The Raspberry Pi is one of the best known micro-computers. The possibilities offered by this device, for the 40 euros it costs, are immense. We can use it from to mount a home server to to create our own retro-console and even a personal computer, with Linux, fully functional. However, one of the main limitations of this device is its power, and that is that for some tasks it may be a little limited. And for this reason, it is very important to always try to find light programs that allow us to make the most of the resources of this computer.
The Linux distros used in the Raspberry Pi generally come optimized and reduced to be able to work without problems with the available hardware. However, the programs that we can install, such as the web browser, is the same that we can use on any PC or other systems. These programs generally are not usually optimized. And, if one of these programs consumes a lot of resources, we may have problems.
If we use the Raspberry Pi as a pocket personal computer and want to surf the Internet, let’s see what are the best lightweight browsers that we can install.
Light browsers for the Raspberry Pi
Lynx
The first of the lightweight browsers that we are going to talk about is Lynx. This browser is different from the other browsers that we are used to, since it is a browser that is used from the terminal, in text mode. It can be used locally from the terminal or from a TTY or remotely through SSH.
It does not have a graphical interface and its functions are very limited. Thanks to this, it is one of the lightest browsers that we can find for Linux (and, therefore, for the Raspberry Pi), taking no more than a few megabytes to function.
We can download this browser with the following command:
sudo apt install lynx
Epiphany
This is the default browser that is usually included in the GNOME Shell desktop. Since it is a desktop focused on computers with few resources, the browser is also one of the lightest we can find. However, despite being light, it is rich in features. We can find in it features of all kinds, such as bookmarks synchronization function, a password manager and much more.
In addition, it supports bookmarks and Firefox settings, making it very easy to switch from the Mozilla browser to this browser in seconds. It even uses the services of Firefox Sync to keep the data of this browser synchronized with the other browsers that we use.
We can install Epiphany on our Raspberry Pi by executing the following command:
sudo apt install epiphany
Midori
Midori is another of the lightest web browsers that we can find for the Raspberry Pi. This browser uses Apple‘s WebKit engine (used by many other browsers, including Chrome in the past) and has a host of features and functions for users, such as tab-based browsing and pop-up blocking, or pop -ups, that may bother us while browsing the Internet.
This web browser has been designed to save RAM and CPU, making it one of the best alternatives for less powerful computers. It has an excellent bookmarking system, private browsing and even an RSS reader.
We can download this browser with the following command:
sudo apt install midori
Dillo
This web browser is also one of the lightest we can find. It is written in C and C ++ and is one of the best if we are web developers. It has a very simple and intuitive interface and focuses its operation on speed and reducing the fingerprint left by browsers when surfing the net. It does not follow CSS rules and does not support plugins that can be dangerous, such as Flash, Java or JavaScript.
We can install Dillo using the following command:
sudo apt install dillo
Kweb
Kweb is another minimalist web browser, but instead of being similar to Chrome or Firefox, like most, this browser has stuck with the Internet Explorer 6 era, at least aesthetically. Although it does not have modern functions, such as tabs (each web opens in a new window, as before), we are facing a very light browser and, although it may not seem so, updated. It is compatible with JavaScript and HTML5, in addition to having functions and features such as bookmarks that are very useful to us all on a daily basis. You can even play videos thanks to OXMplayer.
Installing this browser is somewhat more complicated, since we will have to download and install it by hand instead of using apt. We can do it with the following commands:
wget http://steinerdatenbank.de/software/kweb-1.7.9.8.tar.gz
tar -xzf kweb-1.7.9.8.tar.gz
cd kweb-1.7.9.8
./debinstall
IceCat
GNU IceCat is also another of the most popular lightweight web browsers that we can install on the Raspberry Pi. This browser is based on Firefox, but it removes all the proprietary Mozilla browser code, leaving a 100% OpenSource browser much lighter than Mozilla’s.
If we are used to using Firefox, this browser is one of the best alternatives that we can use, since it will save us having to familiarize ourselves with a new interface. This browser comes by default with plugins like HTTPS-Everywhere, SpyBlock and LibreJS to improve privacy and security to the browser.
We can download this browser from its GitHub repository . We can use the version that has already been compiled in the download section, or compile it ourselves.
Other browsers for the Raspberry Pi
In addition to the above, of course we can find much more complete web browsers to use on the Raspberry Pi. Without going any further, most Raspbian-based distros usually come with Firefox as the default browser. And the functions and characteristics of this browser are the same that we can find on any PC, and even on Linux.
Other popular browsers that we can install on the Raspberry Pi are the well-known Google Chrome , Google’s browser, and Chromium, Google’s open source browser. All the security functions, features and extensions are compatible with these browsers on the Raspberry Pi.
Any other web browser that is available for Linux, such as Opera, and even the new Edge, will also be able to be installed without problems on the Raspberry Pi, and will work just like on any other computer.
