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Overview

Tzafon supports two types of computer instances for different use cases.

Browser

Chromium browser control

Desktop

Linux desktop environment control

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Browser Instances

Control Chromium browsers for web interactions, testing, and scraping.

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Creating a Browser Instance

from tzafon import Computer

client = Computer()
with client.create(kind="browser") as computer:
    computer.navigate("https://example.com")
    computer.click(100, 200)

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Browser Capabilities

Browser instances provide full web control:
  • Navigation - Visit any URL
  • DOM Interaction - Click, type, scroll on web pages
  • Form Filling - Submit forms programmatically
  • Screenshots - Capture webpage state
  • JavaScript Execution - Interact with dynamic content

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Use Cases

Extract data from websites by navigating, interacting, and capturing screenshots
Automated testing of web applications with real browser interactions
Fill out forms, submit data, handle multi-step workflows
Periodically check website state and capture evidence

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Desktop Instances

Control Linux desktop environments for application testing and workflows.

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Creating a Desktop Instance

from tzafon import Computer

client = Computer()
with client.create(kind="desktop") as computer:
    computer.click(500, 300)
    computer.type("Hello Desktop")
    computer.hotkey("ctrl", "s")

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Desktop Capabilities

Desktop instances provide full desktop control:
  • Application Control - Launch and interact with desktop apps
  • Window Management - Switch between applications
  • File Operations - Open, save, manage files through GUI
  • Keyboard Shortcuts - Use system-wide hotkeys
  • Screenshots - Capture desktop state

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Use Cases

Automated testing of desktop applications
Control repetitive desktop tasks and processes
Connect desktop applications that lack APIs
Capture screenshots and recordings of desktop workflows

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Comparison

FeatureBrowserDesktop
EnvironmentChromium browserLinux desktop
navigate()✅ Yes❌ No
click()✅ Yes✅ Yes
type()✅ Yes✅ Yes
screenshot()✅ Yes✅ Yes
hotkey()✅ Yes✅ Yes
scroll()✅ Yes✅ Yes
PersistenceCookies & storageVM snapshot
Use CaseWeb controlDesktop app control
The navigate() method is only available for browser instances. All other actions work on both types.

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Session Creation Options

You can customize session behavior when creating a computer:
  • timeout_seconds - Max lifetime before the session is terminated
  • inactivity_timeout_seconds - Idle timeout before auto-kill
  • auto_kill - If false, disables idle auto-kill (max lifetime still applies)
  • display - Initial viewport settings (width, height, scale)
  • context_id - Optional grouping or tracking ID
  • stealth - Optional stealth configuration object
  • persistent - If true, saves session state when session ends
  • environment_id - Restore state from a previous persistent session
  • use_advanced_proxy - Use advanced residential proxy (browser only)
Both browser and desktop sessions support persistence. Browser sessions save cookies and storage state. Desktop sessions save a full VM snapshot, preserving installed software, files, and system configuration.
from tzafon import Computer

client = Computer()
with client.create(
    kind="browser",
    timeout_seconds=3600,
    inactivity_timeout_seconds=120,
    auto_kill=True,
    context_id="checkout-flow",
    display={"width": 1280, "height": 720, "scale": 1.0},
) as computer:
    computer.navigate("https://example.com")

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Lifecycle Management

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Manual Management

Explicitly terminate when done: 
computer = client.create(kind="browser")
# ... use computer
computer.terminate()
Use context managers for automatic cleanup: 
with client.create(kind="browser") as computer:
    # ... use computer
    pass  # Auto-terminates here
Always terminate instances to avoid resource leaks and unnecessary charges.

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Multiple Instances

You can create and manage multiple instances simultaneously: 
from tzafon import Computer

client = Computer()

# Create both browser and desktop
browser = client.create(kind="browser")
desktop = client.create(kind="desktop")

browser.navigate("https://example.com")
desktop.click(100, 200)

browser.terminate()
desktop.terminate()

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Choosing the Right Type

1

Web Control?

Use browser instances for websites and web applications
2

Desktop Apps?

Use desktop instances for Linux desktop applications
3

Both?

Create multiple instances as needed

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Next Steps

Execution Modes

Learn about how actions execute

Actions

Explore all 10 available actions