--- title: "Features" url: https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/smartbrowz/help/browser-grid/features/ description: "Process massive load of requests using multiple headless browsers connected using automation libraries, with greater control over node and browser configurations" last_updated: 2026-10-06T06:21:49Z service: SmartBrowz type: general related_links: - name: "Browser Grid Workflow" url: /en/serverless/help/browser-grid/workflow/ - name: "Create Browser Grid" url: /en/smartbrowz/help/browser-grid/create-grid/ - name: "Connect to a Headless Browser" url: /en/smartbrowz/help/browser-grid/headless-connect/ - name: "Browser Grid Dashboard" url: /en/smartbrowz/help/browser-grid/explore-dashboard/ - name: "Build a Resilient Browser Grid" url: /en/smartbrowz/help/browser-grid/ideal-practices/ - name: "Browser Grid Java SDK" url: /en/sdk/java/v1/smartbrowz/browser-grid/overview/ - name: "Browser Grid Node.js SDK" url: /en/sdk/nodejs/v2/smartbrowz/browser-grid/overview/ - name: "Browser Grid Python SDK" url: /en/sdk/python/v1/smartbrowz/browser-grid/overview/ - name: "Browser Grid REST API" url: /en/api/code-reference/smartbrowz/browser-grid/list-all-grids/#ListallBrowserGrids --- # Browser Grid Features > 📢 **Announcement:** Browser Grid is now available in all DCs. Use it for free until **November 1, 2026**. This section explores the various features that make up the Browser Grid component. ### Hub Hub is a virtual machine that acts as a controller. When a user sends requests to the headless browser present in a browser grid, the Hub will allot a node to run the headless browser to execute the request. The functionality of the Hub is entirely handled by the *Catalyst SmartBrowz* service. This ensures your grid can scale seamlessly to handle your request load. > **Note:** [Learn more about Browser Grid Configurations](https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/smartbrowz/help/browser-grid/features/#hub-node-browser-relation). ### Nodes Nodes are virtual machines that run the required headless browsers. Based on the [configuration](https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/smartbrowz/help/browser-grid/features/#browser-grid-configuration), you can dictate the number of nodes that need to be created in your browser grid and the number of headless browsers that need to be spawned in each node. > **Notes:** * The default allocated storage limit is **10GB**. * [Learn more about Browser Grid Configurations](https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/smartbrowz/help/browser-grid/features/#browser-grid-configuration). ### Headless Browsers Headless browsers are browsers that run without a Graphical User Interface (**GUI**). These types of browsers are the entities or instances that execute and process the requests sent by the user. The Browser Grid component provides you with the option to effortlessly connect to multiple secure remote browsers using popular automation libraries like **Puppeteer**, **Playwright**, and **Selenium**. Based on your requirement, you have the option to choose your automation library and launch your required secure headless browser using a **CDP**/**Webdriver** endpoint generated by the **Catalyst SmartBrowz** service. **Puppeteer/Playwright** ![catalyst_smartbrowz_browser_grid_pupplay_connect](https://catalyst-docs-development.zohostratus.in/images/help/smartbrowz/browser-grid/catalyst_smartbrowz_browser_grid_pupplay_connect.webp) **Selenium** ![catalyst_smartbrowz_browser_grid_selenium_connect](https://catalyst-docs-development.zohostratus.in/images/help/smartbrowz/browser-grid/catalyst_smartbrowz_browser_grid_selenium_connect.webp) The endpoint is made secure using an `API KEY` which will be uniquely generated for you. > **Notes:** * [Learn the steps to process your requests through a headless browser](https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/smartbrowz/help/browser-grid/headless-connect/). * While you do have the option to [change the automation library](https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/smartbrowz/help/browser-grid/manage-grid/#update-browser-grid) you use to connect to your headless browser, you do not have the option to use multiple automation libraries within the same browser grid simultaneously. ### Browser Grid Configuration In a browser grid, you can define the number of nodes and the number of browsers that can be created in a singular node. The configuration also allows you to set the number of browsers that can be run concurrently. When you create or update an existing grid, you have the option to choose: > **Note:** Browser Grid only provides you with the option to configure the number of Nodes and the browsers that can be spawned concurrently inside a single Node. You do not have control over the Hub. Browser Grid handles the Hub configurations automatically. * **Basic Configuration**: This is a type of configuration that is best suited to handle an ideal load of requests, with a processing power of `1GiB Memory, 1vCPU`. * **Advanced Configuration**: This type of configuration allows you the option to choose the number of nodes and the number of browsers allotted per node. You will have the following options: - **Light Node Type**: You can choose to create a Grid that has a processing power of `1GiB Memory, 1vCPU`. - **Moderate Node Type**: You can choose to create a Grid that has a processing power of `2GiB Memory, 2vCPU`. - **Heavy Node Type**: You can choose to create a Grid that has a processing power of `4GiB Memory, 4vCPU`. The following table will further detail the differences between the various configurations:
Category Basic Configuration Advanced Configuration
Light Moderate Heavy
Node Type **Light - `1GiB Memory, 1vCPU`** `1GiB Memory, 1vCPU` `2GiB Memory, 2vCPU` `4GiB Memory, 4vCPU`
Concurrent browsers allowed Maximum of **10 browsers** can be run concurrently Maximum of **10 browsers** can be run concurrently Maximum of **10 browsers** can be run concurrently Maximum of **8 browsers** can be run concurrently
Maximum number of Nodes that can be allotted 10 10 5 2
Maximum number of browsers allotted per node 1 1 2 4
Maximum configuration possible 10 nodes with 1 browser running in each node 10 nodes with 1 browser running in each node 5 nodes can be created with 2 browsers running in each node 2 nodes can be created with 4 browsers running in each node
