The Lighthouse CLI gives you full control over audit configuration and output. Use it for one-off audits, automated scripts, or CI pipelines.
Lighthouse requires Node.js 22 (LTS) or later. Run node --version to check.
Install Lighthouse
Install the lighthouse package globally using npm or Yarn.npm install -g lighthouse
Run your first audit
Point Lighthouse at any URL. Chrome launches automatically, loads the page, collects data, and exits.lighthouse https://example.com
Add --view to automatically open the HTML report in your browser as soon as the audit finishes.
View the HTML report
Unless you specify otherwise, Lighthouse saves an HTML report to a file in the current directory:example.com_<DATE>.report.html
.report.json file to the Lighthouse Viewer to view and share reports online. Try JSON output
Use the --output flag to change the report format. Lighthouse supports html, json, and csv.lighthouse https://example.com --output json
--output-path:lighthouse https://example.com --output json --output-path ./report.json
lighthouse https://example.com --output json --output html
# saves example.com_<DATE>.report.json and example.com_<DATE>.report.html
# Save to a specific HTML file
lighthouse https://example.com --output html --output-path ./report.html
# Save named files for both formats
lighthouse https://example.com --output json --output html --output-path ./myfile.json
# saves ./myfile.report.json and ./myfile.report.html
Common flags
| Flag | Description |
|---|
--view | Open the HTML report in a browser after the run completes |
--output | Report format: html, json, or csv (repeatable) |
--output-path | File path for the report output |
--only-categories | Comma-separated list of categories to audit |
--preset | Use a built-in config: perf, desktop, or experimental |
--quiet | Suppress progress and log output |
--chrome-flags | Pass custom flags to the Chrome process |
Use --only-categories=performance to skip Accessibility, SEO, and Best Practices audits. This significantly reduces run time when you only need performance metrics.lighthouse https://example.com --only-categories=performance
lighthouse --help to see all available options. 