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The Chromium Embedded Framework (CEF) is a simple framework for embedding Chromium-based browsers in other applications. This repository hosts a sample project called "cef-project" that can be used as the starting point for third-party applications built using CEF.

Quick Links

Setup

First install some necessary tools and download the cef-project source code.

1. Install Python. Version 3.9 to 3.11 is required.

2. Install platform-specific build tools.

  • Linux: Currently supported distributions include Debian 10 (Buster), Ubuntu 18 (Bionic Beaver), and related, with minimum GCC version 7.5.0. Ubuntu 22.04 64-bit with GCC 11+ is recommended. Newer versions will likely also work but may not have been tested. Required packages include: build-essential, libgtk-3-dev.
  • MacOS: Xcode 12.2 to 15.0 building on MacOS 10.15.4 (Catalina) or newer. The Xcode command-line tools must also be installed.
  • Windows: Visual Studio 2022 building on Windows 10 or newer. Windows 10/11 64-bit is recommended.

3. Download the cef-project source code from the Downloads page or by using Git command-line tools:

git clone https://bitbucket.org/chromiumembedded/cef-project.git

Build

The CEF examples included in this project can be built using either CMake or Bazel. These are both highly regarded cross-platform open-source build systems.

Using CMake

CMake can be used to generate project files in many different formats.

To build the cef-project example applications using CMake:

1. Install CMake. Version 3.21 or newer is required.

2. Set the PYTHON_EXECUTABLE environment variable if required (watch for errors during the CMake generation step below).

3. Run CMake to download the CEF binary distribution from the Spotify automated builder and generate build files for your platform.

4. Build using platform build tools. For example, using the most recent tool versions on each platform:

cd /path/to/cef-project

# Create and enter the build directory.
mkdir build
cd build

# To perform a Linux build using a CEF binary distribution matching the host
# architecture (x64, ARM or ARM64):
cmake -G "Unix Makefiles" -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release ..
make -j4

# To perform a MacOS build using a 64-bit CEF binary distribution:
cmake -G "Xcode" -DPROJECT_ARCH="x86_64" ..
# Then, open build\cef.xcodeproj in Xcode and select Product > Build.

# To perform a MacOS build using an ARM64 CEF binary distribution:
cmake -G "Xcode" -DPROJECT_ARCH="arm64" ..
# Then, open build\cef.xcodeproj in Xcode and select Product > Build.

# To perform a Windows build using a 32-bit CEF binary distribution:
cmake -G "Visual Studio 17" -A Win32 ..
# Then, open build\cef.sln in Visual Studio 2022 and select Build > Build Solution.

# To perform a Windows build using a 64-bit CEF binary distribution:
cmake -G "Visual Studio 17" -A x64 ..
# Then, open build\cef.sln in Visual Studio 2022 and select Build > Build Solution.

# To perform a Windows build using an ARM64 CEF binary distribution:
cmake -G "Visual Studio 17" -A arm64 ..
# Then, open build\cef.sln in Visual Studio 2022 and select Build > Build Solution.

CMake supports different generators on each platform. Run cmake --help to list all supported generators. Generators that have been tested with CEF include:

  • Linux: Ninja, GCC 7.5.0+, Unix Makefiles
  • MacOS: Ninja, Xcode 12.2 to 15.0
  • Windows: Ninja, Visual Studio 2022+

Ninja is a cross-platform open-source tool for running fast builds using pre-installed platform toolchains (GNU, clang, Xcode or MSVC). See comments in the "third_party/cef/cef_binary_*/CMakeLists.txt" file for Ninja usage instructions.

Using Bazel

CEF support for Bazel is considered experimental. For current development status see chromiumembedded/cef#3757.

To build the cef-project example applications using Bazel:

1. Install Bazelisk.

2. (Linux only) Install the patchelf package:

sudo apt install patchelf

3. Configure the CEF platform (see command output for details):

cd /path/to/cef-project
python3 ./tools/bazel/platform_updater.py

4. Build using Bazel:

bazel build //examples/minimal

This will perform the following actions:

  • Download/install Bazel at the required version (if necessary).
  • Download the CEF binary distribution at the required version from the Spotify automated builder (if necessary).
  • Build using the default platform toolchain.

5. Run using Bazel:

# On Linux/MacOS:
bazel run //examples/minimal

# On Windows:
bazel run //examples/minimal/win:minimal.exe

To build other cef-project example applications replace minimal with the name of the other application. To build CEF sample applications from the binary distribution (cefsimple, cefclient, ceftests) use the @cef//tests/cefsimple target syntax.

Additional notes:

  • To generate a Debug build add -c dbg (both build and run command-line).
  • To pass arguments using the run command add -- [...] at the end.
  • See platform_updater.py output for additional instructions when cross-compiling.

Examples

CEF provides a number of examples that you can use as a starting point or reference for your own CEF-based development.

  • By default all example targets will be included in the project files generated using CMake.
  • The CEF binary distribution includes cefsimple and cefclient sample applications.
    • The cefsimple application demonstrates the minimal implementation required for a standalone executable target and is described on the Tutorial Wiki page.
    • The cefclient application demonstrates a wide range of CEF functionality most of which is documented on the GeneralUsage Wiki page.
  • The examples directory contains example targets that demonstrate specific aspects of CEF functionality.
    • See the examples README.md file for information about the examples targets.
    • Using CMake: Add -DWITH_EXAMPLES=Off to the CMake command-line if you do not wish to build the examples targets.

Next Steps

Here are some activities you might want to try next to gain a better understanding of CEF:

1. Update the CEF version used to build your local copy of cef-project:

  • Visit the Spotify automated builder page to see what CEF versions are available.
  • Using CMake:
    • Change the "CEF_VERSION" value near the top of the top-level CMakeLists.txt file.
    • Re-run the CMake and build commands. Add -DWITH_EXAMPLES=Off to the CMake command-line to disable targets from the examples directory because they may not build successfully with the new CEF version.
  • Using Bazel:
    • Run the ./tools/bazel/version_updater.py script to update the CEF version (see command output for details).
    • Build and run the @cef//tests/cefsimple target. See instructions above.

2. Add your own project source code:

  • Create a new "myproject" directory in the root cef-project directory (e.g. "/path/to/cef-project/myproject").
  • Copy the contents of the "third_party/cef/cef_binary_*/tests/cefsimple" directory to "myproject" as a starting point.
  • Replace all instances of "cefsimple" with "myproject" and "tests" with "examples" in file names and file contents.
  • Using CMake:
    • Add a new add_subdirectory(myproject) command near the end of top-level CMakeLists.txt file after the existing add_subdirectory commands.
    • Re-run the cmake and build commands.
  • Using Bazel:
    • In all copied BUILD.bazel files change load("//bazel... to load("@cef//bazel...
    • Build and run the //examples/myproject target. See instructions above.

3. Gain a better understanding of the cefsimple application by reading the Tutorial Wiki page.

4. Fork the cef-project repository using Bitbucket and Git to store the source code for your own CEF-based project. See the ContributingWithGit Wiki page for details (replace all instances of "cef" with "cef-project" in those instructions).

5. Review the GeneralUsage Wiki page for additional details on CEF implementation and usage.

Support and Contributions

If you have any questions about CEF or cef-project please ask on the CEF Forum. If you would like to make contributions please see the "Helping Out" section of the CEF Main Page.