Lighthouse CLI: Run Google Lighthouse Audits From the Terminal
Lighthouse · for Windows, macOS and Linux
Developer: Google (opens in a new tab)
- Windows
- macOS
- Linux
The download link points to the program’s official source; the file is not hosted on this site. Link address: github.com
Link not working? Let us know
Lighthouse is an open-source (Apache-2.0) tool from Google with audits for web page performance, accessibility, SEO and more. It is built into Chrome DevTools and also available as a Node CLI that requires Node 22 (LTS) or later.
Lighthouse audits a web page and reports scores with concrete suggestions. Most people meet it inside Chrome, but the command-line version is the one to install when you want repeatable audits, scripts or reports for many pages.
Ways to run Lighthouse
- Chrome DevTools: Lighthouse is built into DevTools under the Lighthouse panel; nothing to install. See our Google Chrome guide.
- Chrome extension: offers similar functionality from the Chrome Web Store.
- Node CLI: the most flexible way to configure and report runs.
- Node module: use Lighthouse programmatically in your own scripts.
Installing the CLI
Lighthouse requires Node 22 (LTS) or later. Install Node.js first, then:
npm install -g lighthouse
Yarn users can run yarn global add lighthouse instead.
Running an audit
lighthouse https://example.com/
By default, Lighthouse writes an HTML report file. The --output option accepts json, html or csv, and you can request more than one format in a single run. JSON goes to standard output unless you set an output path.
Who benefits
- Site owners checking a template change before and after deployment.
- Developers adding audits to a build or CI pipeline.
- SEO consultants saving reports for many URLs.
For a crawl of a whole site rather than single pages, a desktop crawler such as Screaming Frog SEO Spider is the better fit.
Pros
- Scriptable audits with HTML, JSON or CSV output
- Same engine as the DevTools Lighthouse panel
- Open source under Apache-2.0
Cons
- Command-line only
- Audits one URL per run
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to install Lighthouse to use it?
No. Lighthouse is built into Chrome DevTools. Install the CLI only if you want to run audits from the terminal, in scripts or in CI.
Which Node.js version does the Lighthouse CLI need?
The official README says Lighthouse requires Node 22 (LTS) or later.
LighthouseOpen source
Download (opens in a new tab)
