You probably know this (at least I hope so), but clicking on a questionable link can cause you a lot of trouble… but sometimes we have no choice but to do it. In such a case, it is therefore important to do it in a protected environment (a virtual browser) where you do not take any risk for the integrity of your data or your computer. This is exactly what the Browser.lol site offers: a remote environment based on Linux, with a virtual browser in which it is possible to open unknown links, evaluate basic services, and access blocked websites.
Virtual environments are essential for downloading and running software that we do not trust completely. However, there are times when we simply need to open a link or explore the content of a web page. It is in these moments that a tool like Browser.lol can be very practical by offering an online service that allows free access to a virtual browser, completely isolated from your system.
Some good reasons to use a virtual browser
Of course, for your daily and usual browsing, using a virtual browser is not particularly interesting (unless you are completely paranoid). On the other hand, there are plenty of cases in which you might need one.
First of all, for security reasons Browser.lol will allow you to access dubious links or websites that you do not trust, without taking any risk locally on your machine. It can also allow you to browse or search in a completely private and anonymous way in order to protect your identity online.
Then, it is a tool that can be useful to test the compatibility of a website with different devices and different browsers web site.
Finally, such a tool will allow you to access websites that are blocked on a network or by an organization… It also allows you to access links on the Dark Web with Tor Browser.
How to get here
How to use a virtual browser with Browser.lol
To use Browser.lol for free, nothing could be simpler. Go to the home page of the site and click on “Quick launch”. On the next page, you will have to choose which browser you want to use the service with from the four available browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Tor Browser and Edge. You can also directly enter the URL to open in the browser you have chosen.
Once the browser is selected, Broswer.lol will launch the virtual browser in your own browser, in a secure environment, away from your system and with an extra layer of security. You can then browse as you please and test your questionable links.
These secure environments do not always use the most recent version of these browsers, but they are stable enough to perform basic searches or visits.
Why “basic”? Because many features are blocked by the service. For example, the version of Microsoft Edge that appears on Browser.lol has the Bing Chat module, but if you try to chat with the chatbot, you will find that the network settings prevent access. Similarly, it is not possible to transfer downloaded files outside the virtual environment (which would contradict the main purpose of isolation), and since Linux is used as a base, the evaluation of software for windows is not possible either.
In short, Browser.lol offers virtual browsers, not virtual computers. If your goal is to visit a geo-blocked website, open a mysterious link, access the Tor network, and enjoy an extra layer of privacy, this service is very effective. For everything else, we recommend using a traditional virtual machine.
No interest. A VPN does the job well and costs less
I sometimes use this type of environment to test links in isolated VMs. I had a similar experience setting up a small Linux virtual server At UNIVIRTUAL, it's quite practical to run tools like this without impacting my local workstation. This kind of complementary solution is very useful in a professional context.