smippo

Smippo is a command-line website copier and scraper that creates complete offline mirrors of websites, including assets, styles, and dynamic content. It offers a range of commands to capture pages, generate screenshots, serve captured sites locally, resume interrupted captures, and update mirrors. Typical usage involves running the Smippo CLI to capture a URL, optionally specifying depth and other options, then using the built-in server to browse the offline copy or generating HAR files for debugging. The tool emphasizes high-fidelity capture, parallel processing, and smart filtering to control scope and performance. You can also access a programmatic API for use within Node.js applications.

Key capabilities include:

• smippo <url>: Capture and mirror the target site with full fidelity.
• smippo capture <url>: Take screenshots of web pages.
• smippo serve <directory>: Serve captured mirrors locally with directory browsing.
• smippo continue: Resume an interrupted capture session.
• smippo update: Update an existing mirror to bring it up to date.
• Interactive guided mode when run with no arguments, enabling a hands-on workflow for building mirrors.

Prerequisites:

• Node.js 18 or later
• npm (bundled with Node.js)
• Chromium (automatically downloaded on first install by Smippo)

Installation steps:

1. Install Smippo globally via npm or run directly with npx:

   npm install -g smippo

2. Alternatively, you can use npx to run Smippo without installing:

   npx smippo https://example.com

3. After installation, verify the CLI is available:

   smippo --version

4. If you plan to contribute or run from source, clone the repo and install dependencies:

   git clone https://github.com/pouyanafisi/smippo.git cd smippo npm install

5. Run a test capture to ensure the environment is set up correctly:

   smippo https://example.com

Tips and common considerations:

• Node.js 18+ is required; ensure your environment meets this requirement.
• Chromium is downloaded automatically on first install to enable headless browser operations.
• Smippo supports multiple usage modes, including full captures, targeted screenshots, and serving mirrored content locally.
• You can generate HAR files for debugging and replay purposes.
• For longer or more complex captures, consider using depth controls and URL filtering to optimize performance.
• If you encounter network or rendering issues, check that your environment allows network access for the automated browser component and that sufficient disk space is available for mirrors.
• The CLI provides an interactive guided mode when run without arguments, which can help new users bootstrap a mirror.
• Refer to the official documentation at smippo.com for detailed command references and configuration options.