Cannot generate pdf on prod server ubuntu 22

[aeq-dev]

Hi,
I cannot generate pdf on production server ubuntu 22, while I'm able to generate on local !
Here's my code :

$invoice = Invoice::find($id);
        $html = view(
            'accounting::invoices.pdf',
            [
                'invoice' => $invoice,                
            ]
        )->render();

        $path = storage_path("/pdfs/");
        Browsershot::html($html)
            ->setChromePath(env('PDF_CHROME_PATH', '/snap/bin/chromium'))
            ->setNodeBinary(env('PDF_NODE_BINARY', '/usr/bin/node'))
            ->setNpmBinary(env('PDF_NPM_BINARY', '/usr/bin/npm'))
            ->waitUntilNetworkIdle()
            ->noSandbox()
            ->ignoreHttpsErrors()
            ->timeout(500)
            ->format('A4')
            ->setCustomTempPath(storage_path('pdfs'))
            ->savePdf($path . $invoice->number . '.pdf');

Here's the error message :

Symfony \ Component \ Process \ Exception \ ProcessFailedException
PHP 8.1.2-1ubuntu2.11  10.11.0

The command "PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/bin:/opt/homebrew/bin NODE_PATH=`/usr/bin/node /usr/bin/npm root -g` /usr/bin/node '/var/www/dev/releases/140/vendor/spatie/browsershot/src/../bin/browser.js' '{"url":"file:\/\/\/var\/www\/dev\/releases\/140\/storage\/pdfs\/1983874840-0676282001685054994\/index.html","action":"pdf","options":{"path":"\/var\/www\/dev\/releases\/140\/storage\/pdfs\/INV-2023-001.pdf","args":["--no-sandbox"],"viewport":{"width":800,"height":600},"displayHeaderFooter":false,"executablePath":"\/snap\/bin\/chromium","waitUntil":"networkidle0","ignoreHttpsErrors":true,"timeout":500000,"format":"A4"}}'" failed. 
Exit Code: 1(General error) Working directory: /var/www/dev/releases/140/public Output: ================ Error Output: 
================ �[1m�[43m�[30m Puppeteer old Headless deprecation warning:�[0m�[33m In the near feature `headless: true` will default to the new Headless mode for Chrome instead of the old Headless implementation. For more information, please see https://developer.chrome.com/articles/new-headless/. Consider opting in early by passing `headless: "new"` to `puppeteer.launch()` If you encounter any bugs, please report them to https://github.com/puppeteer/puppeteer/issues/new/choose.�[0m 
Error: Failed to launch the browser process! cmd_run.go:1046: WARNING: 
cannot create user data directory: cannot create snap home dir: mkdir /var/www/snap: permission denied /system.slice/php8.1-fpm.service is not a snap cgroup 
TROUBLESHOOTING: https://pptr.dev/troubleshooting at Interface.onClose (/usr/lib/node_modules/puppeteer/node_modules/@puppeteer/browsers/lib/cjs/launch.js:262:24) at Interface.emit (node:events:525:35) at Interface.close 
(node:internal/readline/interface:533:10) at Socket.onend (node:internal/readline/interface:259:10) at Socket.emit (node:events:525:35) at endReadableNT (node:internal/streams/readable:1359:12) at process.processTicksAndRejections (node:internal/process/task_queues:82:21) 

Thanks for helping me
NB: I can generate it using tinker :/

[jameshulse]

/var/www/snap: permission denied /system.slice/php8.1-fpm.service is not a snap cgroup

This is your error. I think it basically means that you have installed Chrome via Snap, but your PHP web user (php8.1-fpm.service) doesn't have permission to use snaps.

You could either add the user to the group, or install Chrome via another method.

[jr-cobweb]

Hey @jameshulse . I'm having the same issue. I don't suppose you could expand on adding the user to the group. Is there a snap command for that, or are you talking about standard/OS level groups?

[talelmishali]

Any update on that by any chance? Thanks 🙏🏻

[liamseys]

/var/www/snap: permission denied /system.slice/php8.1-fpm.service is not a snap cgroup

I have this issue as well, is there a way to fix this?

[nepa-anujpandey]

@aeq-dev Did you manage to solve this issue? Plus how did you manage the permission issue?

This is the error I'm getting.

Error Output:
================
sh: 1: npm: not found
sh: 1: /root/.nvm/versions/node/v22.2.0/bin/node: Permission denied

[alexivashchenko]

I assume you can run it with Tinker since Tinker does not use NGINX and php-fpm which does not belong to snap cgroup and has no permissions to run Chrome that was installed under root user and snap.

To make it work, you need 2 things:

1. To have a real www-data user (with home directory) (sudo mkdir /home/www-data, sudo usermod -d /home/www-data www-data -s /bin/bash).
2. To have chrome browser installed by www-data user (Puppeteer has a command for this: sudo -u www-data npx puppeteer browsers install chrome).

