chrome-private.sh is a shell wrapper that simplifies using Google Chrome ephemerally.

The core concept is the disposable profile that is created on demand and (optionally) discarded on exit. Executing Chrome through the wrapper enables clear segmentation and isolation of browsing sessions into directories that can be copied / moved / kept around / deleted when no longer required.

Additionally, profiles can be preconfigured with user settings / 3rd party extensions and used as templates.

I initially created chrome-private.sh in order to get some semblance of control over my browsing habits and be able to better manage the enormous volume of information I found myself exposed to every day. Now, it has become invaluable as it encourages me to set clear limits, while conveniently keeping all state related to a specific area of research isolated and also speeding up experimenting with widely-disparate configurations and ways of browsing.

Features

• Disables caches, Flash, referrers
• Disables 3D APIs / WebGL, GPU acceleration by default while allowing them to be re-enabled through command-line switches.
• Enables user-specified proxy and incognito mode through command-line switches

Disabling referrers through a command-line switch seems to no longer do anything in Chrome, even though the switch is recognized. Use an extension like uMatrix.

Usage

First, make sure CHROME variable is correct. The default value should be ok on Linux. You can set it directly in the script itself or in ~/.chrome-private.rc. If you are on macOS, you will need GNU mktemp (gmktemp) which you can get by installing coreutils from MacPorts or Homebrew. You will also need to set CHROME to the full path of the Google Chrome.app (or canary) binary. Example:

CHROME="${HOME}/Applications/Google Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google Chrome"

If RAMDISK is set, it will be used instead of TMP (highly recommended).

Sample session:

$ chrome-private.sh --keep --name core_profile
Using new profile dir: core_profile
Chrome PID: 64832

# Proceed to configure the browser and install extensions.
# uBlock Origin and uMatrix are highly recommended.
#
# After quitting the browser, core_profile/ can be moved / copied
# and used as a root profile (template) for subsequent ephemeral
# profiles. It can be set as such in ~/.chrome-private.rc
# (ROOT_PROFILE_DIR) or passed to the script as an argument
# (--root-profile).

$ echo ROOT_PROFILE_DIR="~/core_profile" >> ~/.chrome-private.rc

# Create a new ephemeral profile that will be auto-deleted on exit
# It will be an exact clone of the root profile, with the same
# configuration and installed extensions. Changes to this profile
# will not affect the root.

$ chrome-private.sh --delete
Copying reference profile from: /Users/xristos/core_profile to: /tmp/chrome.priv.prof_biG9RWIIUB
Chrome PID: 65011

# Quit or CTRL-C browser

Deleted: /tmp/chrome.priv.prof_biG9RWIIUB

# If you don't pass --delete, the ephemeral profile directory will be renamed
# to {name}.deleted on exit rather than deleted. If you pass --keep the profile
# directory will neither be renamed nor deleted.

$ chrome-private.sh

Copying reference profile from: /Users/xristos/core_profile to: /tmp/chrome.priv.prof_paoMTlHzaw
Chrome PID: 65075
Renamed: /tmp/chrome.priv.prof_paoMTlHzaw

#
# A previous session can be resumed by using --profile
#

$ chrome-private.sh --profile chrome.priv.prof_paoMTlHzaw

Using existing profile dir: chrome.priv.prof_paoMTlHzaw
Chrome PID: 65184

# Tabs that were open in that session can be restored in one go through
# the History menu. A profile directory that is directly specified through
# the --profile argument will never be renamed / deleted on exit.

License

This is free and unencumbered software released into the public domain.

Author

xristos (AT) sdf (DOT) org