Your Time is Money: Ubuntu Chrome Automation Setup, Solved in 5 Steps

Install Chrome for Testing on Ubuntu: The No-Error Guide

Stop wrestling with dependencies and get back to what matters: your project. This is the fast-track guide to get Chrome and ChromeDriver running on your Ubuntu machine for automation, without the headaches.

Hey there, fellow student dev! Trying to automate Chrome on Ubuntu for your web scraping or testing project? You've probably realized it's not always a straight path. You hit a command, and BAM!—a cryptic error about a missing library stops you dead in your tracks. Time is too valuable to waste on setup issues. This guide is your shortcut past all that frustration.

Let's get this done right, the first time.

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1. Why You Need Chrome for Testing (and Not Regular Chrome)

First, why aren't we just using the Chrome browser already on your system? Three words: version compatibility hell.

For automation with tools like Selenium or Puppeteer, your ChromeDriver version must exactly match your Chrome browser version. Regular Chrome auto-updates, which means your perfectly working script can break overnight. Chrome for Testing is a special version that doesn't auto-update, giving you a stable, predictable environment for your automation tasks. It's the professional way to do it.

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2. Quick Check: Dependencies & Tools You Must Install First

This is the most critical step and the one where most people get stuck. We're going to proactively install the libraries that Chrome needs to run. This prevents those annoying cannot open shared object file errors later.

Open your terminal and run these commands. Don't skip this!

# First, update your package list
sudo apt update

# Now, install unzip and the critical libraries.
# libnss3 and libasound2t64 are common missing dependencies.
sudo apt install -y unzip libnss3 libasound2t64

With these installed, you've already dodged the most common bullets.

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3. Get the Right Version: Locating the Beta Binary URLs

Next, we need the download links for the exact versions we want. We'll use the official Chrome for Testing JSON endpoints, which always have the latest info.

1. Go to the Chrome for Testing availability page.
2. Find the "Beta" channel.
3. You'll need two URLs from the linux64 platform: one for chrome and one for chromedriver. Right-click and copy the links for both. They will look something like the ones in the next step.

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4. Direct Download: The wget Commands

Now, let's pull those files directly into your machine using wget. Paste the URLs you just copied into the commands below.

Note: The version numbers in the URLs below are just examples. Replace them with the fresh URLs you copied in the previous step!

# Download Chrome for Testing (replace URL!)
wget https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/142.0.7444.23/linux64/chrome-linux64.zip

# Download ChromeDriver (replace URL!)
wget https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/142.0.7444.23/linux64/chromedriver-linux64.zip

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5. Installation: Setting Up Paths for Chrome & ChromeDriver

We have the files. Now let's put them where your system can find them and make them executable. We'll place them in /usr/local/bin, a standard location for user-installed executables.

Run these commands one by one:

# --- Install Chrome ---
# 1. Unzip it
unzip chrome-linux64.zip

# 2. Move the binary to a permanent location
sudo mv chrome-linux64/chrome /usr/local/bin/chrome-test

# --- Install ChromeDriver ---
# 1. Unzip it
unzip chromedriver-linux64.zip

# 2. Move the binary into your path and give it a clear name
sudo mv chromedriver-linux64/chromedriver /usr/local/bin/chromedriver-test

# 3. Make sure both are executable
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/chrome-test /usr/local/bin/chromedriver-test

# --- Clean up ---
# Remove the zip files and the now-empty directories
rm chrome-linux64.zip chromedriver-linux64.zip
rm -rf chrome-linux64/ chromedriver-linux64/

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6. Verify Installation: Make Sure Your Versions Match

This is the moment of truth. Let's check if everything is installed correctly and, most importantly, if the versions match.

chrome-test --version
chromedriver-test --version

You should see an output like this, with both version numbers being identical:

Google Chrome for Testing 142.0.7444.23
ChromeDriver 142.0.7444.23 (e9105f0cc158ff3aa1de8225250cb37aa015249c-refs/branch-heads/7444@{#507})

If they match, congratulations! Your environment is ready for automation.

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7. Pro Tip: Save Time with Zsh/Bash Aliases

While chrome-test is a decent name, you can create even shorter aliases for faster access. Open your .zshrc (if you use Zsh) or .bashrc (if you use Bash) file and add these lines:

# My aliases for Chrome for Testing
alias cft='/usr/local/bin/chrome-test'
alias cftd='/usr/local/bin/chromedriver-test'

Save the file, then apply the changes by running source ~/.zshrc or source ~/.bashrc. Now you can just type cft --version. A small but satisfying time-saver!

That's it! No more dependency hell. You're all set to build amazing things. Happy coding!