains a configurable number of warm browser instances and enforces backpressure when all slots are occupied.

use stygian_browser::{BrowserConfig, BrowserPool};
use stygian_browser::config::PoolConfig;
use std::time::Duration;

let config = BrowserConfig::builder()
    .pool(PoolConfig {
        min_size: 2,
        max_size: 8,
        idle_timeout: Duration::from_secs(300),
        acquire_timeout: Duration::from_secs(10),
    })
    .build();

let pool = BrowserPool::new(config).await?;
let stats = pool.stats();
println!("pool: {}/{} browsers, {} active", stats.available, stats.max, stats.active);

Browsers returned via BrowserHandle::release() go back into the pool automatically. Browsers that fail their health check are discarded and replaced with fresh instances.

§Anti-Detection Techniques

§`navigator` Spoofing

Overwrites navigator.webdriver to undefined
Patches navigator.plugins with a realistic PluginArray
Sets navigator.languages, navigator.language, navigator.vendor
Aligns navigator.hardwareConcurrency and navigator.deviceMemory with the chosen device profile

§Canvas Fingerprint Noise

Adds sub-pixel noise (<1 px) to HTMLCanvasElement.toDataURL() and CanvasRenderingContext2D.getImageData() — indistinguishable visually but unique per page load.

§WebGL Randomisation

Randomises RENDERER and VENDOR WebGL parameter responses to prevent GPU-based fingerprinting while keeping values plausible (real GPU family names are used).

§CDP Leak Protection

The Chrome DevTools Protocol itself can expose automation. Three modes are available via CdpFixMode:

Mode	Protection	Compatibility
`AddBinding`	Wraps calls to hide `Runtime.enable` side-effects	Best overall
`IsolatedWorld`	Runs injection in a separate execution context	Moderate
`EnableDisable`	Toggles enable/disable around each command	Broad

§Human-Like Behavior (Advanced only)

MouseSimulator generates Bézier-curve mouse paths with:

Distance-aware step counts (12 steps for <100 px, up to 120 for >1000 px)
Perpendicular control-point offsets for natural arc shapes
Sub-pixel micro-tremor jitter (±0.3 px)
10–50 ms inter-event delays

TypingSimulator models:

Per-key WPM variation (70–130 WPM base)
Configurable typo-and-correct rate
Burst/pause rhythm typical of humans

§Page Operations

use stygian_browser::{BrowserConfig, BrowserPool, WaitUntil};
use stygian_browser::page::ResourceFilter;
use std::time::Duration;

let pool = BrowserPool::new(BrowserConfig::default()).await?;
let handle = pool.acquire().await?;
let mut page = handle.browser().unwrap().new_page().await?;

// Block images/fonts to speed up text-only scraping
page.set_resource_filter(ResourceFilter::block_media()).await?;

page.navigate(
    "https://example.com",
    WaitUntil::Selector("h1".to_string()),
    Duration::from_secs(30),
).await?;

// Evaluate JavaScript
let title: String = page.eval("document.title").await?;
let h1: String = page.eval("document.querySelector('h1')?.textContent ?? ''").await?;

// Full page HTML
let html = page.content().await?;

// Save cookies for session reuse
let cookies = page.save_cookies().await?;

page.close().await?;
handle.release().await;

§WebRTC & Proxy

use stygian_browser::{BrowserConfig};
use stygian_browser::webrtc::{WebRtcConfig, WebRtcPolicy, ProxyLocation};

let config = BrowserConfig::builder()
    .proxy("http://proxy.example.com:8080".to_string())
    .webrtc(WebRtcConfig {
        policy: WebRtcPolicy::DisableNonProxied,
        location: Some(ProxyLocation::new_us_east()),
        ..Default::default()
    })
    .build();

WebRtcPolicy::BlockAll is the safest option for anonymous scraping — it prevents any IP addresses from leaking via WebRTC peer connections.

§FAQ

Q: Does this work on macOS / Linux / Windows?
A: macOS and Linux are fully supported. Windows support depends on the chromiumoxide backend; not actively tested.

Q: Which Chrome versions are supported?
A: The library targets Chrome 120+. Older versions may work but stealth scripts are only tested against current release channels.

Q: Can I use it without a display (CI/CD)?
A: Yes — the default config is headless: true. No display server is required.

Q: Does Advanced stealth guarantee Cloudflare bypass?
A: There is no guarantee. Cloudflare Turnstile and Bot Management use both JavaScript signals and TLS/network-layer heuristics. Advanced stealth eliminates all known JavaScript signals, which is necessary but may not be sufficient.

Q: How do I set a custom Chrome path?
A: Set STYGIAN_CHROME_PATH=/path/to/chrome or use BrowserConfig::builder().chrome_path("/path/to/chrome".into()).build().

Q: Why does stats().idle always return 0?
A: idle is a lock-free approximation. The count is not maintained in the hot acquire/release path to avoid contention. Use available and active instead.

Q: Should I set STYGIAN_DISABLE_SANDBOX=true?
A: Only inside a container (Docker, Kubernetes, etc.) where Chromium’s renderer sandbox cannot function due to missing user namespaces. This is auto-detected via /.dockerenv and /proc/1/cgroup on Linux — you normally don’t need to set it explicitly. Never set this on a bare-metal host without an equivalent isolation boundary; doing so removes a meaningful OS-level security layer.

