#915400 RFP: chromium-embedded-framework -- embedable web browser library

Package:
wnpp
Source:
wnpp
Submitter:
Petter Reinholdtsen
Date:
2026-05-10 23:35:02 UTC
Severity:
wishlist
#915400#5
Date:
2018-12-03 14:09:47 UTC
From:
To:
* Package name    : chromium-embedded-framework
  Version         : 3
  Upstream Author : Marshall Greenblatt
* URL             : https://bitbucket.org/chromiumembedded/cef
* License         : BSD
  Description     : embedable web browser library

More information about the library can be found from
<URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromium_Embedded_Framework >.

The library is a dependency of CasparCG, WNPP request
<URL: https://bugs.debian.org/912774 >.

#915400#10
Date:
2018-12-04 14:40:12 UTC
From:
To:
The cef library is also used by nageru and obs-browser, when
available.

A lengthy discussion related to CEF, requesting the source of
chromium to be made available as a binary package, can be found in
<URL: https://bugs.debian.org/893448 >.  The alternative seem to
be to embed a copy of the chromium source code in the cef source
package.

#915400#25
Date:
2025-11-02 17:24:37 UTC
From:
To:
Hello,

I'm working on packaging CEF to address this RFP. I started Debian
packaging two months ago and currently have a stremio package (QT5 based)
under review by a DD.

For my second package (stremio-gtk) I need chromium-embedded-framework, so
I submitted an ITP for it.

Current status:
- Build is 50% complete and running
- Using Debian's chromium tarball instead of the upstream 57GB git
repository
- Resolved version compatibility issues between CEF branch 7444 and
Chromium 142.x
- Applied necessary patches including tarball_deps.patch
- Build should complete in 2-3 hours

The approach uses Debian chromium sources (942.0.7444.59), which reduces
space requirements from 92GB to 39GB compared to the upstream git method.

I'm working on this because I need CEF for stremio-gtk packaging, but this
would also unblock obs-studio browser plugin support and casparcg-server
HTTP functionality.

I'm changing this bug status to ITP to reflect the active work. Will post
an update with build results.

Best regards,
Juan Manuel Méndez Rey
--
http://vejeta.com
Jabber: vejeta@jabber.5july.net
I'm an FSF member -- Help us support software freedom!
https://my.fsf.org/join?referrer=327575

#915400#32
Date:
2025-12-25 20:49:50 UTC
From:
To:
After ~300 build iterations, chromium-embedded-framework is ready:

- Repository: https://salsa.debian.org/mendezr/chromium-embedded-framework
- Technical documentation:
https://vejeta.com/packaging-chromium-embedded-framework-for-debian-a-technical-deep-dive/
- 58 patches (16 CEF, 42 Chromium) for network-isolated builds
- Tested with stremio-gtk (ITP #1119815)

Packages produce:
- libcef138
- libcef-dev
- cef-resources

This also unblocks obs-studio browser sources and other CEF-dependent
software.

Ready for sponsor review.

#915400#37
Date:
2025-12-30 03:22:06 UTC
From:
To:
RFS filed: #1124290
Package uploaded to mentors.debian.net
https://mentors.debian.net/package/chromium-embedded-framework/

#915400#44
Date:
2026-02-16 00:36:08 UTC
From:
To:
Hi Juan,

Many thanks for looking into this! Really looking forward to this,
this was the reason for me to build+use OBS from the source back
then and using flatpak now on Debian Sid, to be able to use the
OBS browser source feature (#956086).

The provided link,
https://mentors.debian.net/package/chromium-embedded-framework/,
does not seem to work anymore though. If I understand #1124290
correctly then development has been moved from mentors.debian.net
to this repository in salsa.debian.org, due to size constraints at
the former, right? https://salsa.debian.org/mendezr/chromium-embedded-framework

Regards, Linus

#915400#49
Date:
2026-02-16 07:57:20 UTC
From:
To:
El lun, 16 feb 2026, 1:36, Linus Lüssing <linus.luessing@c0d3.blue>
escribió:


Hi Linus, glad you like it. The package is very big for mentors, although
it is being reviewed anyway.

You can build it from salsa. Additionally, I provide the .deb in the same
salsa repository, it is being built thanks to a hosted runner that runs in
CI.

Also I provide a unofficial repository:

https://debian.vejeta.com, if people wants to test the packages

All the best,

Juan

#915400#56
Date:
2026-04-20 13:50:22 UTC
From:
To:
Hi!

I've made more improvements to the chromium-embedded-framework package.

The build no longer depends on Google's depot-tools, now it uses system /usr/bin/gn (generate-ninja) and /usr/bin/ninja are called directly, matching the approach used by the Debian chromium package.

This MUT package changes now from 4 tarballs to 3.
Now, we support arm64 architecture in addition to amd64.

Build-Depends use proper :native and :any qualifiers for cross-build compatibility, aligned with Debian chromium conventions.

The Chromium version used as dependency and the corresponding CEF branch has been updated to 147.0.7727.101 (latest security release). Both architectures build successfully in sbuild clean chroots.
The source, as before, is available for reviewing at https://salsa.debian.org/mendezr/chromium-embedded-framework.deb, .dsc, .changes artifacts for amd64 provided on the repository (it is not possible on mentors due to build size constraints)