How to Install Chromium on Ubuntu and CentOS

Short answer: On standard Ubuntu 16.04 LTS and newer systems, install Chromium with sudo snap install chromium. On CentOS, identify the release, enable EPEL, install and enable snapd, create the classic Snap symlink, then run the same Chromium command. The exact CentOS repository path depends on whether you use CentOS 7, CentOS 8/9 Stream, or another Enterprise Linux variant.

Snap is the documented default route because Chromium receives updates through the Snap Store. Ubuntu usually has Snap ready already. CentOS needs more preparation. EPEL also publishes Chromium RPMs for some Enterprise Linux releases, but availability and dependencies vary, so verify the target release before using a direct RPM command.

Install Chromium on Ubuntu

1. Check the Ubuntu release

cat /etc/os-release

Canonical documents the Snap package for Ubuntu 16.04 LTS and later. Standard Ubuntu installations normally include Snap. Some Ubuntu flavours remove it, and older or customized images may need snapd installed manually.

2. Install Chromium with Snap

sudo snap install chromium

This installs the Chromium Snap published through the Snap Store. Snap packages update automatically through the Snap service, so you do not need to build Chromium or maintain a separate download directory.

3. If Snap is missing

sudo apt update
sudo apt install snapd

Log out and back in, or restart the machine, after installing snapd. This refreshes the session environment and Snap paths. Then install Chromium:

sudo snap install chromium

4. Launch and verify Chromium

chromium

On some desktop environments the executable is exposed as chromium; on others you can start it from the application menu. Confirm the installed Snap with:

snap list chromium
snap info chromium

The Snap Store page describes Chromium as the open-source browser package and provides the current installation command. See Canonical’s Ubuntu Chromium instructions for release-specific notes.

Install Chromium on CentOS

1. Identify the exact CentOS release

cat /etc/centos-release

The command determines whether you should use dnf or yum for the EPEL setup. The documented Snap daemon procedure supports CentOS 7, 8, 8 Stream, and 9 Stream; CentOS 7 support starts with 7.6.

2. Enable EPEL

For CentOS 8 or 9 Stream, use dnf:

sudo dnf install epel-release
sudo dnf upgrade

For CentOS 7, use yum:

sudo yum install epel-release

EPEL supplies snapd and its dependencies. Repository metadata can change, so refresh package information if the command reports stale or unavailable metadata.

3. Install and enable snapd

sudo yum install snapd
sudo systemctl enable --now snapd.socket
sudo ln -s /var/lib/snapd/snap /snap

The yum command works on CentOS 7 and is commonly accepted by later releases as a compatibility command. If your CentOS 8/9 system prefers dnf, use:

sudo dnf install snapd
sudo systemctl enable --now snapd.socket
sudo ln -s /var/lib/snapd/snap /snap

The symbolic link enables classic Snap support. Log out and back in, or restart, before installing the browser.

4. Install Chromium

sudo snap install chromium

Verify the daemon and package:

systemctl status snapd.socket
snap list chromium
snap info chromium

Read the CentOS Chromium instructions and the Snap daemon guide when your release has unusual repository configuration.

Choosing Snap, an RPM, or a standalone build

Method	Best for	Maintenance	Main caveat
Snap	Normal desktop and server installations	Automatic Snap updates	Requires snapd; CentOS requires EPEL
EPEL RPM	Systems that standardize on RPM packages	Managed by enabled RPM repositories	Package names and dependencies vary by EPEL release
Standalone Chromium archive	Build-specific testing or specialized automation	You manage downloads and updates	Upstream calls builds best-effort; old builds lack current security fixes

EPEL RPM availability

The Fedora Project package index lists Chromium packages for EPEL 8, EPEL 9, and EPEL 10 variants. That does not guarantee that every CentOS image has a compatible package enabled. Check the exact release and repositories first:

dnf repolist
dnf info chromium
yum info chromium

If metadata shows a compatible package, install it using your package manager:

sudo dnf install chromium

Use this route only after confirming the package belongs to the repository set you intend to maintain. Do not assume dnf install chromium works universally across CentOS generations.

Standalone upstream builds

The Chromium project provides a Linux archive workflow in which you select a build number, download a ZIP archive, and run its executable. This is useful when a test must pin a particular revision. It is not the usual production installation path: upstream describes these builds as best-effort, says they may not correspond to user-facing Chrome releases, and warns that old builds do not receive current security fixes.

Headless Chromium on servers

For automation, install Chromium on a machine with the libraries, fonts, and sandbox permissions required by your workload. Test the binary as the same user that will run the job:

chromium --version
chromium --headless --no-sandbox --disable-gpu --dump-dom https://example.com

Only use --no-sandbox when your isolation model explicitly requires it. Running a browser as an unprivileged user with the sandbox enabled is preferable. A minimal screenshot command is:

chromium --headless --disable-gpu \
  --window-size=1365,768 \
  --screenshot=example.png \
  https://example.com

On a server without a desktop session, confirm that required font packages are installed. Missing fonts can change line wrapping and produce different screenshots even when the page loaded successfully.

