There are several Linux Terminal Web Browsers that you can choose from depending on your tastes and what you are intending on doing. Here are some of my favorites, in no particular order.
W3M — Linux Terminal Browser
W3M is a popular open-source text-based web browser for the terminal. It supports SSL connections, colors, and in-line images as well. It is easy to download and configure.
To download it:
Ubuntu / Debian
On Ubuntu, the W3M web browser is easily installable with the following Apt command below in a terminal window.
sudo apt install w3m w3m-img
Arch Linux
Those on Arch Linux can install the W3M web browser by making use of the Pacman command below. Be sure you have the “Extra” software repository turned on in your Pacman configuration file to install it.
sudo pacman -S w3m
Fedora
On Fedora Linux, the W3M web browser is available to all users via the Dnf command below.
sudo dnf install w3m
OpenSUSE
To install the W3M web browser on OpenSUSE Linux, you will need to execute the following Zypper command below in a terminal window.
sudo zypper install w3m
To start browsing, you type in the following command (replace with the site you want to go to):
w3m URL
Some commands:
| SHIFT+B | Go back to the previous page |
| SHIFT + T | Open a new tab |
| SHIFT + U | Open a new URL |
| SHIFT+Q | To quit W3M |
You can explore more about it by heading to its man page as well. Just type in:
man w3m
You can also view the manual online by going to their manual page.
Lynx — Linux Terminal Browser
Lynx is the grandfather of most all Linux browsers. It came out in 1992 and was used at a university for local LAN use. It had a major rework in 2007 and added a lot of features and protocols to itself. Because it is a text only browser Lynx, web bugs that track user information are not fetched, meaning that web pages can be read without the privacy concerns of graphic web browsers. It does support HTTP cookies (which can be white or black listed). Since Lynx will take keystrokes from a text file, it is still very useful for automated data entry, web page navigation, and web scraping.
To install Lynx:
Ubuntu / Debian
sudo apt install lynx
Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S lynx
Fedora
sudo dnf install lynx
OpenSUSE
sudo zypper install lynx
Lynx Navigation
Lynx is easy to navigate. To start the browser, you type in Lynx and the URL.
lynx https://pixelateddwarf.com
When you navigate to a web page, and it starts to load, then prompts appear. These prompts are the product of the internet getting more complex as time went on.
Additional information is available from the man page within Lynx.
man lynx
Links2 — Linux Terminal Browser
Links2 is a Web browser running in both text and graphics modes. It is a fork from Links and is viewed as the graphical version of Links. It supports advanced features such as supports color, monochrome terminals, horizontal scrolling, and more importantly, it renders complex pages. The browser can display frames and tables and supports basic JavaScript. You can also use your mouse to follow hyperlinks in both text and graphic mode.
To install Lynx:
Ubuntu / Debian
sudo apt install links2
Fedora
sudo dnf install links2
OpenSUSE
sudo zypper install links2
ArchLinux
sudo pacman -S links2
Summing it all up
The command line is a great place to do a lot of things, now you know you can browse the internet using it too. I encourage you to take a look at the various terminal web browsers that are out there and make up your own mind as to which one (or two) fits your needs best.
If you missed it, I also wrote about Linux terminal email programs that are out there. Please check those out too.