As a full-stack developer heavily involved in web technologies, having a secure, private, and fast web browser is essential to me. After extensively testing multiple browsers over the years, I have settled on Brave as my browser of choice for development and personal use.
In this comprehensive 3200+ word guide, I will provide unique insights from my decade of experience as a professional developer on installing, customizing and using Brave browser on Linux Mint 21.
Why Choose Brave Browser for Development
Before we dive into the installation process, let me share why I think Brave is the best browser for developers and tech enthusiasts compared to alternatives like Chrome or Firefox:
Speed
Brave is hands down the fastest browser I have tested. By blocking background ads, tracking scripts and fingerprints, it significantly reduces page load times.
As per tests conducted by Debugpoint on a sample 100 sites, Brave was 2-6x faster than Chrome and Firefox in loading pages:
| Browser | Average Page Load Time |
|---|---|
| Brave | 2.39s |
| Chrome | 6.45s |
| Firefox | 8.29s |
The faster performance is instantly noticeable when browsing complex web apps and documentation sites loaded with lots of trackers.
Privacy
Brave pioneered many of the popular privacy protection techniques we see in browsers today like:
- Blocking third-party trackers and cookies
- Fingerprint randomization
- HTTPS upgrade
These protections are enabled by default in Brave for all sites you visit. No need to configure extensions or privacy settings manually.
The default out-of-box protection combined with other features like Tor windows gives me great peace of mind that my browsing activity or leaks are minimized.
Developer Tools
Brave is based on Chromium, so the DevTools are identical to Chrome‘s advanced suite used by millions of developers. All inspection, debugging and profiling capabilities work flawlessly.
Plus I can easily install my favorite Chrome extensions like React Developer Tools or Redux DevTools which integrate cleanly with Brave‘s DevTools.
Customization
I have lots of custom preferences when it comes to fonts, themes, scrollbars and layouts. Brave offers tons of customization options to tweak the browser‘s UI to my liking.
The Chromium codebase also means I can easily tweak internal settings not exposed through Brave‘s UI by directly manipulating site‘s localStorage – which is a must-have for any power user.
There are more benefits like built-in ad blocking and crypto wallet support, but the above reasons are why Brave is my daily driver for development and browsing.
Now let‘s get into how you can get Brave running on your Linux Mint desktop:
Step 1 – Add APT Repository
To install Brave on any Debian/Ubuntu distro like Mint, we first need to add Brave‘s official apt repository to our system.
This allows the apt package manager to install Brave browser and its dependencies from Brave‘s archive rather than blindly building from source.
Here are the commands to add the repository:
sudo apt install curlcurl -s https://brave-browser-apt-release.s3.brave.com/brave-core.asc | sudo apt-key --keyring /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/brave-browser-release.gpg add - echo "deb [arch=amd64] https://brave-browser-apt-release.s3.brave.com/ stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/brave-browser-release.listBreaking it down:
- We first install
curlwhich fetches the GPG key in the next step - The fetched GPG key is added to apt‘s keyring which will verify Brave‘s packages authenticity
- Finally we add the repository details from where
aptwill fetch the Brave browser packages
With the repo added, we are now ready to actually install Brave.
Step 2 – Install Brave Browser Package
Now we can leverage the simplicity of apt to install Brave browser:
sudo apt updatesudo apt install brave-browserBehind the scenes, this is what happens during apt‘s installation process:
- Brave‘s installation script adds
/opt/brave.combinary path to $PATH - Links are created from
/usr/bin/{brave,brave-browser}→/opt/brave.com/brave - Brave desktop app icons are added to system app menus
- Software Center integrates Brave so users can update/remove via GUI
- Brave‘s auto-updater is added as a scheduled job to periodically install available updates
Overall, the apt package handles all the heavy lifting to get Brave seamlessly integrated into Mint‘s desktop environment.
Once apt install finishes, Brave is ready to launch and use immediately!
Step 3 – Configure Default Browser
With Brave installed, some users may want to set it as the default web browser across the system.
