Linux Installation

Deploy Cromite on Linux distributions with AppArmor configuration

Cromite for Linux provides a privacy-focused browsing experience with support for modern Linux distributions. Special configuration is required for Ubuntu 24.04 and derivatives due to AppArmor restrictions.

System Requirements

• Linux Distribution: Most modern distributions (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch, etc.)
• Architecture: x64 (64-bit)
• Storage: ~200MB free space
• Dependencies: Standard Linux libraries (usually pre-installed)

Installation

1. Download Linux Package

   Download the latest Linux release:

   • chrome-lin64.tar.gz

   Save it to your preferred location, such as:

   • ~/Downloads/
   • /tmp/
2. Extract the Archive

   Open a terminal and extract the tarball:

   cd ~/Downloads
   tar -xzf chrome-lin64.tar.gz
   

   This creates a chrome-lin directory containing the Cromite browser.

3. Move to Installation Directory

   Move Cromite to a permanent location:

   User Installation

   Install for current user only (no sudo required):

   mv chrome-lin ~/.local/share/cromite
   

   Or create a custom location:

   mkdir -p ~/Applications
   mv chrome-lin ~/Applications/cromite
   

   System-Wide Installation

   Install for all users (requires sudo):

   sudo mv chrome-lin /opt/cromite
   

   Make executable accessible:

   sudo ln -s /opt/cromite/chrome /usr/local/bin/cromite
   
4. Launch Cromite

   Run Cromite from the command line:

   # If installed in ~/.local/share/cromite
   ~/.local/share/cromite/chrome
   
   # If installed in /opt/cromite with symlink
   cromite
   

   On first launch:

   1. Choose your default search engine
   2. Review initial settings
   3. Grant necessary permissions if prompted

Ubuntu 24.04 and Derivatives

Ubuntu 24.04, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, and other Ubuntu derivatives implement AppArmor restrictions on unprivileged user namespaces. This prevents Chromium-based browsers from launching without additional configuration.

If you see an error like “namespace creation failed” or Cromite won’t start, you need to apply one of the solutions below.

Why This Happens

Starting with Ubuntu 24.04, AppArmor restricts the use of unprivileged user namespaces for security reasons. Chromium’s sandbox requires these namespaces to function properly.

Solution 1: Create AppArmor Profile (Recommended)

This solution allows Cromite to use namespaces while maintaining system security.

1. Create Profile File

   Create the AppArmor profile file with sudo:

   sudo nano /etc/apparmor.d/chrome
   
2. Add Profile Configuration

   Paste the following configuration, replacing the path with your actual Cromite installation path:

   abi <abi/4.0>,
   include <tunables/global>
   
   profile cromite /home/user/cromite/chrome-lin/chrome flags=(unconfined) {
     userns,
   
     include if exists <local/chrome>
   }
   

   Example paths:

   • User install: /home/username/.local/share/cromite/chrome
   • System install: /opt/cromite/chrome
   • Custom location: /home/username/Applications/cromite/chrome

   Replace /home/user/cromite/chrome-lin/chrome with the absolute path to your chrome binary.

3. Save and Exit

   Press Ctrl+O to save, then Ctrl+X to exit nano.

4. Apply the Profile

   Load the new AppArmor profile:

   sudo apparmor_parser -r /etc/apparmor.d/chrome
   

   If successful, you’ll see no output. Any errors will be displayed.

5. Verify and Launch

   Check the profile is loaded:

   sudo aa-status | grep cromite
   

   Launch Cromite normally:

   ~/.local/share/cromite/chrome
   

This profile persists across reboots and system updates. You only need to create it once.

Solution 2: Temporary Disable (Until Reboot)

Quickly disable the restriction for testing or temporary use:

sudo sysctl -w kernel.apparmor_restrict_unprivileged_userns=0

Characteristics:

• Takes effect immediately
• No reboot required
• Reverts on next reboot
• Affects all applications, not just Cromite

This reduces system security. Use for testing only, not for permanent solutions.

Solution 3: Permanent Disable (Not Recommended)

Permanently disable unprivileged namespace restrictions:

1. Create Configuration File

   sudo nano /etc/sysctl.d/60-apparmor-namespace.conf
   
2. Add Configuration

   Add this single line:

   kernel.apparmor_restrict_unprivileged_userns=0
   
3. Apply Configuration

   sudo sysctl -p /etc/sysctl.d/60-apparmor-namespace.conf
   

This disables the restriction system-wide and permanently. It reduces security for all applications. Use Solution 1 (AppArmor profile) instead.

Creating Desktop Integration

Desktop Entry (Application Menu)

Create a .desktop file to add Cromite to your application menu:

1. Create Desktop Entry

   nano ~/.local/share/applications/cromite.desktop
   
2. Add Desktop Entry Configuration

   [Desktop Entry]
   Version=1.0
   Name=Cromite
   Comment=Privacy-focused Chromium fork
   Exec=/home/username/.local/share/cromite/chrome %U
   Terminal=false
   Icon=/home/username/.local/share/cromite/product_logo_256.png
   Type=Application
   Categories=Network;WebBrowser;
   MimeType=text/html;text/xml;application/xhtml+xml;x-scheme-handler/http;x-scheme-handler/https;
   StartupNotify=true
   StartupWMClass=cromite
   

   Replace /home/username/.local/share/cromite with your actual installation path.

3. Update Desktop Database

   update-desktop-database ~/.local/share/applications
   
4. Launch from Application Menu

   Cromite should now appear in your application menu under “Internet” or “Network”.

