google-chrome-stable

View documentation for the original command

$ tldr chromium

google-chrome-stable [OPTIONS] [URL_OR_PATH ...]

--incognito
    Opens a new Incognito window, preventing browsing history, cookies, and site data from being saved.

--new-window
    Forces the opening of a new browser window, even if a Chrome instance is already running.

--headless
    Runs Chrome in headless mode without a graphical user interface, useful for automation, testing, and server environments.

--app=URL
    Launches the specified URL as a simplified web application, without typical browser UI elements like the address bar and toolbars.

--profile-directory="ProfileName"
    Specifies the profile directory to use. For example, Default, Profile 1, etc., located within the user data directory.

--user-data-dir="PATH"
    Sets a custom directory where Chrome stores user data, including profiles, cache, and extensions. Useful for portable installations or specific testing scenarios.

--disable-gpu
    Disables GPU hardware acceleration. Useful for troubleshooting rendering issues or on systems with problematic graphics drivers.

--no-sandbox
    Disables the browser's security sandbox. This is generally discouraged due to security risks but can be necessary in certain isolated environments (e.g., Docker containers).

--version
    Prints the current version information of Google Chrome to standard output and exits.

--help
    Displays a help message detailing common command-line flags and their usage.

The google-chrome-stable command on Linux invokes the official, stable release channel of the Google Chrome web browser. Developed by Google, Chrome is a widely used, cross-platform browser known for its speed, minimalistic user interface, and robust feature set. It is built upon the open-source Chromium project and utilizes the Blink rendering engine and V8 JavaScript engine.

As a stable release, google-chrome-stable offers the most tested and reliable version of the browser, suitable for general daily use. It provides a full web browsing experience, supporting modern web standards, an extensive ecosystem of extensions from the Chrome Web Store, built-in PDF viewer, automatic translation, and synchronization of user data (bookmarks, history, passwords) across devices via a Google account. While based on Chromium, google-chrome-stable includes proprietary components, such as integrated Adobe Flash Player (though increasingly deprecated), Widevine DRM, and Google API keys.

Google Chrome, while widely used, contains proprietary components and involves data collection by Google, which may raise privacy concerns for some users. While generally efficient, it can be resource-intensive, particularly with many tabs or extensions open. Updates for google-chrome-stable are typically managed automatically by the system's package manager (e.g., APT on Debian/Ubuntu, RPM on Fedora/openSUSE), ensuring the browser remains up-to-date with security patches and new features. It's important to note that the browser supports hundreds of command-line flags, many of which are internal debugging or highly specific developer options and are not listed here.

google-chrome-stable represents the most thoroughly tested and widely used release channel. Google also offers other channels for different use cases: Beta (previews upcoming features), Dev (developer builds with more recent changes), and Canary (daily, bleeding-edge builds). Users can install these alongside or instead of the stable version to test new features or contribute to development.

Google Chrome supports multiple user profiles, allowing different users or purposes to have separate browsing data, settings, extensions, bookmarks, and history. This is particularly useful for shared computers or for developers who need distinct environments. Profiles can be managed through the browser's graphical interface or specified directly via the command-line using the --profile-directory or --user-data-dir flags.

Google Chrome was first released in 2008 by Google, rapidly gaining market share to become one of the most dominant web browsers globally. Its development on Linux has been consistent since its initial release, providing a native experience for users on the platform. Chrome's success is often attributed to its innovative multi-process architecture (isolating tabs and plugins), the fast V8 JavaScript engine, and its extensive Web Store for extensions. The browser's commitment to web standards and continuous development has profoundly influenced web development and user experience.

chromium-browser(1), firefox(1), xdg-open(1), google-chrome-beta(1), google-chrome-unstable(1)