TLDR: You can instantly access an on-demand browser via browserling.com/browse. I and my team created a service that streams secure, isolated on-demand web browser sessions to you as a video from our remote servers. Each session starts from a clean state and when it terminates, downloads, history, and cookies get deleted.
On-Demand Browser – What Is It?
An on-demand browser is a virtualized, cloud-based browser that is created on a remote server upon user request. It enables users to launch instances of popular browsers like Chrome or Firefox in a secure, sandboxed environment. The browser instances are temporary and isolated from the user's system, providing a safe platform for secure browsing, cybersecurity analysis, and cross-browser testing. This technology is particularly useful for one-time tasks, assessing website security, and ensuring compatibility across different browser versions. Additionally, it provides a scalable and efficient solution for businesses and individuals who require flexible access to different web browsers without the overhead of maintaining multiple physical machines or installations.
On-Demand Browser – How Does It Work?
The on-demand browser service operates by managing a pool of virtual machines on cloud servers, each pre-installed with browsers. When a user initiates a browsing session, a new virtual machine from this pool is allocated, providing a secure, isolated environment for the session. This setup ensures complete privacy as all browsing data, including cookies, history, and downloaded files, are deleted when the session ends. Additionally, since the browsers run on remote servers, there is no tracking of the user's local activities. After a session concludes, the virtual machine and its browser contents are discarded, and a new virtual machine is added to the pool, allowing next users to get a session.
What's the Difference Between a Regular Browser and an On-Demand Browser?
A regular browser operates directly on the user's local machine, storing data like cookies, history, and cache, which can pose security risks and privacy concerns. In contrast, an on-demand browser runs in a virtualized environment on a remote server, ensuring each session is isolated and secure. This setup guarantees that all session data, including cookies and history, are completely erased after each use, offering enhanced cybersecurity and anonymity compared to traditional browsers.
What Are On-Demand Browser Use Cases?
Secure Web Browsing
On-demand browsers provide an isolated environment, ideal for accessing sensitive websites without risking local system security. This feature is crucial for protecting against malware and phishing attacks.
Cybersecurity Analysis
Security professionals use on-demand browsers to safely investigate potentially malicious websites or links, without exposing their actual systems or networks to threats.
Temporary Online Identities
Individuals seeking online anonymity use on-demand browsers to browse the web with temporary identities, making it difficult for trackers to trace their online activities and behavior.
Cross-Browser Testing
Web developers and QA testers leverage on-demand browsers to test website compatibility and performance across different browser versions and configurations without needing multiple installations.
Performance Benchmarking
On-demand browsers can be used for benchmarking website performance under various conditions. This includes testing load times, responsiveness, and resource usage across different browsers and devices.
Geo-Spoofed Browsing
Users can bypass geo-restrictions and access region-locked content by using on-demand browsers to appear as if they are browsing from a different location, enhancing online freedom.
Incognito Customer Experience
Companies can use on-demand browsers to experience their website as a new user each time, ensuring an unbiased view of first-time customer experience and website functionality.
Anonymous Web Scraping
Researchers and data analysts use on-demand browsers to anonymously collect web data without revealing their IP address or identity.
Content Moderation and Review
Content moderators can use on-demand browsers to safely review potentially sensitive or harmful web content. This isolation protects them from direct exposure to unsafe material.
What Is Browserling?
Browserling is an on-demand browser platform that specializes in providing isolated browsing environments, used in cybersecurity applications and safeguarding against online threats. It also serves as a go-to tool for cross-browser testing, ensuring compatibility and performance across various browser configurations and versions. This dual functionality makes it an indispensable service for both security experts and web development professionals.
Who Uses Browserling?
Browserling has now become the on-demand browser platform of choice for cybersecurity experts and web developers, and it's used by hundreds of thousands of users around the world every month. Browserling's customers include governments, states, cities, banks, stock exchanges, universities, newspapers, Fortune 100, Fortune 500 companies, and private multi-billion dollar companies.
Happy browsing!