# PinchTab — High-Performance Browser Automation Bridge and Orchestrator

> A browser automation bridge that orchestrates multiple browser instances via CDP with a real-time dashboard. Built in Go for performance-critical web automation tasks.

## Install

Save in your project root:

# PinchTab — High-Performance Browser Automation Bridge and Orchestrator

## Quick Use
```bash
docker run -d -p 3000:3000 pinchtab/pinchtab
# Connect via CDP endpoint at ws://localhost:3000
```

## Introduction
PinchTab is a high-performance browser automation bridge written in Go that manages multiple Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP) connections through a single orchestration layer. It provides a real-time dashboard for monitoring browser sessions and is designed for scenarios requiring parallel browser automation at scale.

## What PinchTab Does
- Orchestrates multiple headless Chrome instances through a unified CDP bridge
- Provides a real-time web dashboard for monitoring active browser sessions
- Manages browser lifecycle including creation, pooling, and cleanup
- Supports parallel execution of automation tasks across browser instances
- Exposes a REST API and WebSocket interface for programmatic control

## Architecture Overview
PinchTab runs as a Go service that sits between automation clients and Chrome instances. It manages a pool of browser processes, routes CDP commands to the appropriate instance, and collects metrics displayed on a built-in dashboard. The Go runtime provides low-latency message passing and efficient concurrent session management.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Deploy via Docker with a single command
- Configure browser pool size and resource limits through environment variables
- Set up session timeouts and automatic cleanup policies
- Enable the dashboard on a configurable port for monitoring
- Integrate with existing automation scripts via standard CDP protocol

## Key Features
- Multi-instance browser orchestration through a single endpoint
- Real-time monitoring dashboard with session metrics
- Go-based architecture for high throughput and low latency
- Standard CDP protocol compatibility with existing automation tools
- Automatic browser lifecycle management and resource cleanup

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **Browserless** — managed browser API; PinchTab is self-hosted with multi-instance orchestration
- **Playwright** — browser automation framework; PinchTab is an infrastructure layer that manages browser pools
- **Selenium Grid** — distributed browser testing; PinchTab focuses on CDP-native orchestration with lower overhead
- **Steel Browser** — browser sandbox for AI agents; PinchTab emphasizes multi-instance management and monitoring

## FAQ
**Q: Does it work with Puppeteer and Playwright?**
A: Yes, any tool that connects via CDP can use PinchTab as its browser endpoint.

**Q: How many browser instances can it manage?**
A: The limit depends on available system resources. It handles dozens of concurrent instances on a typical server.

**Q: Is there authentication for the dashboard?**
A: Authentication can be configured through environment variables for production deployments.

**Q: What Chrome versions are supported?**
A: It works with any Chromium-based browser that supports the Chrome DevTools Protocol.

## Sources
- https://github.com/pinchtab/pinchtab


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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/asset-24b10a59
Author: AI Open Source