For highest-security deployments, run each browser session in its own container and let the container runtime provide isolation — the sandbox flag will be set automatically inside the container.

§Testing

# Pure-logic unit tests (no Chrome required)
cargo test --lib -p stygian-browser

# Integration tests (requires Chrome 120+)
cargo test --all-features -p stygian-browser

# Run only ignored Chrome tests explicitly
cargo test --all-features -p stygian-browser -- --include-ignored

# Measure coverage for logic units
cargo tarpaulin -p stygian-browser --lib --ignore-tests --out Lcov

Coverage notes: All tests that launch a real browser instance are annotated #[ignore = "requires Chrome"] so the suite passes in CI without a Chrome binary. Pure-logic coverage (config, stealth scripts, fingerprint generation, simulator math) is high; overall line coverage is structurally bounded by the CDP requirement.

§License

Licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (AGPL-3.0-only). High-performance, anti-detection browser automation library for Rust.

Built on Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP) via chromiumoxide with comprehensive stealth features to bypass modern anti-bot systems: Cloudflare, DataDome, PerimeterX, and Akamai Bot Manager.

§Features

Browser pooling — warm pool with min/max sizing, LRU eviction, and backpressure; sub-100 ms acquire from the warm queue
Anti-detection — navigator spoofing, canvas noise, WebGL randomisation, User-Agent patching, and plugin population
Human behaviour — Bézier-curve mouse paths, human-paced typing with typos, random scroll and micro-interactions
CDP leak protection — hides Runtime.enable side-effects that expose automation
WebRTC control — block, proxy-route, or allow WebRTC to prevent IP leaks
Fingerprint generation — statistically-weighted device profiles matching real-world browser market share distributions
Stealth levels — None / Basic / Advanced for tuning evasion vs performance

§Quick Start

use stygian_browser::{BrowserPool, BrowserConfig, WaitUntil};
use std::time::Duration;

#[tokio::main]
async fn main() -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
    // Default config: headless, Advanced stealth, pool of 2–10 browsers
    let config = BrowserConfig::default();
    let pool = BrowserPool::new(config).await?;

    // Acquire a browser from the warm pool (< 100 ms)
    let handle = pool.acquire().await?;

    // Open a tab and navigate
    let mut page = handle.browser().expect("valid browser").new_page().await?;
    page.navigate(
        "https://example.com",
        WaitUntil::Selector("body".to_string()),
        Duration::from_secs(30),
    ).await?;

    println!("Title: {}", page.title().await?);

    // Return the browser to the pool
    handle.release().await;
    Ok(())
}

§Stealth Levels

Level	`navigator`	Canvas	WebGL	CDP protect	Human behavior
`None`	—	—	—	—	—
`Basic`	✓	—	—	✓	—
`Advanced`	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓

§Module Overview

Module	Description
`browser`	`BrowserInstance` — launch, health-check, shutdown
`pool`	`BrowserPool` + `BrowserHandle` — warm pool management
`page`	`PageHandle` — navigate, eval, content, cookies
`config`	`BrowserConfig` + builder pattern
`error`	`BrowserError` and `Result` alias
`stealth`	`StealthProfile`, `NavigatorProfile`
`fingerprint`	`DeviceProfile`, `BrowserKind`
`behavior`	`behavior::MouseSimulator`, `behavior::TypingSimulator`
`webrtc`	`WebRtcConfig`, `WebRtcPolicy`, `ProxyLocation`
`cdp_protection`	CDP leak protection modes

Re-exports§

pub use browser::BrowserInstance;
pub use config::BrowserConfig;
pub use config::HeadlessMode;
pub use config::StealthLevel;
pub use error::BrowserError;
pub use error::Result;
pub use page::PageHandle;
pub use page::ResourceFilter;
pub use page::WaitUntil;
pub use pool::BrowserHandle;
pub use pool::BrowserPool;
pub use pool::PoolStats;
pub use stealth::NavigatorProfile;
pub use stealth::StealthConfig;
pub use stealth::StealthProfile;
pub use behavior::InteractionLevel;
pub use fingerprint::BrowserKind;
pub use fingerprint::DeviceProfile;
pub use webrtc::ProxyLocation;
pub use webrtc::WebRtcConfig;
pub use webrtc::WebRtcPolicy;

Modules§

behavior: Human behavior simulation for anti-detection
browser: Browser instance lifecycle management
cdp_protection: CDP (Chrome DevTools Protocol) leak protection
config: Browser configuration and options
error: Error types for browser automation operations
fingerprint: Browser fingerprint generation and JavaScript injection.
mcp: MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for browser automation.
metrics: Performance metrics for stygian-browser.
page: Page and browsing context management for isolated, parallel scraping
pool: Browser instance pool with warmup, health checks, and idle eviction
prelude: Prelude module for convenient imports
recorder: Browser session recording and debugging tools.
session: Session persistence for long-running scraping campaigns.
stealth: Stealth configuration and anti-detection features
webrtc: WebRTC IP leak prevention and geolocation consistency