How to Install Brave Browser on Debian 12/11/10

Brave browser is a free, open-source, and privacy-focused web browser that has been gaining popularity since its initial release in 2016. Developed by Brave Software Inc., which was founded by Brendan Eich (creator of JavaScript and co-founder of Mozilla), Brave aims to provide a faster, more secure, and ad-free browsing experience for its users. In this introduction, we will explore the key features of the Brave browser, highlighting the various ways it sets itself apart from other mainstream browsers.

Key Features and Differences:

  • Built-in ad blocker: Brave has a built-in ad blocker, eliminating the need for third-party extensions. This enhances user privacy and contributes to faster page loading times.
  • Privacy protection: Brave strongly emphasizes user privacy, blocking trackers and offering a variety of privacy settings that can be easily customized to fit individual preferences.
  • Brave Rewards: Users can participate in the Brave Rewards program, which allows them to earn Basic Attention Tokens (BAT) by viewing privacy-respecting ads. These tokens can be used to support content creators or exchanged for other currencies.
  • Faster browsing experience: Brave significantly reduces page loading times by blocking ads and trackers, resulting in a faster and smoother browsing experience.
  • Chromium-based: Brave is built on the same open-source Chromium platform as Google Chrome, which supports most Chrome extensions and offers a familiar user interface for Chrome users.
  • Tor integration: Brave includes a built-in feature called Brave Private Window with Tor, which offers enhanced privacy by routing traffic through the Tor network, thus ensuring anonymity and protecting users from being tracked.

In conclusion, the Brave browser stands out due to its focus on privacy, ad-blocking capabilities, and innovative rewards system. Its Chromium-based foundation ensures compatibility with most existing Chrome extensions, making it a suitable alternative for users seeking a more private and secure browsing experience.

Now that the article has explained what the Brave browser is about for Debian, our detailed guide will demonstrate how to install Brave browser, including stable, beta, and nightly versions, on Debian 12 Bookworm, Debian 11 Bullseye, or Debian 10 Buster release series using the official Brave APT repository for the latest versions and to keep it up-to-date.

Step 1: Pre-installation Steps

First, update your system to ensure all existing packages are up to date to avoid any conflicts during the installation.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

To complete the installation, you must install the following software packages using the following command in your terminal.

sudo apt install software-properties-common apt-transport-https curl ca-certificates -y

If you are unsure, run the command; it will not harm you. These are the most common software packages found on nearly all Linux distributions.

Step 2: Add Brave APT Repository

There are three options for adding the Brave APT repository, depending on which version of Brave Browser you want to install. We will provide instructions for each version below.

Option 1 – Add Brave Browser Stable (Recommended)

Import Stable GPG KEY:

wget -qO- https://brave-browser-apt-release.s3.brave.com/brave-browser-archive-keyring.gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/brave-browser-archive-keyring.gpg > /dev/null

Add Stable Repository:

echo "deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/brave-browser-archive-keyring.gpg] https://brave-browser-apt-release.s3.brave.com/ stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/brave-browser-release.list

Option 2 – Add Brave Browser Beta

Import Beta GPG KEY:

wget -qO- https://brave-browser-apt-beta.s3.brave.com/brave-browser-beta-archive-keyring.gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/brave-browser-beta-archive-keyring.gpg > /dev/null

Add Beta Repository:

echo "deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/brave-browser-beta-archive-keyring.gpg] https://brave-browser-apt-beta.s3.brave.com/ stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/brave-browser-beta.list

Option 3 – Add Brave Browser Nightly

Import Nightly GPG KEY:

wget -qO- https://brave-browser-apt-nightly.s3.brave.com/brave-browser-nightly-archive-keyring.gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/brave-browser-nightly-archive-keyring.gpg > /dev/null

Add Nightly Repository:

echo deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/brave-browser-nightly-archive-keyring.gpg] https://brave-browser-apt-nightly.s3.brave.com/  stable main | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/brave-browser-nightly.list

Step 3: Install Brave Browser on Debian

Now that you’ve added the desired repository, installing the Brave Browser on your Debian system is time. Before doing so, let’s briefly discuss the differences between Brave Browser Stable, Beta, and Nightly.

Brave Browser Stable vs. Beta vs. Nightly

Brave Browser Stable is the most reliable and recommended version, offering a thoroughly tested experience for most users.

Brave Browser Beta includes new features and improvements still being tested and refined, making it suitable for users who want to try out the latest changes.

Brave Browser Nightly is the most experimental version, with the latest updates made by developers. It may be less stable and is suitable only for testing purposes.

Beta and Nightly versions can coexist on your system, as they have separate installations.

Installing Brave Browser

Update Repository List:

sudo apt update

Install Brave Browser:

sudo apt install brave-browser

Install Brave Browser Beta or Nightly

If you opted for the Beta or Nightly versions, you can install them with the following commands. Remember that these versions are not recommended for daily use, particularly on your primary desktop or production environment.

Remember, Beta and Nightly versions do not replace the Stable version and have separate installations.

Install the Beta version of Brave Browser

sudo apt install brave-browser-beta

Install Brave Browser Nightly Build

sudo apt install brave-browser-nightly

Step 4: Launching the Brave Browser

After successfully installing the Brave Browser on your system, various methods exist to open the application.

