Collaborative browsing service using a cloud-based browser
According to this disclosure, an alternative to Document Object Model (DOM)-based co-browsing uses a cloud-based browser that is shared by the participants. The cloud browser enables the participants to view a website together but from within their own respective local browser resource. The cloud-based browser is made available by a service provider. Using a cloud browser and streaming of the website image (from the cloud browser) to both peers guarantees that the participants in the co-browse session see the same image, regardless of the local browsers that they use. Further, by transferring the actual user actions (e.g., clicks, taps, gestures, etc.) and executing them in the cloud browser as if the respective user is present in front of the cloud browser, the approach eliminates dependency on the site/page DOM. Rather, in this approach the cloud browser handles all code injections necessary for the streaming of the images to the endpoints.
1. A method to provide support with respect to a website of interest, comprising:
responsive to receipt from a first user of a request for support, selectively initiating a co-browsing session between the first user and a second user, each of the first and second users having a local browser configured to browse the website of interest;
configuring an instance of a network-accessible browser that is distinct from and executes independently of the local browser of each of the first and second users;
responsive to an interaction between the network-accessible browser and the website of interest, capturing the website and streaming the captured website to each of the first and second user's local browser as one of: a sequence of still images in a WebSocket connection, a real-time video over WebRTC, and a stream of internal composition layers of the network-accessible browser and associated image region changes; and
responsive to completion or termination of the co-browsing session, purging the instance of the network-accessible browser.
2. The method as described in claim 1 further including receiving at the network-accessible browser data indicative of a user action at a respective one of the first or second user's local browser.
3. The method as described in claim 2 further including executing the user action in the network-accessible browser by forwarding the data to the website of interest.
4. The method as described in claim 1 further including providing to a respective user's local browser additional information.
5. The method as described in claim 4 wherein the additional information is a label identifying a respective user's access to the co-browsing session.
6. The method as described in claim 4 wherein the additional information is a mask that obscures given content on a respective user's display.
7. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the co-browsing session is terminated in response to a respective user taking an action to stop the co-browsing session.
8. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the first and second users execute a web application in their respective local browser.
9. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the second user is a technical support agent.
10. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the co-browse session is initiated from within a technical support session.
11. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the network-accessible browser is a headless browser hosted in a cloud.
12. The method as described in claim 1 further including proxying first user login information from the network-accessible browser to the website during the co-browse session.
13. The method as described in claim 1 further including programmatically receiving a token, and using the token during the co-browse session to maintain the first user logged into the website via the network-accessible browser.
14. Software-as-a-service infrastructure, comprising:
a data center hosting cloud hardware and software;
a co-browse service comprising an application executing in the cloud hardware and software, the application configured in response to a request for a co-browse session to launch a cloud browser, to use the cloud browser to interact with a website, to capture one or more interactions between the cloud browser and the website, and to stream the website to first and second endpoints as one of: a sequence of still images in a WebSocket connection, a real-time video over WebRTC, and a stream of internal composition layers of the network-accessible browser and associated image region changes, wherein each endpoint includes a local browser;
wherein the local browser of each endpoint is distinct from and executes independently of the cloud browser; and
wherein, responsive to completion or termination of the co-browse session, the cloud browser is closed.
15. The infrastructure as described in claim 14 wherein the cloud browser is a headless browser.