What is Chromium Browser? What are Its Features?

Although the names, Chrome and Chromium, are quite the same, they actually are two different web browsers that are related to each other.

Chrome is the leading web browser in the world, whereas Chromium is still not known by many.

Here, in this article, we will look closely at Chromium.

What is the Chromium browser?

Chromium is an open-source boilerplate code project which is used to develop web browsers(on top of it). It was developed by Google and is currently being maintained by them. The famous Google Chrome browser is also built on the Chromium project, with some extra features added to it.

The codebase of chromium is widely used by other browsers too like Microsoft Edge, Opera, and many other browsers. There are some other, smaller variants of this too, developed by various other parties that compile the code and release the browsers with the name and logo of chromium. Also, some parts of the code are used by several app frameworks too.

The user interface of chromium is minimalist because Google's initial goal was to make a browser that was lightweight and fast.

The chromium project uses the V8 Javascript engine, which is also used in NodeJS for javascript runtime.

Chromium is the browser that is compiled from the current Chromium source code. On the other hand, browsers like Chrome and Edge had begun with Chromium but they do not end with it. Instead, there is some personal proprietary code put into it by the respective companies to create the actual Chrome and Edge.

Thus Chromium could be seen as an ancestor of Chrome and Edge. As someone who shares the same DNA with polished browsers.

How does Chromium differ from Chrome?

What feature does Chrome Have That Chromium Doesn’t?

The familiar Chrome features that you would not find on Chromium are:

The update service of Chrome and Edge. These browsers have an in-browser mechanism that automatically refreshes the browser as soon as a new update is found. But Chromium doesn't update automatically. Thus, if any bugs are fixed, the user has to download the newer version of the browser remains the same.

DRM support. As the service relies on Widevine to stymie content copying, Chromium cannot even play Netflix content.

How can you get Chromium Broswer?

You can download a copy of Chromium from https://download-chromium.appspot.com/

The operating system you are running would automatically be recognized by the page and the appropriate version of Chromium would then be offered to you.

• When you download the browser, it'll be kept in a .zip file.

• You need to open the zip and move the files inside another folder, and then run the program known as Chrome.

Regular updates of the new version are pushed every day and occasionally multiple times a day.

Note: You should be aware that even though this browser is available to anyone as a free download, it is usually not made for regular users. Chromium browsers aren't meant to be regular internet browsers but are instead meant to be the open-source platform that developers can use to create new apps.

Can Chromium and Chrome run on the same system?

Yes, Chromium and Chrome can be run on the same system (even Edge). You don't have to uninstall Chrome to add Chromium or vice-versa.

What are the features of chromium?

1. Chromium users can access Chrome's extensions

Users can easily access the Chrome Web Store and almost all of the extensions that are hosted there can be installed & used on Chromium. This browser is backed by Google because the latter helps in Chromium development. This also makes sure that the longevity and constant development & improvement of the browser are maintained.

2. Chromium has a powerful developer console

Chromium allows JavaScript, CSS debugging, and code formatting out of the box with support for source maps when viewing minified code. Chromium-based browser is a default browser for many Linux distributions & for those that aren’t available through official repositories for easy downloading.

3. Chromium is Widely available

Chromium is open-source and without proprietary codes and it’s completely free for users. More widely available on Linux system than Chrome, it contains nearly all features of Google chrome.

4. iframe Lazy Loading for smooth functioning of browsers

The lazy loading feature helps in selectively loading the images, multimedia content, and core content that’s usually arranged inside iframes. This feature restricts the browser from loading certain content or images until it is accessed by the user or is in the scrolling range.

What are other Chromium-based browsers?

The following is the list of some browsers based on the chromium code project.

1. Google Chrome

Google Chrome is considered the first choice for chromium-based browsers with a huge number of users. It is developed by Google. It is one of the most popular browsers in the world.

