What Is a Kubernetes Browser?
A Kubernetes browser refers to a web browser — typically Chrome, Firefox, or Chromium — deployed as a containerized workload managed by Kubernetes. This architecture enables organisations to run browser instances at scale, distributing load across clusters, auto-scaling based on demand, and isolating each session in its own pod.
Running browsers in Kubernetes has become a cornerstone of modern web automation, testing pipelines, and browser isolation platforms. Rather than managing a fixed pool of browser virtual machines, Kubernetes enables dynamic provisioning: spin up a browser pod on demand, use it, and destroy it — paying only for what you need.
Why Run Browsers in Kubernetes?
Traditional Browser Infrastructure Problems
| Problem | Traditional VM Approach | Kubernetes Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Scaling | Manual VM provisioning takes minutes | Auto-scaling pods in seconds |
| Resource waste | Idle VMs consume full OS resources | Containers share kernel, minimal overhead |
| Isolation | Sessions on same VM can interfere | Each pod fully isolated network and filesystem |
| Recovery | Crashed VM requires manual restart | K8s auto-restarts failed pods |
| Updates | Rolling updates are complex and risky | Rolling deployments with zero downtime |
| Cost | Fixed fleet of VMs always running | Scale to zero when idle |
Key Use Cases
1. Web Scraping at Scale
Kubernetes is ideal for running distributed web scrapers with hundreds of simultaneous browser sessions. Each scraper runs in its own pod with its own IP (via proxy rotation), cookies, and browser fingerprint. Failed sessions restart automatically. Completed results are written to shared storage or a queue system.
2. End-to-End Testing (Selenium Grid / Playwright)
Running Selenium Grid or Playwright on Kubernetes enables massive parallelisation of browser tests:
- Launch 100 browser pods simultaneously for parallel test execution
- Each test gets a clean, isolated browser session
- Scale down to zero between CI/CD pipeline runs
- Different browser versions (Chrome 120, 121, 122) run in parallel
3. Browser Isolation Security
Enterprise security teams use Kubernetes browser pods for Remote Browser Isolation (RBI). Users browse through a remote browser pod — malware, zero-days, and phishing pages run in an isolated pod that never touches the endpoint. Virtual browser profiles in cloud platforms like Send.win are built on this same principle.
4. Multi-Account Management
Each account gets its own browser pod with a unique fingerprint, proxy, and session state. Kubernetes manages lifecycle, scaling, and health of all pods across accounts. This is the foundation of enterprise-grade multi-account management platforms.
5. Headless Browser APIs
Services like browser screenshot APIs, PDF generation services, and link preview generators use Kubernetes to handle burst traffic with browser pools that auto-scale on demand.
Architecture: Browsers in Kubernetes
Core Components
kubernetes-browser-cluster/
├── Namespace: browser-workloads
├── Browser Pods
│ ├── chrome-pod-1 (CPU: 500m, RAM: 1Gi)
│ ├── chrome-pod-2 (CPU: 500m, RAM: 1Gi)
│ └── chrome-pod-N (auto-scaled)
├── Services
│ ├── browser-pool-service (LoadBalancer)
│ └── browser-debug-service (NodePort for VNC)
├── ConfigMaps
│ └── browser-config (flags, extensions, preferences)
├── HorizontalPodAutoscaler
│ └── Scale 2-50 pods based on queue depth
└── PersistentVolumeClaims
└── session-storage (for stateful sessions)Kubernetes Browser Pod Manifest
