The bauta CLI

bauta is the command line, and the CDP gateway in front of the bauta browser. Run it with no arguments to print its usage text.

Commands

command	what it does
`bauta setup`	Activates this machine's free session at once, then, on a terminal, offers an account and a star.
`bauta activate`	Gets the first license token for this machine.
`bauta browser fetch`	Downloads the browser for this machine from the latest release, or the one you name.
`bauta login`	Signs up or in with GitHub, in the terminal.
`bauta logout`	Takes this machine back to its free session.
`bauta status`	Shows the plan, the sessions in use and across machines, and this install's id.
`bauta upgrade`	Prints the pricing page's URL.
`bauta serve`	Runs the gateway.
`bauta geo update`	Updates the database that places a proxy's exit IP.
`bauta persona new`	Makes a persona from a built-in persona or a persona file.
`bauta persona set`	Gives a persona its settings anew, its profile kept.
`bauta persona ls`	Lists the personas.
`bauta persona rm`	Removes a persona.
`bauta open`	Opens the persona's browser in a window, for a manual login.
`bauta inspect`	Prints a DevTools link for each page of a persona the gateway runs.
`bauta stats`	Shows the gateway's active and queued personas, against the license.
`bauta version`	Prints this bauta's version.
`bauta traffic`	Shows what the persona's pages fetched, blocked and found in the cache, by kind.
`bauta widevine fetch`	Fetches Google's Widevine CDM, for DRM-protected media.

Setup and account

`bauta setup`

bauta setup [--non-interactive]

Activates this machine's free session at once, and writes ~/.bauta/license. On a terminal, it then offers a free account with GitHub, and a star.

flag	what it does
`--non-interactive`	Never prompts: the free session alone. The installer runs setup this way when it cannot prompt: with no terminal, with `CI` or `BAUTA_NO_PROMPT=1` set, or when `/.dockerenv` exists.

`bauta activate`

bauta activate <license key> [--server <url>]

Gets the first license token for this machine with your license key, and prints how many active personas it allows here, and until when. Your key is on your dashboard.

flag	default	what it does
`--server <url>`	`BAUTA_SERVER`, else `https://api.bauta.dev`	The server to activate with.

bauta login

Signs up or in with GitHub, in the terminal. It prints a URL and a code to enter there, on any device, your phone too, and waits. Signing up accepts the Terms. It needs a terminal; in a script, set BAUTA_LICENSE_KEY instead.

When this machine has personas, it asks first, since they can get new fingerprints. While BAUTA_LICENSE_KEY is set, that key still wins over the one bauta login keeps, and it says so. If your GitHub account has no verified email, add one at https://github.com/settings/emails and run it again.

`bauta logout`

bauta logout

Takes this machine back to its free session: one session, on this machine. While BAUTA_LICENSE_KEY is set it refuses; unset it first. When this machine has personas, it asks first, since they get new fingerprints, and without a terminal it refuses.

`bauta status`

bauta status

Shows the plan, the sessions in use and across machines, and this install's id. Its output is in sessions and the license.

`bauta upgrade`

bauta upgrade

Prints the pricing page's URL, https://bauta.dev/pricing?from=cli.

Browser

`bauta browser fetch`

bauta browser fetch [--version vX.Y.Z]

Downloads the browser for this machine from the latest release, checks it against the release's signed SHA256SUMS, and prints the directory it is in. It downloads from GitHub's releases of BautaBrowser/bauta-browser, and sends nothing to our server.

flag	what it does
`--version vX.Y.Z`	That release instead of the latest.

`bauta widevine fetch`

bauta widevine fetch

Fetches Google's Widevine CDM, for DRM-protected media, the same way Chrome fetches it, and prints the directory it is in. Without it, the browsers take Google Chrome's, if one is installed on this machine.

`bauta version`

bauta version

Prints this bauta's version: bauta followed by the version number.

