Chromium is an open-source web browser project that supplies the underlying code used by Google Chrome and a number of other browsers. The codebase is maintained primarily by engineers at Google with contributions from independent developers and organizations. The project aims to provide a transparent, auditable, and buildable upstream that others can use to produce their own browsers; see the project homepage for source and documentation and the code repositories for the source tree.

Key characteristics

Chromium is distributed under permissive open-source licenses and includes the core rendering engine, user interface components, the JavaScript engine, developer tools, and extension APIs. It supports multiple platforms and shares most features with Google Chrome, including a multi-process architecture and built-in developer tools. However, certain proprietary components are intentionally left out of Chromium builds.

  • Open-source codebase with broad community contributions.
  • Includes Blink rendering engine and V8 JavaScript engine.
  • Lacks some proprietary elements bundled into Google Chrome such as branded artwork and some closed-source features.

History and development

The Chromium project was launched to foster an open development environment for web browsing technology and to accelerate innovation in the browser space. While Google plays a leading role in organizing and funding much of the work, the project accepts patches and bug reports from outside contributors. Many companies and independent projects build their browsers from Chromium source, and development continues in public repositories with regular commits and releases. Google distributes a consumer product, Google Chrome, which packages Chromium code with additional proprietary features and services and is maintained in parallel.

Uses, forks and notable derivatives

Because Chromium is a usable browser on its own and relatively straightforward to compile, it is the basis for numerous downstream browsers and commercial products. Major examples include browsers that selected Chromium as their engine and interface foundation, as well as privacy-focused and specialized builds. Some vendors add custom branding, update mechanisms, codecs, or tracking and telemetry policies before releasing a product.

Notable distinctions

Compared with Chrome, typical Chromium builds omit certain closed-source elements such as integrated digital rights management (DRM) modules and some proprietary media codecs; users and distributors may add those components separately. Chromium also does not include Google’s automatic update system, bundled background services, or official branding by default. The project’s name, like the metal chromium and the chrome used for plating, was chosen to reflect its role as the upstream surface from which polished consumer products are made; see chromium (metal) and chrome plating for the metaphor. For discussion of DRM differences in practice, see resources about digital rights management.

For further reading about the organization and policies around the project and how to build or contribute, consult the official documentation and community pages, including materials hosted by Google and other maintainers.