apiVersion: v1
kind: Pod
metadata:
name: chrome-browser
labels:
app: browser
type: chrome
spec:
containers:
- name: chrome
image: browserless/chrome:latest
ports:
- containerPort: 3000
resources:
requests:
memory: "512Mi"
cpu: "250m"
limits:
memory: "2Gi"
cpu: "1000m"
env:
- name: MAX_CONCURRENT_SESSIONS
value: "5"
- name: PREBOOT_CHROME
value: "true"
securityContext:
runAsNonRoot: true
allowPrivilegeEscalation: false
capabilities:
drop: ["ALL"]
add: ["SYS_ADMIN"] # Required for Chrome sandboxPopular Kubernetes Browser Images
| Image | Browser | Use Case | Stars |
|---|---|---|---|
| browserless/chrome | Chrome | Headless API, Puppeteer, Playwright | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| selenium/standalone-chrome | Chrome | Selenium Grid nodes | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| selenium/standalone-firefox | Firefox | Selenium Grid nodes (Firefox) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| kasmweb/chrome | Chrome (GUI) | Visual browser streaming (VNC/WebRTC) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| zenika/alpine-chrome | Chromium | Minimal headless Chromium, Docker/K8s | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| ghcr.io/browserless/chromium | Chromium | Open-source Browserless alternative | ⭐⭐⭐ |
Deploying Selenium Grid on Kubernetes
Using the Official Selenium Helm Chart
# Add the Selenium Helm repository
helm repo add selenium https://www.selenium.dev/docker-selenium
helm repo update
# Deploy Selenium Grid with auto-scaling
helm install selenium-grid selenium/selenium-grid \
--set autoscaling.enabled=true \
--set autoscaling.scalingType=job \
--set chromeNode.enabled=true \
--set firefoxNode.enabled=true \
--set edgeNode.enabled=false \
--set hub.serviceType=LoadBalancer
# Scale Chrome nodes
kubectl scale deployment selenium-chrome-node --replicas=10Connecting Playwright to Kubernetes Grid
import { chromium } from 'playwright';
// Connect to Kubernetes-hosted browser
const browser = await chromium.connect({
wsEndpoint: 'ws://selenium-grid.your-cluster.svc:4444/session'
});
const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.goto('https://example.com');
const title = await page.title();
console.log(title);
await browser.close();Auto-Scaling Browser Pods
HorizontalPodAutoscaler Configuration
apiVersion: autoscaling/v2
kind: HorizontalPodAutoscaler
metadata:
name: browser-pool-hpa
spec:
scaleTargetRef:
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
name: chrome-browser-deployment
minReplicas: 2
maxReplicas: 50
metrics:
- type: External
external:
metric:
name: browser_queue_depth
selector:
matchLabels:
queue: browser-requests
target:
type: AverageValue
averageValue: "5" # Scale up when >5 requests queued per podKEDA for Event-Driven Browser Scaling
KEDA (Kubernetes Event-Driven Autoscaler) enables scaling browser pods based on external signals like queue depth, HTTP request rate, or custom metrics:
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- Browser Isolation – Every tab runs in a sandboxed environment
- Cloud Sync – Access your sessions from any device
- Multi-Account Management – Manage unlimited accounts safely
- No Installation Required – Works instantly in your browser
- Affordable Pricing – Enterprise features without enterprise costs
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apiVersion: keda.sh/v1alpha1
kind: ScaledObject
metadata:
name: browser-scaledobject
spec:
scaleTargetRef:
name: chrome-deployment
minReplicaCount: 0 # Scale to zero when idle!
