JavaScript Rendering Page Capture Solution: Headless Browser Memory Optimization

Hands-on guide to draining memory from headless browsers

Friends engaged in data collection must have encountered this situation: using Puppeteer or Playwright to crawl the JS rendered page, running and running memory will burst. Especially the collection of tasks that need to run for a long period of time, moving to give you a memory leak warning. Today we will talk about how to use proxy IP with a few tawdry operations to minimize the memory footprint of the headless browser.

The three main culprits of memory bursts

Let's start by catching a few typical memory killers:The page cache eats memory.It's like Gluttony, the more tabs you open the more it kills you;DOM elements are not cleaned upIt's like a room that isn't cleaned, the more garbage piles up;Request interception is not working.It's like a leaky faucet with resources loaded on the sly. With these three guys together, a machine with 8G of RAM can run for two hours.

Alternative Uses of Proxy IPs

The focus here is on ipipgo'sDynamic IP RotationFunction. Many people only know to use proxy IP to prevent blocking, in fact, it can also help us save memory. For example, every 50 pages collected on the IP to restart the browser instance, so as to avoid feature recognition, but also to force the release of memory. Tested with this method, 16 hours of continuous collection of memory fluctuations can be stabilized within ± 200MB.

Specific configuration example (Node.js environment):

const {ipipgo} = require('ipipgo-sdk');
let currentProxy = ipipgo.getRotatingProxy();

async function restartBrowser(){
  await browser.close();
  browser = await puppeteer.launch({
    args: [currentProxy.newIp()]
  });
  // 每50次请求换IP重启
  if(requestCount %50 ===0) restartBrowser();
}

Four Axes of Memory Optimization

1. Requests should be intercepted ruthlessly: Use page.setRequestInterception to pinch off images, fonts, and other unneeded resources directly. Remember to release the CSS and JS, otherwise the page structure may not load fully.

2. Timed cleaning: After each page is processed, page.removeAllListeners() is executed, and the DOM object should be set to null, so don't be soft.

3. Tab Don't Grab Too Much: It is recommended to have up to 5 tabs open on a single instance, and more than that to open a new browser instance. It's slower to start, but the memory is more stable.

4. Memory monitoring can't be beat: Use process.memoryUsage() to do a timed check and reboot automatically if it exceeds the threshold. This works well with ipipgo's IP pool rotation.

Practical QA session

Q: What should I do if the collection speed slows down after using a proxy IP?
A: Go with ipipgo'sExclusive High Speed Accessnodes, don't use public proxy pools. Their HTTP interface response can be controlled within 200ms, which is faster than some self-built proxies.

Q: How can I break the human verification that I always encounter?
A: In the proxy request header add X-Forwarded-For parameter, with ipipgo's residential IP. remember that each request User-Agent to be randomly generated, the mouse trajectory with bezier curve simulation more realistic.

Q: What if I need to collect a lot of AJAX pages?
A: Disable page jump directly and use page.evaluateHandle to get DOM snapshot. Execute page.deletePage() immediately after the acquisition is done, which can avoid memory fragmentation.

The Ultimate in Memory Saving

In the end, memory optimization isTidy up hard + can distribute. Don't hesitate when it's time to reboot, and don't carry on if you can change your identity with a proxy IP. Service providers like ipipgo that can provide millions of IP pools are especially suitable for scenarios that require long-term stable collection. Their API supports per-minute billing, and they are not afraid of being necked by IP limitations when they temporarily increase their volume.

Finally, I'd like to share a private configuration: run the collection script in docker with the memory limit set to 1G, and with the above optimization scheme, the 24-hour memory consumption curve is more stable than an ECG. If something goes wrong in the middle of the run, ipipgo's API can automatically switch between available IPs, which is a great way to save your mind.