Gateway

`bauta serve`

bauta serve [--listen 127.0.0.1] [--port 9222] [--idle 30] [--per-browser 8] [--server <url>] [--heartbeat 60]
            [--hidden]

Runs the gateway. Connect Playwright to http://127.0.0.1:9222/persona/<name> (connect_over_cdp), and Puppeteer to ws://127.0.0.1:9222/persona/<name>. The flags go in any order.

flag	default	what it does
`--listen`	`127.0.0.1`	The IP address to listen on. `--listen 0.0.0.0` lets other machines in, and whoever reaches the port drives the personas.
`--port`	`9222`	The port to listen on.
`--idle`	`30`	A persona's browser closes this many seconds after its last client.
`--per-browser`	`8`	How many personas share one browser. `1` gives each persona a browser of its own.
`--server`	`BAUTA_SERVER`, else `https://api.bauta.dev`	The server that renews the license.
`--heartbeat`	`60`	Seconds between license renewals: 60 at least, unless the server is on this machine.
`--hidden`	off	Puts the browsers' windows where no one sees them. Linux: a virtual display, whatever `DISPLAY` says. Windows: a desktop of the gateway's own. macOS: Chrome's headless mode.

The CDP gateway explains each of them.

`bauta stats`

bauta stats [--port 9222]

Prints, as JSON, the gateway's active and queued personas, against the license. It asks the gateway on this machine; --port names its port, 9222 by default.

`bauta inspect`

bauta inspect <name> [--port 9222]

Prints a DevTools link for each page of a persona the gateway runs, with the page's URL. --port names the gateway's port, 9222 by default.

`bauta open`

bauta open <name>

Opens the persona's browser in a window, for a manual login, and waits until you close it. It needs a display.

`bauta traffic`

bauta traffic <name>

Prints, as JSON, what the persona's pages fetched, blocked and found in the cache, by kind. See bandwidth.

Personas

`bauta persona new`

bauta persona new <name> --from <a built-in persona's name, or a persona file>

Makes a persona, and prints its directory.

`bauta persona set`

bauta persona set <name> --from <the same>

Gives the persona its settings anew, from a built-in persona's name or a persona file, and keeps its profile. A browser running it keeps the old ones until it closes: a persona never changes under a page.

`bauta persona ls`

bauta persona ls

Prints the personas' names, one per line.

`bauta persona rm`

bauta persona rm <name>

Removes the persona.

IP database

`bauta geo update`

bauta geo update

Updates the database that places a proxy's exit IP, DB-IP's IP to City Lite, and prints where it keeps it, with DB-IP's attribution. bauta serve uses it to set a persona's timezone and locale from where its proxy exits. IP geolocation by DB-IP, under CC BY 4.0.

Environment

The usage text ends with the variables bauta reads:

variable	what it does	default
`BAUTA_HOME`	Holds `personas/`, `license` and `fonts/`.	`~/.bauta`
`BAUTA_CHROME`	The browser.	`chrome` beside `bauta`
`BAUTA_SERVER`	Our server.	`https://api.bauta.dev`
`BAUTA_LICENSE_KEY`	When set, wins over the kept key.	unset

Environment variables lists every variable.

Exit status

status	when
`0`	The command succeeded.
`1`	The command failed. `bauta` prints `bauta:` and the reason on stderr.
`2`	`bauta` did not recognize the command, and printed its usage text on stderr.

