Browser Use

Cloud browser infrastructure for AI agents

Browser Use provides cloud browser infrastructure for AI agents. Use it when running agent-browser in environments where a local browser isn’t available (serverless, CI/CD, etc.).

When to Use Browser Use

• Serverless functions (AWS Lambda, Vercel, Cloudflare Workers)
• CI/CD automation
• Docker containers without display
• Distributed scraping and testing
• Quick prototyping without local browser setup

Prerequisites

• Browser Use account (sign up)
• API key from Browser Use Dashboard

Free credits are available to get started, with pay-as-you-go pricing after.

Setup

1. Get your API key

   1. Visit the Browser Use Dashboard
   2. Create a new API key
   3. Copy the key (it won’t be shown again)
2. Set environment variable

   export BROWSER_USE_API_KEY="your-api-key"
   

Usage

Via CLI Flag

Use the -p browseruse flag:

agent-browser -p browseruse open https://example.com
agent-browser -p browseruse snapshot -i
agent-browser -p browseruse click @e1

Via Environment Variable

Set the provider globally:

export AGENT_BROWSER_PROVIDER=browseruse
export BROWSER_USE_API_KEY="your-api-key"

# Now all commands use Browser Use automatically
agent-browser open https://example.com
agent-browser snapshot -i
agent-browser click @e1

Features

All standard agent-browser commands work with Browser Use:

• Navigation: open, back, forward, reload
• Snapshots: snapshot, snapshot -i, snapshot --json
• Interactions: click, fill, type, press, hover
• Screenshots: screenshot, screenshot --full, screenshot --annotate
• State: state save, state load, cookies, storage
• Waiting: wait, wait --load, wait --url
• Network: network route, network requests

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Required
AGENT_BROWSER_PROVIDER	Set to browseruse	Yes (or use -p flag)
BROWSER_USE_API_KEY	Your Browser Use API key	Yes

Example: Serverless Function

// api/scrape.js - Vercel serverless function
import { exec } from 'child_process';
import { promisify } from 'util';

const execAsync = promisify(exec);

export default async function handler(req, res) {
  const { url } = req.query;
  
  process.env.AGENT_BROWSER_PROVIDER = 'browseruse';
  process.env.BROWSER_USE_API_KEY = process.env.BROWSER_USE_KEY;
  
  try {
    // Run browser automation
    await execAsync(`agent-browser open ${url}`);
    const { stdout } = await execAsync('agent-browser snapshot -i --json');
    await execAsync('agent-browser close');
    
    const snapshot = JSON.parse(stdout);
    res.status(200).json(snapshot);
  } catch (error) {
    res.status(500).json({ error: error.message });
  }
}

Example: Docker Container

# Dockerfile
FROM node:20-alpine

# Install agent-browser
RUN npm install -g agent-browser

# Set Browser Use as provider
ENV AGENT_BROWSER_PROVIDER=browseruse
ENV BROWSER_USE_API_KEY=your-api-key

# Copy automation scripts
COPY scripts/ /app/
WORKDIR /app

CMD ["./run-automation.sh"]

Example: CI/CD Testing

# .github/workflows/test.yml
name: Browser Tests

on: [push]

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
      
      - name: Install agent-browser
        run: npm install -g agent-browser
      
      - name: Run browser tests
        env:
          AGENT_BROWSER_PROVIDER: browseruse
          BROWSER_USE_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.BROWSER_USE_API_KEY }}
        run: |
          agent-browser open https://myapp.com
          agent-browser snapshot -i
          agent-browser screenshot test.png
          agent-browser close

Example: Quick Prototyping

# No local browser needed - test immediately
export AGENT_BROWSER_PROVIDER=browseruse
export BROWSER_USE_API_KEY="your-api-key"

# Start testing right away
agent-browser open https://example.com
agent-browser snapshot -i
agent-browser click @e1

Performance

Browser Use cloud sessions start quickly and scale automatically. No need to manage browser installations or updates.

Pricing

• Free tier available for testing
• Pay-as-you-go pricing based on session time
• Check current rates at browser-use.com/pricing

Switch between local and cloud browsers by changing the provider. Your automation scripts stay the same.