WebGPU Fingerprint Protection

Control WebGPU API behavior and protect GPU adapter information with --bot-config-webgpu.

Prerequisites

BotBrowser installed. See Installation Guide.
A profile file (.enc for production).

Overview

WebGPU is a modern graphics API that exposes GPU adapter details (vendor, architecture, device name) and rendering characteristics. These properties can serve as a fingerprint surface because they vary by hardware and driver version. BotBrowser controls WebGPU behavior at the browser engine level to maintain consistency across different host systems.

Quick Start


# Default: use profile-defined WebGPU values (recommended)
chromium-browser \
    --bot-profile="/path/to/profile.enc" \
    --user-data-dir="$(mktemp -d)"

By default, BotBrowser uses the profile’s WebGPU adapter data. No extra flags needed.

Configuration

The --bot-config-webgpu flag controls WebGPU behavior:

Value	Behavior
`profile` (default)	Return profile-defined adapter information. GPU probes see the target device’s values regardless of the host hardware.
`real`	Use the host system’s actual GPU. Useful when you need native GPU performance and don’t need WebGPU fingerprint protection.
`disabled`	Disable WebGPU entirely. `navigator.gpu.requestAdapter()` returns `null`.


# Use profile GPU identity (default)
chromium-browser \
    --bot-profile="/path/to/profile.enc" \
    --bot-config-webgpu=profile
 
# Use host GPU directly
chromium-browser \
    --bot-profile="/path/to/profile.enc" \
    --bot-config-webgpu=real
 
# Disable WebGPU
chromium-browser \
    --bot-profile="/path/to/profile.enc" \
    --bot-config-webgpu=disabled

Common Scenarios

Cross-platform consistency

Run a Windows profile on a Linux server. The WebGPU adapter reports the profile’s GPU identity, not the host’s:


const browser = await chromium.launch({
    executablePath: process.env.BOTBROWSER_EXEC_PATH,
    headless: true,
    args: [
        "--bot-profile=/path/to/win-profile.enc",
    ],
});
 
const page = await browser.newPage();
const adapter = await page.evaluate(async () => {
    const gpu = navigator.gpu;
    if (!gpu) return null;
    const adapter = await gpu.requestAdapter();
    if (!adapter) return null;
    const info = await adapter.requestAdapterInfo();
    return { vendor: info.vendor, architecture: info.architecture };
});
console.log(adapter); // Profile's GPU, not host's
await browser.close();

Disable WebGPU for lightweight tasks

If your workload does not require WebGPU, disable it to reduce resource usage:


chromium-browser \
    --bot-profile="/path/to/profile.enc" \
    --bot-config-webgpu=disabled \
    --user-data-dir="$(mktemp -d)"

Troubleshooting / FAQ

Problem	Solution
`requestAdapter()` returns `null`	On headless servers without a GPU, ensure GPU emulation is active (default). If you set `--bot-gpu-emulation=false`, the system needs Vulkan support (e.g., `mesa-vulkan-drivers`).
WebGPU shows host GPU info	Check that `--bot-config-webgpu` is set to `profile` (default) and not `real`.
High CPU during WebGPU operations	Expected on software-rendered environments. See Performance Optimization.

Next Steps

WebGL Fingerprint Protection. Control WebGL parameters and rendering consistency.
Canvas Fingerprint Protection. Deterministic noise for Canvas 2D rendering.
Performance Optimization. GPU backend selection on Linux servers.
CLI Flags Reference. Complete flag documentation.

Related documentation: Advanced Features | CLI Flags

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