Using Terminal

You can quickly launch Brave Browser directly from the terminal by running the following command:

brave-browser
brave-browser-beta
brave-browser-nightly

Using Desktop Environment

For a more user-friendly approach, especially for those who prefer not to use the terminal, you can launch Brave Browser through your desktop environment. Follow the path below:

  1. Activities
  2. Show Applications
  3. Brave Web Browser {version}

Searching in the Applications Menu

If you have numerous applications installed on your system and you’re having trouble locating Brave Browser, you can use the search feature in the Applications menu:

  1. Click on Activities
  2. Select Show Applications
  3. Use the search bar to type “Brave” and find the Brave Web Browser

Example of Brave Browser desktop application icons on Debian:

Step 5: Getting Started with Brave Browser on Debian

Now that you’ve installed Brave Browser on your Debian system, it’s time to explore its features and customize it to your preferences. In this section, we’ll provide you with some general tips, customization ideas, and other useful information to help you get the most out of your browsing experience with Brave.

General Tips for Using Brave Browser

  • Enable Brave Shields: Brave Shields is a built-in ad-blocker and privacy protection feature that helps you browse the web safely and efficiently. To enable Brave Shields, click on the lion icon in the address bar and toggle the switch to enable it.
  • Private Browsing with Tor: Brave offers a private browsing mode with Tor integration, providing an added layer of privacy and security. To access this mode, click on the menu icon in the upper right corner and select “New private window with Tor.”
  • Earn Rewards with Brave: The Brave Rewards program allows you to earn Basic Attention Tokens (BAT) by viewing privacy-respecting ads. To enable Brave Rewards, click the triangle icon in the address bar and follow the prompts to opt in.

Customizing Brave Browser

  • Change your Theme: To personalize your Brave Browser with a new theme, click on the menu icon in the upper right corner, select “Settings,” then “Appearance,” and choose a theme from the available options.
  • Customize your New Tab Page: Personalize your New Tab Page by customizing the displayed background images, widgets, and site shortcuts. To access these settings, click on the gear icon in the lower right corner of a new tab.
  • Manage Extensions: Enhance your browsing experience with extensions from the Chrome Web Store. To add extensions, click on the menu icon in the upper right corner, select “Extensions,” then click on the “Web Store” button to browse available extensions.

Other Tips and Tricks

  • Import Bookmarks and Settings: Easily transfer your bookmarks and settings from other browsers to Brave. Click on the menu icon in the upper right corner, select “Settings,” then “Import bookmarks and settings,” and choose the browser from which you want to import data.
  • Create a Sync Chain: Synchronize your bookmarks, settings, and other data across multiple devices using Brave Sync. To set up a sync chain, click on the menu icon in the upper right corner, select “Settings,” then “Sync,” and follow the prompts to create or join a sync chain.
  • Customize your Search Engine: Choose your preferred search engine for a more personalized browsing experience. To change your search engine, click on the menu icon in the upper right corner, select “Settings,” then “Search engine,” and pick your preferred option.

By following these tips and customizations, you can enhance your browsing experience with Brave Browser and tailor it to your preferences and needs. Happy browsing!

Example of Brave browser on Debian desktop:

Additional Tips

How to Remove (Uninstall) Brave Browser from Debian

If you need to remove Brave Browser from your Debian system, follow the steps below. We’ll guide you through uninstalling Brave Browser and removing its repositories.

First, identify the version of Brave Browser you have installed and run the corresponding command to remove it.

Remove the Brave Browser Stable Build

sudo apt remove brave-browser

Remove the Brave Browser Beta Build

If you have installed the Beta version, use the following command:

sudo apt remove brave-browser-beta

Remove the Brave Browser Nightly Build

If you have installed the Nightly version, use the following command:

sudo apt remove brave-browser-nightly

Remove Brave Browser Repositories

After uninstalling Brave Browser, remove the added repositories using the command below. This command will remove all Brave Browser repositories from your system.

sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/brave-browser-*

Note: If you prefer to remove specific Brave Browser repositories instead of all of them, replace the wildcard () with the appropriate repository name, such as “brave-browser-beta.list.”*

Example for Beta-only removal:

sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/brave-browser-beta.list

Conclusion

In conclusion, installing the Brave browser on Debian is a straightforward process that provides users with a fast, secure, and privacy-focused browsing experience. By following the simple steps outlined in this guide, Debian users can easily install and enjoy the benefits of using the Brave browser for everyday browsing.

Additional Resources and Links

Here is a collection of resources and links to help you explore more about the Brave browser and Debian:

  • Brave Browser Official Website: https://brave.com – Visit the official website to learn more about the Brave browser, its features, and updates.
  • Brave Browser GitHub Repository: https://github.com/brave/brave-browser – Check out the source code and contribute to the development of the Brave browser.
  • Brave Browser Documentation: https://support.brave.com/hc/en-us – Access comprehensive documentation for using and troubleshooting the Brave browser.
  • Debian Official Website: https://www.debian.org – Get the latest updates and information about the Debian operating system.
  • Debian Wiki: https://wiki.debian.org – Explore the Debian Wiki for a wealth of knowledge on various Debian topics and

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