Command Line Alias

Add a convenient command-line alias:

Bash

Edit ~/.bashrc:

echo 'alias cromite="~/.local/share/cromite/chrome"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Now you can launch with just:

cromite

Zsh

Edit ~/.zshrc:

echo 'alias cromite="~/.local/share/cromite/chrome"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

Now you can launch with just:

cromite

Fish

Create alias:

alias -s cromite="~/.local/share/cromite/chrome"
funcsave cromite

Now you can launch with just:

cromite

Automatic Updates

Automatic updates for Linux are currently under development.

Linux auto-update development is tracked in Issue #771.

Manual Update Process

Until automatic updates are available, manually update Cromite:

1. Download Latest Release

   cd ~/Downloads
   wget https://github.com/uazo/cromite/releases/latest/download/chrome-lin64.tar.gz
   
2. Backup User Data (Optional)

   Your profile data is separate from the application, but to be safe:

   cp -r ~/.config/chromium ~/.config/chromium.backup
   
3. Extract New Version

   tar -xzf chrome-lin64.tar.gz
   
4. Replace Installation

   # For user installation
   rm -rf ~/.local/share/cromite
   mv chrome-lin ~/.local/share/cromite
   
   # For system installation
   sudo rm -rf /opt/cromite
   sudo mv chrome-lin /opt/cromite
   
5. Update AppArmor Profile

   If you created an AppArmor profile and the path changed:

   sudo apparmor_parser -r /etc/apparmor.d/chrome
   

Update Notification Script

Create a simple script to check for updates:

#!/bin/bash
# Save as ~/bin/cromite-check-update.sh

CURRENT_VERSION=$(~/.local/share/cromite/chrome --version | awk '{print $2}')
LATEST_VERSION=$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/uazo/cromite/releases/latest | grep '"tag_name"' | sed -E 's/.*"([^"]+)".*/\1/')

if [ "$CURRENT_VERSION" != "$LATEST_VERSION" ]; then
    notify-send "Cromite Update Available" "New version $LATEST_VERSION is available (current: $CURRENT_VERSION)"
fi

Make it executable and add to cron:

chmod +x ~/bin/cromite-check-update.sh

# Add to crontab (check daily at 9 AM)
(crontab -l 2>/dev/null; echo "0 9 * * * ~/bin/cromite-check-update.sh") | crontab -

Troubleshooting

Won't Launch on Ubuntu 24.04

Error messages:

• “The namespace sandbox failed to initialize”
• “Failed to move to new namespace”
• Silent crash with no window

Solutions:

1. Apply AppArmor profile (Solution 1 above) - recommended
2. Temporarily disable restrictions for testing
3. Check AppArmor logs: sudo journalctl -xe | grep apparmor

AppArmor Profile Not Working

Verify profile path:

# Check where chrome binary actually is
which cromite
# or
ls -la ~/.local/share/cromite/chrome

Update profile path:

1. Edit /etc/apparmor.d/chrome
2. Fix the path to match your installation
3. Reload: sudo apparmor_parser -r /etc/apparmor.d/chrome

Check for errors:

sudo aa-status | grep cromite
sudo journalctl -xe | grep apparmor

Missing Dependencies

If Cromite won’t start due to missing libraries:

Ubuntu/Debian

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y libnss3 libatk1.0-0 libatk-bridge2.0-0 \
  libcups2 libdrm2 libxkbcommon0 libxcomposite1 \
  libxdamage1 libxrandr2 libgbm1 libpango-1.0-0 \
  libcairo2 libasound2 libxshmfence1

Fedora

sudo dnf install -y nss atk at-spi2-atk cups-libs libdrm \
  libxkbcommon libXcomposite libXdamage libXrandr \
  mesa-libgbm pango cairo alsa-lib

Arch

sudo pacman -S nss atk at-spi2-atk cups libdrm \
  libxkbcommon libxcomposite libxdamage libxrandr \
  mesa pango cairo alsa-lib

Permission Denied

If you get “Permission denied” when trying to launch:

# Make the chrome binary executable
chmod +x ~/.local/share/cromite/chrome

# If installed system-wide
sudo chmod +x /opt/cromite/chrome

Desktop Entry Not Showing

Refresh desktop database:

update-desktop-database ~/.local/share/applications

# Force cache refresh (may vary by desktop environment)
killall plasmashell && plasmashell &  # KDE
killall gnome-shell && gnome-shell &   # GNOME

Verify file syntax:

desktop-file-validate ~/.local/share/applications/cromite.desktop

Runs But No Sound

Check audio libraries:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install libasound2 pulseaudio

# Test if ALSA works
speaker-test -t wav -c 2

Verify Cromite can access audio:

1. Launch Cromite from terminal to see error messages
2. Visit a website with audio
3. Check volume settings in system and Cromite

Advanced Configuration

Command Line Flags

Launch Cromite with additional flags:

# Custom user data directory
~/.local/share/cromite/chrome --user-data-dir=~/.config/cromite-custom

# Enable debug logging
~/.local/share/cromite/chrome --enable-logging --v=1

# Disable GPU acceleration (if graphics issues)
~/.local/share/cromite/chrome --disable-gpu

# Multiple profiles
~/.local/share/cromite/chrome --profile-directory="Profile 1"

Create a wrapper script with your preferred flags:

#!/bin/bash
# Save as ~/bin/cromite

exec ~/.local/share/cromite/chrome \
  --user-data-dir="$HOME/.config/cromite" \
  --disable-background-networking \
  "$@"

Wayland Support

For native Wayland support (better HiDPI, security):

~/.local/share/cromite/chrome --ozone-platform=wayland

Make it permanent by adding to your desktop entry or alias:

alias cromite="~/.local/share/cromite/chrome --ozone-platform=wayland"

Wayland support provides better security isolation and HiDPI scaling on supported desktop environments.

Next Steps

Privacy Features

Explore built-in privacy protections

Ad Blocking

Configure content blocking and filters

Settings Guide

Customize Cromite settings

FAQ

Find answers to common questions