In Google Chrome, when you open a new webpage, Chrome typically launches several processes. This is because Chrome employs a multi-process architecture to enhance performance and security. The exact number of processes launched can vary depending on your browser settings, installed extensions, number of open tabs, and Chrome version.
Here are the main types of processes that Chrome may launch when opening a new page:
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Browser Process: This is the main control process, managing all aspects of the Chrome user interface, including the address bar, bookmarks, forward and backward buttons, etc. It also handles file downloads and security policies.
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Renderer Process: Each tab typically has its own Renderer Process (by default). This process is responsible for rendering webpages, including the execution of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. This isolation mechanism ensures that if one webpage crashes, it does not affect other tabs.
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Plugin Process: If a page uses plugins (such as Adobe Flash Player, which is now gradually being phased out), each plugin may have its own dedicated process.
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GPU Process: Chrome has a dedicated GPU Process for handling GPU-accelerated tasks, such as 3D CSS effects and WebGL content.
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Extension Process: If you have installed Chrome extensions, each active extension typically runs in its own process.
For example, if you open a new Chrome window and load a complex webpage with multimedia content and multiple active extensions, you may see at least the following processes:
- One Browser Process
- One Renderer Process
- Multiple Extension Processes (depending on the number of active extensions)
- One GPU Process
Therefore, in this scenario, opening the page requires at least four types of processes, with the exact count depending on the number of active extensions.
Additionally, starting from Chrome 67, Chrome introduced a security feature called "Site Isolation," which generates more processes by creating separate Renderer Processes for content from different sites to enhance isolation between domains. This means that even a single tab may spawn multiple Renderer Processes if it loads iframes from different domains.