Yesterday I managed to make Browsershoot work with next environment: Ubuntu 24.04LST, php8.3, NGINX, Node (v18.19.1), Spatie/Browsershot (Puppeteer, Chrome 128.0.6613.119). So it should be possible.

Here are detailed instructions: https://stackoverflow.com/a/78956369/3163536

[slakbal]

@alexivashchenko do you maybe know how this can be achieved with a forge provisioned server running on ubuntu and Arm64 architecture? Since forge configure nginx I assume one can't tamper too much with it.

22.04.4 LTS (GNU/Linux 6.5.0-1027-oracle aarch64)

I tried the below:

bash sudo chown -R forge:forge /snap/bin/chromium

It works, but after a while I get the following error:

Error Output:

Error: Failed to launch the browser process!
/system.slice/php8.2-fpm.service is not a snap cgroup

TROUBLESHOOTING: https://pptr.dev/troubleshooting

at Interface.onClose (/home/forge/tools.kayagroup.co.za/node_modules/@puppeteer/browsers/lib/cjs/launch.js:312:24)
at Interface.emit (node:events:526:35)
at Interface.close (node:internal/readline/interface:533:10)
at Socket.onend (node:internal/readline/interface:259:10)
at Socket.emit (node:events:526:35)
at endReadableNT (node:internal/streams/readable:1359:12)
at process.processTicksAndRejections (node:internal/process/task_queues:82:21)

[striderwhite]

@slakbal I found a workaround, just install google chrome directly (without a package manager) and use that. Here are some instructions

# download chrome package
wget https://dl.google.com/linux/direct/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb

# try installing it, if it gives errors, install and missing deps, I had to install fonts-liberation after running this:
sudo dpkg -i google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb

# for me I had to install this missing dep
sudo apt-get install fonts-liberation

# install (again) if needed
sudo dpkg -i google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb

# remove old file
rm -rf google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb 

# check if it installed 
google-chrome-stable --version

# now find the path, use this when pointing browsershot/whatever
whereis google-chrome 
# probably is /usr/bin/google-chrome
# EX:
# $browsershot->setChromePath('/usr/bin/google-chrome');

[slakbal]

Hey @striderwhite really appreciate your help. This is such pain. I have tried the steps and still get an error. This is a clean ARM 64 server, provisioned by forge. I've ssh'ed into the machine and tried the steps but get an architecture error.

Again thanks for your help, but looks like I need an ARM64 version of the .deb, which I think does not exist yet.

[ghost]

@slakbal Did you find a stable solution for arm servers yet?

[slakbal]

Hey @maxbaumhoegger-cnnctvstn nope not really...

[striderwhite]

@maxbaumhoegger-cnnctvstn maybe you could try using chromium instead of google chrome, there might be an arm build for it.

[DezineHQ]

I removed the Snap version and installed as per link below. Not ideal but it worked.How to install Chromium without snap?askubuntu.comDezine HQOn 26 Sep 2024, at 17:10, John Richardson ***@***.***> wrote: Only fix I found was to uninstall the snap version and install from linux mint repos instead —Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub, or unsubscribe.You are receiving this because you were mentioned.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[WesleyMAraujo]

I managed to solve the problem in the following way

$chrome = new Chrome('/snap/bin/chromium');

when I was having this problem it was in the following way

$chrome = new Chrome(null, '/snap/bin/chromium');

[slakbal]

Did your setup work with the Spatie Browsershot package?

Browsershot::html($html)
            ->setChromePath(env('PDF_CHROME_PATH', '/snap/bin/chromium'))
            ->setNodeBinary(env('PDF_NODE_BINARY', '/usr/bin/node'))
            ->setNpmBinary(env('PDF_NPM_BINARY', '/usr/bin/npm'))
            ->waitUntilNetworkIdle()
            ->noSandbox()
            ->ignoreHttpsErrors()
            ->timeout(500)
            ->format('A4')
            ->setCustomTempPath(storage_path('pdfs'))
            ->savePdf($path . $invoice->number . '.pdf');

[federicosolfa]

On systems using systemd, Snap applications (like Chromium) run inside the user’s systemd --user session. If the user (forge in this case) is not logged in, systemd stops the user session, so Snap apps can’t run and you may get errors like:

php8.1-fpm.service is not a snap cgroup

Enable linger for the forge user to keep their systemd user session active even when they are not logged in:

sudo loginctl enable-linger forge

This prevents the error and ensures Snap and Chromium work correctly at all times.

[boris-glumpler]

Here's how I solved this issue on Ubuntu 24.04 (arm):

1. Add the xtradeb/apps ppa
2. Install theirchromium package, which is an apt package and not a snap one
3. Tell puppeteer about it: $browsershot->setChromePath('/usr/bin/chromium')
4. Install any missing dependencies that puppeteer complains about in laravel.log
5. Success!