How to install Google chrome in a docker container

Question

I'm trying to install chrome in a docker container. I execute:

RUN apt-get install -y wget
RUN wget -q https://dl.google.com/linux/direct/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb
RUN dpkg -i google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb  # problem here
RUN apt -f install -y

The problem is that dpkg -i fails because of missing dependencies. In principle this is not a big problem, as the next command should fix this, and indeed it does it when run interactively from within the container. But the problem is that when building a docker container this error makes the build process to stop:

dpkg: error processing package google-chrome-stable (--install):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Errors were encountered while processing:
 google-chrome-stable
root@78b45ab9aa33:/# 
exit

How can I overcome this problem? Isn't there a simpler way to install chrome without provoking the dependence problem? I can't find the repository to add so I can run a regular apg-get install google-chrome, that is what I'd like to do. In the google linux repository they just mention that the "the packages will automatically configure the repository settings necessary". Which is not exactly what I get...

Prune

This might help: medium.com/dot-debug/… – Cooperate

It does! Thank you. – Prune

Cool, mind to share your Dockerfile with us? There can another person searching for answers :) – Cooperate

Answer 1

After the comment by @Facty and some more search, I found two solutions to install Google Chrome without raising this error. I'll post it below for future references or people having the same issue.

There are actually two ways to install Chrome on a docker container:

If you download the deb file manually, you can install it with apt-get instead of dpkg. This will automatically install the dependencies without having to call apt -f install -y later :

RUN apt-get install -y wget
RUN wget -q https://dl.google.com/linux/direct/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb
RUN apt-get install -y ./google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb

The other solution is to add the repositories (installing the gpg key) and install from them directly, skipping the manual download:

RUN apt-get install -y wget
RUN wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | apt-key add - \ 
    && echo "deb http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list
RUN apt-get update && apt-get -y install google-chrome-stable

Prune

Both of them gets stuck on "Select a geographical area: " where it asks for a number as input. How to handle that any ideas? – Cultism

@YaserSakkaf Add ENV DEBIAN_FRONTEND noninteractive to the Dockerfile. – Energumen

For the first option (installing the deb file) you may also need apt-get update prior to installing it - at least this was the case for me. – Expertize

This no longer works as of April 7, 2024. dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ is coming up 404. – Nursemaid

Adding the repositories is the simplest way that I've found so far. Skips all the dependency errors. Thank you! – Allistir

Answer 2

Here an example for Node versions (debian based) Dockerfile

FROM node:16.16.0 as base
# Chrome dependency Instalation
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
    fonts-liberation \
    libasound2 \
    libatk-bridge2.0-0 \
    libatk1.0-0 \
    libatspi2.0-0 \
    libcups2 \
    libdbus-1-3 \
    libdrm2 \
    libgbm1 \
    libgtk-3-0 \
#    libgtk-4-1 \
    libnspr4 \
    libnss3 \
    libwayland-client0 \
    libxcomposite1 \
    libxdamage1 \
    libxfixes3 \
    libxkbcommon0 \
    libxrandr2 \
    xdg-utils \
    libu2f-udev \
    libvulkan1
 # Chrome instalation 
RUN curl -LO  https://dl.google.com/linux/direct/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb
RUN apt-get install -y ./google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb
RUN rm google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb
# Check chrome version
RUN echo "Chrome: " && google-chrome --version

Arabian

worked like charm on u20.04. thanks. all other answers here failed. – Bypath

I get a ton of errors "requested an impossible situation" gist.github.com/fotoflo/954d68ebcd68c0eeab09283872f21637 – Underwriter

@Underwriter It's look like you took shortcut and do not import "# Chrome dependency Installation" if you will do, the error will gone. – Arabian

Even with adding "# Chrome dependency Installation", the issue remains. When I try to build the image using gcloud submit command, it works fine, however, with Docker, I get the same issue as @Underwriter – Wein

Answer 3

If you're using it in Python, to run selenium. Here is what solved my problem.

RUN apt -f install -y
RUN apt-get install -y wget
RUN wget -q https://dl.google.com/linux/direct/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb
RUN apt-get install ./google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb -y

Sometimes, using wget doesn't solve the problem. Due to lack of support. So you can use apt -f install -y

The only mistake @Pythonist had was the disorder of commands.

Samothrace

So you can instrument Chrome with a desktop-less linux? – Okra

Yes, in the case of deployment on terminal servers like AWS (EC2-Linux), DigitalOcean (droplet-Linux), or GCP (VM), etc. You only have the option to use the system from the terminal. there is no GUI by default, (although you can install GUI, but that slowdowns the instance) only option is to run the selenium without GUI. So you can use this method to use selenium. – Samothrace

add --fix-missing to the end of the apt-get install command to sort out any missing packages – Wylde

An apt update before installing will ensure that there's apt cache. Otherwise you could get errors. – Nursemaid

Answer 4

Note that some base images may have or not have wget or gnupg,
so full working Dockerfile example is

FROM ubuntu:22.04

RUN apt-get update; apt-get clean

# Install wget.
RUN apt-get install -y wget

RUN apt-get install -y gnupg

# Set the Chrome repo.
RUN wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | apt-key add - \
    && echo "deb http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list

# Install Chrome.
RUN apt-get update && apt-get -y install google-chrome-stable

Bott

Hii, Thanks. If I wanted to use a particular version of chrome (i.e 114), how do I implement that in the above snippet ? – Adulate

Interesting to know - how to test any of these, as in, how do we know if the browser is installed/available? what version is installed? – Pluviometer

Answer 5

For selenium, and using the following docker base:

FROM python:3.11 as python-base

The following worked for me (Needed the --fix-missing) from an answer above.

# Install chrome for python selenium
RUN apt -f install -y
RUN apt-get install -y wget
RUN wget -q https://dl.google.com/linux/direct/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb
RUN apt-get install ./google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb -y --fix-missing

Wylde

I needed to replace apt-get install with apt-get update && apt-get install - otherwise the wget package cannot be found – Apart

Answer 6

I solved the problem with

• doing "apt-get update" in between

• expanding line 2 with ";exit 0" to let docker continue building the image

  RUN wget -q https://dl.google.com/linux/direct/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb

  RUN dpkg -i google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb; exit 0

  RUN apt-get update

  RUN apt --fix-broken install -y

  RUN echo "Chrome: " && google-chrome --version

Goff

Answer 7

apt-get won't work.

You should use dpkg -i ./google-chrome.deb

Ainsley