maxReplicaCount: 100
triggers:
- type: rabbitmq
metadata:
queueName: browser-tasks
queueLength: "5"Networking: Proxy Per Pod
Assigning Unique Proxies to Browser Pods
For multi-account workloads or web scraping, each browser pod needs its own proxy IP. Two approaches:
Approach 1: Proxy Sidecar Container
spec:
containers:
- name: chrome
image: browserless/chrome:latest
env:
- name: PROXY_SERVER
value: "http://proxy-sidecar:3128"
- name: proxy-sidecar
image: your-proxy-rotator:latest
ports:
- containerPort: 3128Approach 2: Environment-injected Proxy
env:
- name: HTTP_PROXY
valueFrom:
secretKeyRef:
name: proxy-credentials
key: proxy-url
- name: HTTPS_PROXY
valueFrom:
secretKeyRef:
name: proxy-credentials
key: proxy-urlKubernetes Browser vs. Managed Cloud Browser
| Factor | Self-hosted K8s Browser | Managed Cloud Browser (Send.win) |
|---|---|---|
| Setup complexity | High — K8s expertise required | Zero — sign up and use |
| Cost | Cloud compute costs + engineering time | Predictable subscription |
| Scalability | Very high — K8s native auto-scaling | Managed — varies by platform |
| Fingerprint isolation | Manual configuration required | Automatic per profile |
| Session sharing | Custom implementation needed | Built-in one-click sharing |
| Maintenance | Ongoing cluster maintenance | Fully managed |
| Best for | Engineering teams, high-volume automation | Business users, teams, agencies |
Security Hardening for Kubernetes Browsers
Pod Security Context
securityContext:
runAsNonRoot: true
runAsUser: 1000
runAsGroup: 1000
fsGroup: 1000
seccompProfile:
type: RuntimeDefault
allowPrivilegeEscalation: falseNetwork Policies
apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: NetworkPolicy
metadata:
name: browser-isolation
spec:
podSelector:
matchLabels:
app: browser
policyTypes:
- Ingress
- Egress
ingress:
- from:
- podSelector:
matchLabels:
role: orchestrator
egress:
- to:
- namespaceSelector:
matchLabels:
kubernetes.io/metadata.name: proxy-namespaceMonitoring Browser Pods
| Metric | Tool | What to Alert On |
|---|---|---|
| Pod memory usage | Prometheus + Grafana | >80% of limit (browsers leak memory) |
| Session queue depth | Custom metrics + HPA | >10 sessions waiting (trigger scale up) |
| Pod restart count | kube-state-metrics | >3 restarts/hour (crashing browsers) |
| Session duration | Application metrics | >30 min sessions (possible hangs) |
| Browser crash rate | Application logs | >1% crash rate |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run Chrome with a GUI in Kubernetes?
Yes — using virtual framebuffers (Xvfb) or display servers, Chrome can run with a GUI inside a container. Tools like Kasm Workspaces stream the display via WebRTC. This enables fully interactive browser sessions accessible from any browser.
How much memory does a Chrome pod need?
A headless Chrome session typically uses 200-512MB RAM. Interactive Chrome (with tab content) uses 512MB-2GB depending on the sites visited. Set resource limits and use memory monitoring to detect leaks — browsers notoriously grow memory usage over long sessions.
How do I persist browser sessions between pod restarts?
Use PersistentVolumes mounted to the Chrome profile directory (~/.config/google-chrome). This preserves cookies, localStorage, and extensions between pod restarts. For stateless workloads (scraping, testing), ephemeral storage is preferable — each pod starts fresh.
Is Kubernetes necessary for browser automation?
Not at all — Docker Compose is sufficient for small-scale deployments (<20 concurrent sessions). Kubernetes becomes valuable when you need auto-scaling, high availability, complex networking (per-pod proxies), or integration with existing K8s infrastructure.
What’s the difference between Browserless and Selenium Grid?
Selenium Grid is a browser testing framework specifically for WebDriver-based tests. Browserless is a more general HTTP API for browser automation (Puppeteer, Playwright, Selenium). For testing pipelines, use Selenium Grid. For general-purpose browser automation APIs, Browserless offers more flexibility.
Conclusion
Running a Kubernetes browser infrastructure enables web scraping, testing, security isolation, and multi-account management at enterprise scale. The combination of Kubernetes’ auto-scaling, pod isolation, and rolling updates makes it the gold standard for high-volume browser workloads.
For organisations that need browser isolation without the Kubernetes complexity, managed cloud browser platforms like Send.win provide the same isolation and fingerprinting benefits — with zero infrastructure management required. The right choice depends on your scale requirements and engineering resources.