# crashReporter

> Submit crash reports to a remote server.

Process: [Main](../glossary.md#main-process), [Renderer](../glossary.md#renderer-process)

The following is an example of setting up Electron to automatically submit
crash reports to a remote server:

```javascript
const { crashReporter } = require('electron')

crashReporter.start({ submitURL: 'https://your-domain.com/url-to-submit' })
```

For setting up a server to accept and process crash reports, you can use
following projects:

* [socorro](https://github.com/mozilla/socorro)
* [mini-breakpad-server](https://github.com/electron/mini-breakpad-server)

Or use a 3rd party hosted solution:

* [Backtrace](https://backtrace.io/electron/)
* [Sentry](https://docs.sentry.io/clients/electron)
* [BugSplat](https://www.bugsplat.com/docs/platforms/electron)

Crash reports are stored temporarily before being uploaded in a directory
underneath the app's user data directory (called 'Crashpad' on Windows and Mac,
or 'Crash Reports' on Linux). You can override this directory by calling
`app.setPath('crashDumps', '/path/to/crashes')` before starting the crash
reporter.

On Windows and macOS, Electron uses
[crashpad](https://chromium.googlesource.com/crashpad/crashpad/+/master/README.md)
to monitor and report crashes. On Linux, Electron uses
[breakpad](https://chromium.googlesource.com/breakpad/breakpad/+/master/). This
is an implementation detail driven by Chromium, and it may change in future. In
particular, crashpad is newer and will likely eventually replace breakpad on
all platforms.

### Note about Node child processes on Linux

If you are using the Node.js `child_process` module and want to report crashes
from those processes on Linux, there is an extra step you will need to take to
properly initialize the crash reporter in the child process. This is not
necessary on Mac or Windows, as those platforms use Crashpad, which
automatically monitors child processes.

Since `require('electron')` is not available in Node child processes, the
following APIs are available on the `process` object in Node child processes.
Note that, on Linux, each Node child process has its own separate instance of
the breakpad crash reporter. This is dissimilar to renderer child processes,
which have a "stub" breakpad reporter which returns information to the main
process for reporting.

#### `process.crashReporter.start(options)`

See [`crashReporter.start()`](#crashreporterstartoptions).

#### `process.crashReporter.getParameters()`

See [`crashReporter.getParameters()`](#crashreportergetparameters).

#### `process.crashReporter.addExtraParameter(key, value)`

See [`crashReporter.addExtraParameter(key, value)`](#crashreporteraddextraparameterkey-value).

#### `process.crashReporter.removeExtraParameter(key)`

See [`crashReporter.removeExtraParameter(key)`](#crashreporterremoveextraparameterkey).

## Methods

The `crashReporter` module has the following methods:

### `crashReporter.start(options)`

* `options` Object
  * `submitURL` String (optional) - URL that crash reports will be sent to as
    POST. Required unless `uploadToServer` is `false`.
  * `productName` String (optional) - Defaults to `app.name`.
  * `companyName` String (optional) _Deprecated_ - Deprecated alias for
    `{ globalExtra: { _companyName: ... } }`.
  * `uploadToServer` Boolean (optional) - Whether crash reports should be sent
    to the server. If false, crash reports will be collected and stored in the
    crashes directory, but not uploaded. Default is `true`.
  * `ignoreSystemCrashHandler` Boolean (optional) - If true, crashes generated
    in the main process will not be forwarded to the system crash handler.
    Default is `false`.
  * `rateLimit` Boolean (optional) _macOS_ _Windows_ - If true, limit the
    number of crashes uploaded to 1/hour. Default is `false`.
  * `compress` Boolean (optional) - If true, crash reports will be compressed
    and uploaded with `Content-Encoding: gzip`. Default is `true`.
  * `extra` Record<String, String> (optional) - Extra string key/value
    annotations that will be sent along with crash reports that are generated
    in the main process. Only string values are supported. Crashes generated in
    child processes will not contain these extra
    parameters to crash reports generated from child processes, call
    [`addExtraParameter`](#crashreporteraddextraparameterkey-value) from the
    child process.
  * `globalExtra` Record<String, String> (optional) - Extra string key/value
    annotations that will be sent along with any crash reports generated in any
    process. These annotations cannot be changed once the crash reporter has
    been started. If a key is present in both the global extra parameters and
    the process-specific extra parameters, then the global one will take
    precedence. By default, `productName` and the app version are included, as
    well as the Electron version.

