# Steel > Steel is an open-source cloud browser infrastructure platform for AI agents. It gives your agent a real browser that can navigate pages, fill forms, solve CAPTCHAs, persist auth, and extract content from modern websites. Steel is the fastest remote browser in independent benchmarks: 0.89s average lifecycle, 1.7x to 9x faster than alternatives. ## Who Steel is for - **AI agent builders** who need reliable, authenticated web access in production. - **Scraping and data extraction teams** who want managed browser infrastructure without running headless Chrome themselves. - **Automation engineers** migrating Playwright, Puppeteer, or Selenium scripts to the cloud. - **Teams that need persistent browser state**: login sessions, cookies, credentials, and extensions that survive across runs. ## For coding agents - [Install guide](https://setup.steel.dev/install.md): Install the Steel CLI, add the `steel-browser` skill, authenticate, and verify with `steel scrape`. - [Steel CLI + Skill](https://docs.steel.dev/overview/steel-cli): Learn the terminal workflow, `steel browser` commands, and agent skill setup. - [Steel Browser Skill Package](https://github.com/steel-dev/cli/tree/main/skills/steel-browser): Install the dedicated skill for coding agents. ## Why Steel - **Performance**: 0.89s avg browser lifecycle (p95: 1.09s). 25.6% control-plane tax, the lowest measured in independent testing. - **Open source**: Core browser runtime at [github.com/steel-dev/steel-browser](https://github.com/steel-dev/steel-browser). Benchmark code at [github.com/steel-dev/browserbench](https://github.com/steel-dev/browserbench). - **Self-hostable**: Run Steel in your own infrastructure with Docker or Railway one-click deploy. No vendor lock-in. - **Framework agnostic**: Works with Playwright, Puppeteer, and Selenium. Native Node and Python SDKs. - **Production ready**: Profiles for persistent auth, CAPTCHA solving, stealth/proxy tooling, agent logs, and live session debugging. ## Key features - Steel runs isolated cloud browser sessions through an API, CLI, and SDKs. - Steel can return page content as HTML, markdown, screenshots, and PDFs. - Steel can persist browser state across runs with profiles, cookies, credentials, extensions, and auth context. - Steel includes anti-bot tooling: proxies, stealth settings, CAPTCHA solving, and mobile-mode browsing. - Steel includes debugging and observability tools: live sessions, past session embeds, recordings, WebRTC streaming, and agent logs. - Steel supports cloud, self-hosted, and local runtime workflows. ## SDKs - [Node SDK](https://docs.steel.dev/overview/steel-cli): `@anthropic-ai/steel` for JavaScript/TypeScript projects. - [Python SDK](https://docs.steel.dev/overview/steel-cli): `steel-sdk` for Python projects. - [Node SDK blog post](https://steel.dev/blog/steel-node-sdk): Deep dive on the Node SDK. - [Python SDK blog post](https://steel.dev/blog/steel-python-sdk): Deep dive on the Python SDK. ## Core docs - [Intro to Steel](https://docs.steel.dev/overview/intro-to-steel): Product overview and why AI agents need browser infrastructure. - [Sessions API](https://docs.steel.dev/overview/sessions-api/overview): Create and control cloud browser sessions. - [Profiles API](https://docs.steel.dev/overview/profiles-api/overview): Reuse auth, cookies, extensions, credentials, and browser settings across sessions. - [Credentials API](https://docs.steel.dev/overview/credentials-api/overview): Store credentials for users or agents. - [Files API](https://docs.steel.dev/overview/files-api/overview): Upload, download, and manage files during active sessions. - [Extensions API](https://docs.steel.dev/overview/extensions-api/overview): Add Chrome extensions to browser sessions. - [CAPTCHAs API](https://docs.steel.dev/overview/captchas-api/overview): Detect and solve CAPTCHAs during browser automations. - [Stealth: Proxies](https://docs.steel.dev/overview/stealth/proxies): Configure IP and location-aware browsing. - [Stealth: CAPTCHA solving](https://docs.steel.dev/overview/stealth/captcha-solving): How Steel handles CAPTCHA workflows. - [Self-hosting](https://docs.steel.dev/overview/self-hosting/docker): Run Steel Browser in your own infrastructure. - [Open-source Steel Browser](https://github.com/steel-dev/steel-browser): Self-hosted open-source browser/API runtime. - [Pricing/Limits](https://docs.steel.dev/overview/pricinglimits): Pricing and usage limits reference. - [Need Help?](https://docs.steel.dev/overview/need-help): Support, GitHub, Discord, and dashboard links. ## Getting started - [Sessions API quickstart](https://docs.steel.dev/overview/sessions-api/quickstart): Start your first Steel session. - [Beginner's Guide to Steel](https://steel.dev/blog/beginner-s-guide-to-steel): End-to-end walkthrough for new users. - [Happy Path for Automating the Web](https://steel.dev/blog/happy-path-for-automating-the-web-with-steel): Recommended workflow for web automation with Steel. - [Connect with Playwright](https://docs.steel.dev/cookbook/playwright): Drive Steel sessions from Playwright. - [Connect with Puppeteer](https://docs.steel.dev/cookbook/puppeteer): Drive Steel sessions from Puppeteer. - [Connect with