> **Info:** * The volume of requests being executed is not only related to its number or storage size of the requests. For example, you can have a million or more requests that do not take much time to be processed and executed, and all of them can be balanced with a processing power of 1GiB memory. Alternatively, you can have just a couple of requests that require a lot of time to process and require a processing power greater than that of 1GiB memory. * It is up to you to decide your Grid's configuration based on the volume of your requests. * [Learn the ideal practices to manage a browser grid](https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/smartbrowz/help/browser-grid/ideal-practices/). ### Hub-Node-Browser Relation The following diagram illustrates the relation between hubs, nodes, and browsers. > **Info:** This diagram illustrates the relation between these three grid elements in a **Moderate Browser Grid** configuration, where three nodes can be created, each with two browsers running. ![catalyst_smartbrowz_browser_grid_hub_browser_node_arch](https://catalyst-docs-development.zohostratus.in/images/help/smartbrowz/browser-grid/catalyst_smartbrowz_browser_grid_hub_browser_node_arch.webp) Based on the volume of requests being sent, the hub will compute allocate nodes individually. When the first allotted node attains its maximum concurrency limit, with requests still pending, only then will the hub allot the next node. These nodes will run the required headless browsers and process your requests. The number of nodes and browsers that are created by the hub will be based on the [configuration](https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/smartbrowz/help/browser-grid/features/#browser-grid-configuration) you chose while [creating your Browser Grid](https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/smartbrowz/help/browser-grid/create-grid/). > **Note:** [Learn more about the functionality of the Hub](https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/smartbrowz/help/browser-grid/ideal-practices/). ### Alerts Alerts is a feature in Browser Grid that will alert you to any error or configuration failure the grid encountered during its operations by populating the *Alerts* section in the[Dashboard](https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/smartbrowz/help/browser-grid/explore-dashboard/). ![catalyst_smartbrowz_browsergrid_alerts_fl](https://catalyst-docs-development.zohostratus.in/images/help/smartbrowz/browser-grid/catalyst_smartbrowz_browsergrid_alerts_fl.webp) The following are the five possible alerts that you may receive if your grid is not functioning as intended: * **Browser Creation Rejected**: This alert will be created if the grid is operating at maximum configuration, and you still have requests that need to be processed in the queue beyond the queue time (Selenium: **30 seconds**, Puppeteer/Playwright: **5 minutes**). The queued requests demand new browsers be created, but none can be created as the configuration does not allow for it or there are no more browsers to be spawned, leaving the requests in the queue to be killed. * **90% Disk Exhausted**: This alert will occur if even one node's allotted disk capacity has reached **90%**. The default size allocated for the disk is **10GB**. * **80% Memory Exhausted**: This alert will occur if even one node's allotted memory is **80%** consumed. * **80% CPU Exhausted**: This alert will occur if even one node reached **80%** of the CPU capacity allotted to it. * **Nodes Crashed**: This will only occur in severe times, when the node is operating at the maximum configuration allotted to it and is severely strained to process the volume of requests being sent to it. You can click on a specific alert for more information about the alert notification. ![catalyst_smartbrowz_browsergrid_alerts_expand](https://catalyst-docs-development.zohostratus.in/images/help/smartbrowz/browser-grid/catalyst_smartbrowz_browsergrid_alerts_expand.webp) To deal with these alerts: * Try reducing the number of requests being sent for processing. * Try updating the browser grid's [configuration](https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/smartbrowz/help/browser-grid/features/#browser-grid-configuration). > **Info:** Once an alert is created, it will continue to populate your *Alerts* section in the dashboard, even after the cause of the alert has been resolved. The alert will only disappear if you [update the configurations](https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/smartbrowz/help/browser-grid/manage-grid/) of your browser grid. ### Browser Grid States * **Active**: This is a state the Browser Grid enters into when you [connect to the remote browser](https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/smartbrowz/help/browser-grid/headless-connect/) using its endpoint through code. While in this state, the browser grid spawns the required number of nodes and browsers to process the requests. * **Inactive**: This is a state the Browser Grid enters into when you [stop the browser grid](https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/smartbrowz/help/browser-grid/manage-grid/#stop-the-browser-grid). This is the default the grid is in when you create a browser grid. * **Idle**: The Browser Grid is an auto-scaling component. Based on your demand, the required number of nodes and respective browsers are spawned (as per your configurations), and when there are no requests to be processed, the browsers and nodes are killed. Once the grid has scaled completely down and is not processing any requests, the browser grid will enter the *Idle* state. There will be no requests being processed in the grid. > **Notice:** Any Browser action or operation that you code using the Browser Logic function, or any browser automation or web scraping task that you perform using any component of Catalyst SmartBrowz is at your own risk. We strongly recommend you use the SmartBrowz components to perform operations on domains that permit such actions, or with proper approval.Additionally, while Catalyst does provide a secure infrastructure to code your functions, any consequence of the logic you code using Catalyst functions is yours alone.