JP Browser

A macOS browser built on the real Chromium engine, with an AppKit shell and a translucent interface.

The problem

Building a custom browser leaves two options: embed an existing engine or write one. Embedding a system webview is less code, but it ties the product to Safari's release cycle and hands over process control and the DevTools protocol.

Type: Native macOS application
Year: 2026
Primary language: Objective-C++
Domain: Systems

401,049bytes of Objective-C++

53,290bytes of Objective-C

6languages in the repo

The system

Chromium goes in through the Chromium Embedded Framework, which exposes the whole stack behind a stable C++ API: Blink, V8, the network layer, the multi-process architecture and real DevTools. Everything the user touches, the window, tab strip, toolbar, omnibox, panels and menus, is AppKit written in Objective-C++. It is a Mac application, not a web page wearing a native costume.

Engine: Chromium 151.0.7922.174 through CEF 151.3.24
Interface: AppKit, Objective-C++, NSVisualEffectView translucency
Architecture: arm64, Apple Silicon, five helper processes
Minimum: macOS 12.0
Bundle: com.jakobpapaj.JPBrowser

The result

The bootstrap script downloads the pinned CEF distribution and verifies its SHA-256 before unpacking. The build verifies that the finished bundle contains the framework, all five helper apps and a valid signature before it will package. Output is a signed .app, a .dmg and a SHA256SUMS file.

Objective-C++Objective-CC++CMakeNinjaCEFAppKit

Read the code

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