2. Microsoft Edge

Microsoft, in January 2020, declared that its Edge browser is based on the Chromium system. With proprietary features coupled with the extra power of chromium browsers, users have been liking the new Edge browser, more than Internet Explorer.

3. Brave

Brave is a fantastic upcoming browser whose core focus is on its user's privacy. It allows the users to block any ads and trackers which instantly speeds up your browsing experience. Moreover, they have that many other browser's private modes supposedly doesn't have, which is TOR.

4. Opera Browser

When launched, Opera browser earned critical reviews for giving its users a unique impression of how the internet can be browsed around. Later, in the year 2013, Opera switched from its engine to Chromium and provided some extra functionalities such as Ad blocking, VPN choices, and more.

5. Epic Privacy Browser

This chromium-based browser is simplistic yet lightweight with a main focus on privacy. You are not even required to enable private browsing mode to start searching. The Epic browser always uses private browsing.

Moreover, this chromium-based browser also proactively removes cookies, user's browsing history, and cache upon exit. It even disables other private information of users that is usually sent to Google, like address bar suggestions and URL tracking.

6. SRWare Iron

SRWare Iron is yet another Chromium browser with the primary aim to eliminate the features which are insecure in terms of privacy, found in Google Chrome. To accomplish this goal, this browser takes a slightly different approach. Instead of adding extra features, it removes privacy-related functionality present in Chrome. Iron browser is capable of removing Google-hosted error pages, address bar suggestions, Google Updater, DNS pre-fetching, and more.

As we mention the chromium-based browsers, tons of them are focused on privacy, blocking scripts, ads, and other trackers which are harmful to users.

Are there security issues with Chromium?

Chromium is just as secure as Chrome or Edge, as the vulnerabilities that are found by the engineers of Microsoft and Google and the other independent researchers as very frequently patched in Chromium.

It is unclear on the micro-level as to when, during Chromium's ongoing, development engineers add security fixes. But it must be as frequently as it is on Chrome and Edge.

There is still a catch. As the bugs affect the unstable, "canary" versions of the browsers before, they are a lot more stable as compared to the Chromium browser.

Also, the Chromium browser does not have an automatic update mechanism, thus the user has to be informed about the update and spare his time and download it manually. This omission of an automated update feature is the greatest security threat on Chromium.

What are the alternatives to Chromium?

The best alternative to Chromium on Windows and macOS is the "Canary" channel if you want an early look at the results of the Chromium project but don't want to run an unstable browser.

Canary is updated automatically from time to time and it includes all the features of Chrome and Edge.

Conclusion

Chromium is an open-source project developed by Google that is used to create web browsers, including Google Chrome. It has a minimalist user interface and uses the V8 Javascript engine. Chrome has some extra features that Chromium does not, including automatic updates and DRM support for streaming services like Netflix. Chromium can be downloaded for free from their website and is widely available. It also has a powerful developer console and supports Chrome extensions. Other browsers based on the Chromium project include Microsoft Edge, Brave, Opera, and Epic Privacy Browser.

At the present date, the power of Chromium knows no bounds.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the difference between Chromium and Google Chrome?

The difference between Chromium and Google Chrome is that Chromium is the open-source browser project that Google Chrome is based on. While they are very similar, Google Chrome includes additional proprietary features such as automatic updates and crash reporting. Chromium, on the other hand, is a pure open-source browser without any proprietary features.

2. Is Chromium Browser Secure?

Yes, Chromium browser is secure and includes various features to protect users' privacy and data. These include built-in malware and phishing protection and the ability to block cookies and disable tracking.

3. Is Chromium Browser free to use?

Yes, Chromium Browser is free to use. As an open-source project, it is available for download and use by anyone without any licensing fees or restrictions.

4. Can I use Chromium Browser on mobile devices?

Yes, You can use Chromium Browser as a mobile browser on Android devices. It offers many of the same features as the desktop version, including support for extensions and plugins, and customization options.