⚠️ Non-Chromium Browsers and the Torello CDP Library
The
Torello CDP Library is designed for browsers that expose the
Chrome DevTools Protocol. In practice, this means browsers that are
based on
Chromium,
Chrome, or another
Blink-based browser
engine.
Examples include Google Chrome, Chromium, Microsoft Edge, Brave, Opera, Vivaldi,
and many Electron-based applications. These browsers can expose endpoints such
as:
http://localhost:9222/json/version
and:
http://localhost:9222/json/list
Those endpoints are the discovery mechanism used by CDP clients to locate
debuggable browser targets and open WebSocket connections.
By contrast,
Safari and most
iOS browsers are not Chromium
browsers. Safari is based on Apple's
WebKit engine, and iOS browsers
have historically been WebKit-based as well. Even browsers with familiar names,
such as Chrome for iOS, Firefox for iOS, Edge for iOS, and Brave for iOS, should
not be confused with their desktop Chromium counterparts.
💡 In other words,
Chrome on desktop and
Chrome on iOS are not the
same automation target. Desktop Chrome exposes the real Chrome DevTools
Protocol. Chrome on iOS runs inside Apple's iOS browser-engine environment and
does not provide the normal Chromium CDP interface expected by this library.
Apple's debugging story is different. Safari and iOS web pages are normally
debugged through
Safari Web Inspector, not through Chromium's CDP
endpoint system. Web Inspector is useful, but it is not the same protocol, not
the same domain model, and not the same JSON/WebSocket target-discovery system
used by Chrome DevTools Protocol.
For that reason, the Torello CDP Library should be understood as a
Chromium-family browser automation library. It is appropriate for:
- Google Chrome
- Chromium
- Microsoft Edge
- Brave
- Opera
- Vivaldi
- Headless Chrome
- Headless Chromium
- Many Electron-based applications
It should
not be expected to operate directly against:
- Safari
- Mobile Safari on iPhone or iPad
- Chrome for iOS
- Firefox for iOS
- Edge for iOS
- Brave for iOS
- Other WebKit-only browser environments
Supporting those browsers would require a separate WebKit/Safari remote
inspection implementation, not merely a small adjustment to the existing CDP
command classes.
🎯
Bottom line: if a browser can expose the Chrome DevTools Protocol, the
Torello CDP Library may be able to control it. If the browser is WebKit-based
and does not expose Chromium CDP endpoints, then it belongs to a different
automation ecosystem.