This method must be called before using any other `crashReporter` APIs. Once
initialized this way, the crashpad handler collects crashes from all
subsequently created processes. The crash reporter cannot be disabled once
started.

This method should be called as early as possible in app startup, preferably
before `app.on('ready')`. If the crash reporter is not initialized at the time
a renderer process is created, then that renderer process will not be monitored
by the crash reporter.

**Note:** You can test out the crash reporter by generating a crash using
`process.crash()`.

**Note:** If you need to send additional/updated `extra` parameters after your
first call `start` you can call `addExtraParameter`.

**Note:** Parameters passed in `extra`, `globalExtra` or set with
`addExtraParameter` have limits on the length of the keys and values. Key names
must be at most 39 bytes long, and values must be no longer than 127 bytes.
Keys with names longer than the maximum will be silently ignored. Key values
longer than the maximum length will be truncated.

**Note:** This method is only available in the main process.

### `crashReporter.getLastCrashReport()`

Returns [`CrashReport`](structures/crash-report.md) - The date and ID of the
last crash report. Only crash reports that have been uploaded will be returned;
even if a crash report is present on disk it will not be returned until it is
uploaded. In the case that there are no uploaded reports, `null` is returned.

**Note:** This method is only available in the main process.

### `crashReporter.getUploadedReports()`

Returns [`CrashReport[]`](structures/crash-report.md):

Returns all uploaded crash reports. Each report contains the date and uploaded
ID.

**Note:** This method is only available in the main process.

### `crashReporter.getUploadToServer()`

Returns `Boolean` - Whether reports should be submitted to the server. Set through
the `start` method or `setUploadToServer`.

**Note:** This method is only available in the main process.

### `crashReporter.setUploadToServer(uploadToServer)`

* `uploadToServer` Boolean - Whether reports should be submitted to the server.

This would normally be controlled by user preferences. This has no effect if
called before `start` is called.

**Note:** This method is only available in the main process.

### `crashReporter.addExtraParameter(key, value)`

* `key` String - Parameter key, must be no longer than 39 bytes.
* `value` String - Parameter value, must be no longer than 127 bytes.

Set an extra parameter to be sent with the crash report. The values specified
here will be sent in addition to any values set via the `extra` option when
`start` was called.

Parameters added in this fashion (or via the `extra` parameter to
`crashReporter.start`) are specific to the calling process. Adding extra
parameters in the main process will not cause those parameters to be sent along
with crashes from renderer or other child processes. Similarly, adding extra
parameters in a renderer process will not result in those parameters being sent
with crashes that occur in other renderer processes or in the main process.

**Note:** Parameters have limits on the length of the keys and values. Key
names must be no longer than 39 bytes, and values must be no longer than 20320
bytes. Keys with names longer than the maximum will be silently ignored. Key
values longer than the maximum length will be truncated.

**Note:** On linux values that are longer than 127 bytes will be chunked into
multiple keys, each 127 bytes in length.  E.g. `addExtraParameter('foo', 'a'.repeat(130))`
will result in two chunked keys `foo__1` and `foo__2`, the first will contain
the first 127 bytes and the second will contain the remaining 3 bytes.  On
your crash reporting backend you should stitch together keys in this format.

### `crashReporter.removeExtraParameter(key)`

* `key` String - Parameter key, must be no longer than 39 bytes.

Remove an extra parameter from the current set of parameters. Future crashes
will not include this parameter.

### `crashReporter.getParameters()`

Returns `Record<String, String>` - The current 'extra' parameters of the crash reporter.

## Crash Report Payload

The crash reporter will send the following data to the `submitURL` as
a `multipart/form-data` `POST`:

* `ver` String - The version of Electron.
* `platform` String - e.g. 'win32'.
* `process_type` String - e.g. 'renderer'.
* `guid` String - e.g. '5e1286fc-da97-479e-918b-6bfb0c3d1c72'.
* `_version` String - The version in `package.json`.
* `_productName` String - The product name in the `crashReporter` `options`
  object.
* `prod` String - Name of the underlying product. In this case Electron.
* `_companyName` String - The company name in the `crashReporter` `options`
  object.
* `upload_file_minidump` File - The crash report in the format of `minidump`.
* All level one properties of the `extra` object in the `crashReporter`
  `options` object.
