Flow (web browser)
{{about|a web browser|other types of flow|Flow (disambiguation)}}
{{Short description|Proprietary web browser}}
{{Infobox software
| name = Flow
| logo = Flow browser icon.png
| logo size = 64px
| screenshot =
| caption =
| developer = Ekioh
| latest release version = None
| latest release date =
| programming language =
| engines = Flow, SpiderMonkey
| operating system = Windows, macOS, Linux, Android
| genre = Web browser
| license = Proprietary
| website = {{url|https://www.ekioh.com/flow-browser/|ekioh.com/flow-browser}}
}}
Flow is a web browser with a proprietary browser engine intended for low-power devices or embedded systems, such as the Raspberry Pi.{{Cite web |last=Collins |first=Barry |date=2021-06-30 |title=This Web Browser's Faster Than Chrome - And You've Never Heard Of It |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/barrycollins/2021/06/12/this-web-browsers-faster-than-chromeand-youve-never-heard-of-it/ |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=Forbes |language=en}}
History
Flow is developed by Ekioh, a company from Cambridge, England,{{Cite web |title=Definition of Flow browser |url=https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/flow-browser |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=PCMAG |language=en}} which has made simple browsers for set-top boxes and other embedded systems.{{Cite web |last=Khalili |first=Joel |date=27 February 2021 |title=This web browser you've never heard of is absolutely rapid, but don't get too excited |url=https://www.techradar.com/news/this-web-browser-youve-never-heard-of-is-absolutely-rapid-but-dont-get-too-excited |website=TechRadar}} The browser was originally created as an SVG browser in 2006, before later adding HTML support and multithreading.{{Cite web |last=Speed |first=Richard |date=2020-12-29 |title=And now for something completely different: A lightweight, fast browser that won't slurp your data |url=https://www.theregister.com/2020/12/29/flow/ |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=The Register}} The first beta was released in December 2020.{{Cite web |last=Hellstrom |first=Jeremy |date=30 December 2020 |title=Work In Progress; Check Out The Flow Browser Engine - PC Perspective |url=https://pcper.com/2020/12/work-in-progress-check-out-the-flow-browser-engine/ |website=PC Perspective}} As of April 2025, it is still in beta.{{Cite web |title=Flow Preview Builds |url=https://support.ekioh.com/download/ |accessdate=2025-04-17|website=Ekioh}}
In April 2025 it was announced a preview version had reached 90% compliance with Web Platform Tests, meeting one of Apple's criteria{{cite web |title=Using alternative browser engines in the European Union |url=https://developer.apple.com/support/alternative-browser-engines/ |website=apple.com |publisher=Apple |access-date=30 April 2025 |language=en |url-status=live}} for use on iOS - prior to an EU ruling, all iOS browsers had to use the Webkit engine used by Safari.{{cite news |author1=Richard Speed |title=Alt-browser Flow breezes through web tests, but still far from a daily driver |url=https://www.theregister.com/2025/04/30/flow_browser_web_tests/ |access-date=30 April 2025 |work=The Register |publisher=Situation Publishing |date=30 April 2025 |language=en |url-status=live}}
Features
Flow is intended for use in embedded systems, such as a beta version for the Raspberry Pi.{{Cite web |last=Newman |first=Jared |date=March 10, 2021 |title=For the first time in years, someone is building a web browser from scratch |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90611677/flow-ekioh-web-browser-new-engine |website=Fast Company}} There are no concrete plans to release a version for desktop devices. Flow uses its own proprietary browser engine, along with the SpiderMonkey JavaScript engine from Mozilla.{{Cite tweet |number=1366448413835943939 |user=_Piers_ |title=Yes. No shared code with any other browser engine. We do use Mozilla's SpiderMonkey for JavaScript, and the usual 3rd party libraries for bitmap decoding, encryption, etc. |first=Piers |last=Wombwell |date=2021-03-01 |access-date=2025-01-29}} The browser uses multithreading and renders everything using the GPU in order to keep the CPU free for execution. The performance automatically scales as new CPU and GPU cores are added.
References
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{{Web browsers}}
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