> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.driver.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Browser types

> type picks the browser class: hosted by default, plus two stealth variants.

`type` on [create](/docs/sessions/create) picks which Chrome serves the session. Leave it out unless a site gives you a reason.

| Type               | What it is                                         | When to use it                                                                 |
| ------------------ | -------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `hosted` (default) | Real Chrome on a hosted machine, native behaviour. | Almost everything.                                                             |
| `hosted_stealth`   | Same browser, conservative stealth policy.         | A site challenges the default and you want the smallest change.                |
| `hosted_privacy`   | Same browser, aggressive stealth policy.           | Hostile targets. Try `hosted_stealth` first; more masking isn't always better. |

<CodeGroup>
  ```json Request theme={"dark"}
  { "type": "hosted_stealth", "country": "GB" }
  ```

  ```typescript TypeScript theme={"dark"}
  const session = await createSession({ type: "hosted_stealth", country: "GB" });
  ```

  ```python Python theme={"dark"}
  session = create_session(type="hosted_stealth", country="GB")
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## What "real Chrome" means here

Consumer Chrome on real hardware with a real display, not a headless container. GPU, fonts, media devices and timing are what a person's machine shows, and the network is an ISP connection in the country you asked for. That's why [best practices](/docs/start/best-practices) say not to patch fingerprints from your script: the browser is already genuine, and patches make it less so.

## Choosing between the stealth policies

The policies change how the browser answers certain probes. `hosted_stealth` rarely breaks sites. `hosted_privacy` masks more and can change page behaviour on sites that use the masked APIs. Measure against your target instead of defaulting to the strongest one.

## Related

* [Location](/docs/options/location): country, timezone and language
* [Proxies](/docs/options/proxies): your own egress