Usage text

usage:
  bauta setup [--non-interactive]     the free session at once, then (on a terminal) an account and a star
  bauta activate <license key> [--server <url>]
                                      the first license token for this machine
  bauta browser fetch [--version vX.Y.Z]
                                      the browser for this machine from the latest release (or that one), checked
                                      against the release's signed SHA256SUMS
  bauta login                         sign up or in with GitHub, in the terminal (a code to enter on any device)
  bauta logout                        back to this machine's free session
  bauta status                        the plan, the sessions in use and across machines, and this install's id
  bauta upgrade                       prints the pricing page's URL
  bauta serve [--listen 127.0.0.1] [--port 9222] [--idle 30] [--per-browser 8] [--server <url>] [--heartbeat 60]
              [--hidden]
                                      the gateway: connect Playwright to http://127.0.0.1:9222/persona/<name>
                                      (connect_over_cdp), Puppeteer to ws://127.0.0.1:9222/persona/<name>;
                                      a persona's browser closes <idle> seconds after its last client;
                                      personas share browsers, <per-browser> to one (1: a browser each);
                                      with a server (or BAUTA_SERVER), the license is renewed every <heartbeat> s
                                      (60 at least, unless the server is on this machine); --listen 0.0.0.0
                                      lets other machines in, and whoever reaches the port drives the personas;
                                      --hidden: the browsers' windows where no one sees them (Linux: a virtual
                                      display, whatever DISPLAY says; Windows: a desktop of the gateway's own;
                                      macOS: Chrome's headless)
  bauta geo update                    the database that places a proxy's exit IP (DB-IP's IP to City Lite)
  bauta persona new <name> --from <a built-in persona's name, or a persona file>
  bauta persona set <name> --from <the same>
                                      its settings anew, its profile kept; a browser running it keeps the old
                                      ones until it closes (a persona never changes under a page)
  bauta persona ls
  bauta persona rm <name>
  bauta open <name>                   the persona's browser in a window, for a manual login
  bauta inspect <name> [--port 9222]  a DevTools link for each page of a persona the gateway runs
  bauta stats [--port 9222]           the gateway's active and queued personas, against the license
  bauta version                       this bauta's version
  bauta traffic <name>                what the persona's pages fetched, blocked and found in the cache, by kind
  bauta widevine fetch                Google's Widevine CDM, for DRM-protected media (Chrome fetches it the same way);
                                      without it the browsers take Google Chrome's, if one is installed here

  BAUTA_HOME (~/.bauta) holds personas/, license and fonts/; BAUTA_CHROME is the browser (default: chrome
  beside bauta). BAUTA_SERVER is our server (default https://api.bauta.dev); BAUTA_LICENSE_KEY, when set, wins
  over the kept key.

The CDP gateway: what bauta serve does with each persona.
Persona file format: what --from takes.
Environment variables: every variable bauta reads.

Commands

Setup and account

`bauta setup`

`bauta activate`

`bauta logout`

`bauta status`

`bauta upgrade`

Browser

`bauta browser fetch`

`bauta widevine fetch`

`bauta version`

Gateway

`bauta serve`

`bauta stats`

`bauta inspect`

`bauta open`

`bauta traffic`

Personas

`bauta persona new`

`bauta persona set`

`bauta persona ls`

`bauta persona rm`

IP database

`bauta geo update`

Environment

Exit status

Usage text

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The bauta CLI

CommandsCopy Anchor Link

Setup and accountCopy Anchor Link

bauta setupCopy Anchor Link

bauta activateCopy Anchor Link

bauta loginCopy Anchor Link

bauta logoutCopy Anchor Link

bauta statusCopy Anchor Link

bauta upgradeCopy Anchor Link

BrowserCopy Anchor Link

bauta browser fetchCopy Anchor Link

bauta widevine fetchCopy Anchor Link

bauta versionCopy Anchor Link

GatewayCopy Anchor Link

bauta serveCopy Anchor Link

bauta statsCopy Anchor Link

bauta inspectCopy Anchor Link

bauta openCopy Anchor Link

bauta trafficCopy Anchor Link

PersonasCopy Anchor Link

bauta persona newCopy Anchor Link

bauta persona setCopy Anchor Link

bauta persona lsCopy Anchor Link

bauta persona rmCopy Anchor Link

IP databaseCopy Anchor Link

bauta geo updateCopy Anchor Link

EnvironmentCopy Anchor Link

Exit statusCopy Anchor Link

Usage textCopy Anchor Link

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Commands

Setup and account

`bauta setup`

`bauta activate`

`bauta login`

`bauta logout`

`bauta status`

`bauta upgrade`

Browser

`bauta browser fetch`

`bauta widevine fetch`

`bauta version`

Gateway

`bauta serve`

`bauta stats`

`bauta inspect`

`bauta open`

`bauta traffic`

Personas

`bauta persona new`

`bauta persona set`

`bauta persona ls`

`bauta persona rm`

IP database

`bauta geo update`

Environment

Exit status

Usage text

Next