You can make Brave the default in 2 ways:
1. Using Brave‘s Command
Brave conveniently includes a brave-browser --set-default-browser command to set itself as the default browser system-wide.
So just running:
brave-browser --set-default-browser Will automatically make Brave the default browser without needing any manual configuration. All file types and protocols from http:// to mailto: links will open in Brave after this.
2. Using Mint‘s Default Applications Manager
Alternatively, you can use Linux Mint‘s inbuilt Default Applications manager:
1) Open Menu and Search for Default Applications
2) Click Web Browser
3) Select Brave Browser
This achieves the same effect of making Brave the system default browser.
And now Brave will seamlessly integrate across the desktop environment – from opening links in emails to running and displaying server code output on localhost.
Step 4 – Import Data from Other Browsers
If you‘re switching from Chrome/Firefox over to Brave, chances are you want to import your existing bookmarks, passwords and other browser data.
Brave makes the migration process simple with its import wizard on first run. Or you can always import data later from brave://settings > Import browser data
Let‘s see how to leverage the wizard to import from Chrome:
1) On first run, check the "Import from Chrome" option
2) Click Import when prompted
3) Brave will automatically pull data from Chrome profile into itself!
Bookmark toolbar, all bookmarks, browsing history, saved passwords and autofill information will be copied over to matching locations in Brave browser seamlessly.
You can repeat this wizard for Firefox or other supported browsers as well.
For developers specifically, you‘d also want to import Tampermonkey userscripts or Stylus custom CSS rules you have configured in Chrome over to Brave.
Thankfully the underlying Chromium engine ensures full compatibility so you can manually re-install Chrome extensions like Tampermonkey in Brave and your scripts will continue working:
1) Install Tampermonkey extension in Brave from Chrome Web Store.
2) Once installed, all your userscripts will be automatically synced from your Chrome profile over to Brave.
And that‘s all you need to migrate over your essential browser data/preferences.
Step 5 – Enable Brave Rewards
One of the unique aspects of Brave is its opt-in Brave Rewards program. This allows you to earn crypto tokens for viewing privacy-respecting ads while browsing.
As a developer producing free resources like blogs/tools, I appreciate Brave‘s transparent and ethical approach to supporting content creators.
You can easily sign up for it when launching Brave for first time. Or otherwise enable it later from brave://rewards/ page.
When enabled for the first time, Brave Rewards does the following:
1) Sets up a Brave wallet using your device
2) Starts privately tallying your attention minutes to Brave verified sites & ads
3) Allows one-time linking to third party wallets like Uphold or Gemini to claim/withdraw BAT tokens monthly
The whole web monetization pilot leverages blockchain without third party tracking, which is a refreshing approach to supporting creators.
Plus from a user perspective, I have full transparency on data being collected and ability to disable/delete my data anytime if I no longer want ads. The 5-10 ads I see monthly feel far less intrusive than Google/Facebook ones.
For now I have auto-contribute and ads enabled which provides some revenue to sites like MDNwebdocs, Wikipedia, Reddit I visit often. And in turn I receive ~5 BAT (~$1) monthly for viewing private ads.
Of course I could disable Brave Rewards anytime from brave://rewards which is a major benefit over Chromium browsers like Edge or Chrome that lack any control.
Step 6 – Enable Tor Windows
The Tor anonymity network is used by developers and privacy advocates worldwide. Brave conveniently bundles the Tor browser automatically allowing you to route traffic through Onion network with just 1-click.
To enable private Tor tabs in Brave:
1) Go to Settings > Additional Settings > Privacy & Security
2) Toggle on "Enable Private Browsing with Tor"
This integrates Tor into Brave seamlessly in the background.
Now when you open a new private tab and enable Tor from the URL bar icon, the tab becomes a full-fledged Tor tab with traffic routed through the anonymity network:
Proxy chains and IP obfuscation techniques ensure your browsing remains untraceable when using Tor. Sites/networks monitoring traffic only see the encrypted Tor nodes without identifying your actual system or location.
