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Requirements

Here are the requirements for running Surfmeter Automator.

This documentation is valid for Automator 1.30.0 or higher.

Operating Systems

Surfmeter Automator runs either in native mode or in Docker.

  • Linux 64-bit (tested with Ubuntu 22.04 or higher, and Debian 12 or higher)
  • macOS (tested with macOS 12 or higher)
  • Windows (experimental only, see warning below)

Limitations under macOS

Simulated headless execution does not work. You may use the Chrome-native headless mode, or Docker. See Headless vs. GUI for more information. Please use Docker on macOS.

Limitations under Windows

Many important features do not (yet) work under Windows, such as:

  • Scheduling (cron is not supported)
  • Headless execution
  • Screen recording
  • Update functionality
  • Native tests (dig, ping, etc.)

Please use Docker on Windows.

Hardware

Component Required Recommended
CPU Any x86 CPU (64-bit), ARM64 CPU (e.g. Apple Silicon), armv7l CPU (32-bit), Raspberry Pi 4B Intel Core i7, Apple M1
Memory 2 GB or higher 4 GB or higher
HDD 10 GB of free disk space1 30 GB or higher

Note that most tests may run on significantly less powerful hardware, but for video tests, we recommend the higher-end hardware. We have measured YouTube with as little as 512 MB of RAM, but we recommend at least 2 GB for a smooth experience.

Google also notes that for representative website tests that reduce variability, hardware should be performant enough.

Can I use the Raspberry Pi?

The Raspberry Pi 4B is a good all-rounder for basic tests, but it will lack high-definition video support! Choose at least the Raspberry Pi 5. Some interesting comparisons are available here.

In the next section we'll cover the setup for native execution. For Docker, see Docker Setup.

  1. The disk space requirement is only relevant if you want to store the results of your measurements. If you don't want to store the results, we only need a hundred MB of disk space. ↩