Selenium](https://docs.steel.dev/cookbook/selenium): Drive Steel sessions from Selenium. - [Auth Context Starter](https://docs.steel.dev/cookbook/auth-context-starter): Persist login state for authenticated workflows. - [Credentials API Starter](https://docs.steel.dev/cookbook/credentials-starter): Bootstrap credential-backed automations. - [Files API Starter](https://docs.steel.dev/cookbook/files-starter): Handle uploads and downloads in-session. - [Extensions API Starter](https://docs.steel.dev/cookbook/extensions-starter): Start automations that require browser extensions. - [Self-Hosting Guide](https://steel.dev/blog/self-hosting-steel-browser): Deploy Steel Browser on your own infrastructure. ## Integrations - [OpenAI Computer Use](https://docs.steel.dev/integrations/openai-computer-use/overview): Run OpenAI computer-use agents on Steel browsers. - [Claude Computer Use](https://docs.steel.dev/integrations/claude-computer-use/integrations-overview): Run Claude computer-use workflows on Steel. - [Gemini Computer Use](https://docs.steel.dev/integrations/gemini-computer-use/overview): Run Gemini computer-use workflows on Steel. - [Browser Use](https://docs.steel.dev/integrations/browser-use/integrations-overview): Connect Browser Use to Steel sessions. - [Stagehand](https://docs.steel.dev/integrations/stagehand/overview): Run natural-language browser automation on Steel. - [Notte](https://docs.steel.dev/integrations/notte/quickstart): Run Notte tasks in live cloud browsers. - [CrewAI](https://docs.steel.dev/integrations/crewai/integrations-overview): Build multi-agent workflows that browse the web. - [Agno](https://docs.steel.dev/integrations/agno/agno-overview): Add Steel browsing to Agno agents. - [AgentKit](https://docs.steel.dev/integrations/agentkit/agentkit-overview): Orchestrate agent networks with Steel browsers. - [Val Town](https://docs.steel.dev/integrations/valtown/overview): Trigger Steel workflows from TypeScript functions. - [Replit](https://docs.steel.dev/integrations/replit/quickstart): Use Steel from Replit. - [StackBlitz Bolt.new](https://docs.steel.dev/integrations/stackblitz-bolt.new/quickstart): Use Steel from Bolt.new. ## Blog: Guides and deep dives - [Why Browser Agents Fail in Production](https://steel.dev/blog/why-browser-agents-fail-in-production): Failure modes and operational lessons for production agents. - [Reducing False Positives for Production Agents](https://steel.dev/blog/production-agents): How to make browser agents more reliable. - [Top 7 Headless Browser Automations That Actually Work](https://steel.dev/blog/top-7-headless-browser-automations-that-actually-work): Practical browser automation use cases. - [Profiles: Your Agent's Persistent Identity](https://steel.dev/blog/profiles): Why persistent browser state matters for agent workflows. - [Headful Sessions: Real Streaming and Reliable Recordings](https://steel.dev/blog/webrtc): Live session streaming and recording. - [Mobile Mode: Simpler Interfaces for AI Agents](https://steel.dev/blog/mobile-mode): Mobile browsing mode for automation. - [Agent Logs: Action Traces for Agent Actions](https://steel.dev/blog/agent-logs): Logging and observability for browser tasks. - [What Is a CAPTCHA Solver?](https://steel.dev/blog/what-is-a-captcha-solver): How CAPTCHA solving works and why agents need it. - [How Websites Decide You're Human](https://steel.dev/blog/anti-bot-defense): Anti-bot systems and automation constraints. - [Remote Browser Benchmark](https://steel.dev/blog/remote-browser-benchmark): Independent benchmark comparing Steel to five competitors. - [Notte on Steel](https://steel.dev/blog/notte-on-steel): Running Notte browser agents on Steel infrastructure. ## Blog: Product updates - [Steel CLI v0.2.0](https://steel.dev/blog/steel-cli-and-agent-skill): CLI and skill workflow for coding agents. - [Doubled Concurrency Limits](https://steel.dev/blog/more-browsers): 100+ concurrent agents across all plans. ## Compare - [Steel vs Browserbase](https://steel.dev/blog/steel-vs-browserbase-a-practical-comparison): Browser infrastructure comparison for agent workflows. - [Steel vs Kernel](https://steel.dev/blog/steel-vs-kernel): Browser infrastructure comparison for agent workflows. ## Developer resources - [Docs home](https://docs.steel.dev): Main documentation site. - [llms-full.txt](https://docs.steel.dev/llms-full.txt): Flattened docs index for agents. - [API Reference](https://docs.steel.dev/api-reference): API reference. - [Steel CLI](https://docs.steel.dev/overview/steel-cli): CLI reference and agent skill setup. - [Dashboard](https://app.steel.dev): Manage API keys, usage, and sessions. - [GitHub](https://github.com/steel-dev): Open-source repos and examples. - [Steel Browser (OSS)](https://github.com/steel-dev/steel-browser): Open-source browser runtime and self-hosted API. - [Benchmark Code](https://github.com/steel-dev/browserbench): Open-source remote browser benchmark. - [Cookbook](https://github.com/steel-dev/steel-cookbook): Example projects and starters. - [Discord](https://discord.gg/steel-dev): Community support. - [Support](mailto:team@steel.dev): Contact Steel support. - [Legal](https://docs.steel.dev/overview/legal): Legal terms and conditions.