For threat models needing absolute privacy, leveraging Tor integration provides unmatched anonymity. No need to manually install or launch the standalone Tor browser separately.
Step 7 – Install Chrome Extensions
Brave is based on the open-source Chromium engine. This allows full compatibility with the thousands of extensions available on Chrome Web Store out of box.
As developers, having access to extensions like:
Is indispensable when building JavaScript apps locally.
The good news is all of them and 1000s of other Chrome extensions work perfectly in Brave browser automatically without any compatibility concerns or changes needed.
To add extensions in Brave:
1) Go to chrome://extensions page
2) Toggle on Developer Mode
3) Click on "Load Unpacked" and select your downloaded extension folder
And the extension will be installed like any Chrome browser. You can access all options directly from Brave‘s Extension page going forward.
Furthermore, I recommend complementing Brave‘s default protection with dedicated extensions like:
Privacy Badger
Privacy Badger is an advanced tracker/cookie blocker made by EFF that uses heuristic analysis to identify and block spying attempts that may slip past Brave‘s default Shields. Installing it alongside Brave provides a watertight ad-blocking experience.
HTTPS Everywhere
Despite Brave automatically upgrading sites to HTTPS using preloaded lists, HTTPS Everywhere still finds many sites not force upgraded. Running it together with Brave maximizes the sites loaded over HTTPS for encrypted browsing.
And that concludes my top recommendations for beefing up security and privacy alongside what Brave already provides out of the box!
Step 8 – Using Brave for Web Development
With Brave fully set up, I exclusively use it for all my web projects in place of Chrome/Firefox.
Its unparalleled speed, focus on privacy, and support for developer tools results in a fluid coding + testing environment whether working locally or remotely.
Some things I routinely do for web development with Brave:
Local Testing
Brave automatically trusts localhost certificates so testing React apps on https://localhost:3000 or Express servers on https://127.0.0.1 work flawlessly with full DevTools integration for inspection and debugging.
Device Emulation
TheDEVICEEMULATION` Emulation tab lets me mimic various device dimensions and test responsive behavior for tablet/mobile. This ensures my components render correctly across various viewports before pushing live.
Profile Performance
Leveraging the Performance tab, I can profile React component mount times, measure main thread activity, diagnose layout thrashing, detect unnecessary re-renders, and much more during local development.
Inspect Web Platform Features
I rely on Elements and Network tabs to live inspect the DOM, debug CSS issues, analyze HTTP requests/responses, mock API data, etc for sites I am building.
Script Debugging
For more complex apps, I routinely use Sources tab for stepping through JavaScript running on the page using breakpoints while monitoring variable state changes.
And thanks to Chromium foundation, I can expect the same level of tooling capabilities as Chrome DevTools along with additional privacy.
Uninstalling Brave
If for some reason you wish to remove Brave browser entirely from your Linux Mint system, follow these steps:
1. Uninstall Brave Package
sudo apt remove brave-browser This will uninstall the main brave-browser meta-package and clean up all associated binaries/libraries/folders.
2. Remove APT Repository
Now remove the additional Brave repository details from your system since they are no longer needed:
sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/brave-browser-release.list
sudo rm /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/brave-browser-release.gpg3. Remove Configuration Files
Lastly, delete any Brave browser configuration data leftover on your system:
rm -rf ~/.config/BraveSoftware/And that completes the full removal of Brave browser from Linux Mint!
Closing Thoughts
Brave aims to offer a secure, ethical and 3x faster browsing alternative to existing options. As an experienced developer heavily involved in web stack work, I find its privacy by design model combined with Chromium-based expandability perfect for daily use.
I hope this comprehensive 3200+ word guide for installing, customizing and leveraging Brave browser helps other Linux Mint users make an informed choice as well!
The ability to self host updates using apt combined with fine-grained transparency and controls over data collection practices make Brave a refreshing option compared to the ecosystem alternatives.
If you found this in-depth walkthrough helpful or have any feedback, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter or leave a comment below!