Lightpanda SOP

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Test ​

Status: NEEDS-DESKTOP (Linux/macOS only, no Windows binary) ​

Lightpanda is a headless browser built in Zig. GitHub: lightpanda-io/browser.

Windows is not supported. The latest nightly release provides binaries only for Linux and macOS. No Windows binary exists.

Confirmed via GitHub releases API. The asset list for the latest nightly release is:

lightpanda-aarch64-linux
lightpanda-aarch64-macos
lightpanda-x86_64-linux
lightpanda-x86_64-macos

No lightpanda-x86_64-windows or equivalent asset is present.

What is required ​

  • A Linux or macOS machine (x86_64 or aarch64)
  • Download the appropriate binary from the GitHub releases page (lightpanda-io/browser)
  • Or use Docker (Linux containers only)
  • Or use the npm package (which bundles a Linux binary and runs it via a subprocess shim)

Smoke test: binary version check ​

After installing the binary (via curl installer, Homebrew, or direct download), run:

bash
lightpanda version

Or if you have a local binary:

bash
./lightpanda version

Expected output:

lightpanda x.y.z (nightly-YYYYMMDD)

The exact version string will vary by build date. A successful run exits with code 0 and prints a version line. Any error (command not found, permission denied) means the install did not complete.

Smoke test: npm package + Puppeteer ​

After running through the quickstart in the Usage page, run:

bash
node index.js

Expected output:

Lightpanda's CDP server... { pid: 31371 }
CDP connection is working
Page title: Example Domain

The pid will differ. The key signals are: no crash, a pid line, the "CDP connection is working" confirmation, and a printed page title.

Smoke test: Docker ​

bash
docker run --rm lightpanda/browser:nightly lightpanda version

Expected output: same version string as the binary smoke test above.

Smoke test: CLI fetch ​

bash
lightpanda fetch --dump html https://example.com 2>/dev/null | head -5

Expected output: The first five lines of the rendered HTML for https://example.com, starting with <!DOCTYPE html> or <html.

Notes ​

  • The binary is Linux/macOS only. On Windows, use Docker (Linux containers) or the npm package (which bundles a Linux binary and runs it via a subprocess shim).
  • The npm package requires Node.js 18 or later.
  • These commands and expected outputs are sourced from official Lightpanda documentation and the GitHub README. Not locally tested on this Windows machine (no binary available for this platform).

Classification ​

NEEDS-DESKTOP (Linux/macOS only) - Windows not supported. No Windows binary in any release as of 2026. Linux or macOS required to run natively.