Common errors and fixes

Error or symptom	Likely cause	Fix
snap: command not found	Snap is not installed or the session has not refreshed	Install snapd, then log out and back in or restart
cannot communicate with server	The Snap socket is disabled	Run sudo systemctl enable --now snapd.socket
No matching package to install: snapd	EPEL is missing or repository metadata is stale	Install epel-release, refresh metadata, and check dnf repolist or yum repolist
Chromium launches but the command is not found	Snap paths are not available in the current session	Log out and back in, restart, or invoke the desktop launcher
Broken /snap link	The link already exists or points elsewhere	Inspect with ls -ld /snap; remove only an incorrect link, then recreate it
Blank page in headless mode	Page scripts, network access, certificates, or timing are incomplete	Try --dump-dom, allow more time, inspect network policy, and test as the service user
Different layout from a desktop	Viewport, device scale, fonts, or user agent differ	Set an explicit window size, install required fonts, and use consistent browser flags
Sandbox error	Browser is running as root or lacks namespace permissions	Run as an unprivileged user and keep the sandbox enabled; change host policy rather than defaulting to --no-sandbox
RPM dependency conflict	EPEL package does not match the OS release or enabled modules	Inspect package metadata and enabled repositories; use Snap when the RPM path is incompatible

Updates, rollback, and removal

Snap refreshes installed snaps automatically. Inspect revisions and channels with:

snap list --all chromium
snap info chromium

To remove the Snap package:

sudo snap remove chromium

On Ubuntu, remove Snap itself only if you understand the effect on other installed snaps. On CentOS, removing Chromium does not necessarily remove snapd, EPEL, or the /snap link because other software may use them.

Performance and reliability considerations

• Startup time: A persistent browser process is faster for repeated automation than launching Chromium for every URL. Reuse a controlled browser context when your framework supports it.
• Memory: Full-page pages, large images, and many parallel tabs increase memory pressure. Limit concurrency and close contexts after each batch.
• Network: DNS, TLS inspection, proxies, and outbound firewall rules can look like browser failures. Test the same URL with curl and Chromium from the same host.
• Reproducibility: Pin the OS image, Chromium channel, viewport, fonts, timezone, locale, and user agent when screenshots are compared in CI.
• Security: Keep Chromium current. Standalone old builds are particularly risky because upstream says they do not receive current security fixes.
• Cost: The software packages are free, but CI runners, CPU, memory, storage, bandwidth, and maintenance have operational costs. Parallel browser jobs can raise infrastructure usage quickly.

Or skip the browser setup

If your goal is to obtain reliable website screenshots rather than operate Chromium yourself, ScreenshotNeo provides a website screenshot API and MCP server. One request returns a PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF. Cookie and consent banners are accepted before capture, and more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets are removed. Bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and the response reports the result with X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed headers.

Use the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for all options. The basic call is:

cURL

curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webp

Python

import requests

r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"}, timeout=90)
r.raise_for_status()
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)

Node.js

const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`HTTP ${res.status}`);
const fs = await import('node:fs/promises');
await fs.writeFile('shot.webp', Buffer.from(await res.arrayBuffer()));

ScreenshotNeo also supports full-page capture with lazy images loaded, CSS-selector element capture, dark mode, 12 device presets or custom viewports, retina scale, PDF paper sizes and page ranges, custom CSS and JavaScript, clicks, selector or network-idle waits, request blocking, headers, cookies, authorization, timezone, geolocation, transparent backgrounds, resizing, cache TTLs, signed image links, asynchronous jobs with signed webhooks, bulk capture for 100 URLs per call, usage reporting, and an OpenAPI specification. An MCP server exposes take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf to Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients.

There is a free plan with 1,000 screenshots per month and no card. Paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots; every feature is available on every plan. Create a free ScreenshotNeo account and start with 1,000 screenshots a month at no charge.

Installation checklist

1. Run cat /etc/os-release or cat /etc/centos-release.
2. On Ubuntu, install snapd only when it is absent.
3. On CentOS, enable the correct EPEL repository.
4. Install and enable snapd.socket on CentOS.
5. Create /snap for classic Snap support.
6. Log out and back in or restart after Snap setup.
7. Run sudo snap install chromium.
8. Verify with chromium --version and snap list chromium.
9. For automation, test the same user, fonts, viewport, network policy, and sandbox settings used in production.

FAQ

Why does apt install chromium install a Snap?

On Ubuntu releases where Chromium is supplied through the Snap route, the package command can act as a transition to the Chromium Snap. Installing with sudo snap install chromium makes the intended package format explicit.

Can I install Chromium on CentOS without Snap?

Sometimes. EPEL lists Chromium for selected EPEL 8, 9, and 10 variants, but compatibility depends on your exact release and repositories. Verify package metadata before relying on an RPM command.

Does Snap work on CentOS 7?

The Snap daemon documentation lists CentOS 7 support from 7.6 onward. You still need EPEL, snapd, the socket, and the classic Snap symlink.

Is a standalone Chromium archive suitable for a public server?

Use it for a pinned test or build-specific requirement. Upstream describes these builds as best-effort and warns that old builds do not receive current security fixes.

Which installation is best for CI screenshots?

Use a maintained package path, pin the environment details that affect rendering, and run Chromium as an unprivileged user. If maintaining browser images is unnecessary for your project, use the ScreenshotNeo API instead.