Kiosk Setup on Raspbian

The following instructions document how to enable a kiosk setup on Raspbian with the following requirements.

• utilize the lightweight Matchbox window manager
• utilize the Chromium browser to render a webpage in fullscreen mode
• remove the X cursor
• turn off the display after 10 minutes of inactivity

Install the latest Raspbian Lite image. Note, this is the barebone image for server setup.

Install packages

apt install matchbox-window-manager xinit

Use raspi-config to enable auto login into the console with user pi

raspi-config

Add the following to the bottom of /home/pi/.bashrc.

if [ -z "${SSH_TTY}" ]; then
  exec startx /home/pi/startup.sh -- -nocursor
fi

Install a browser that can run fullscreen.

apt install chromium-browser -y

Create the file /home/pi/startup.sh.

#!/bin/sh

# Tweak the energy settings to your liking
xset dpms 0 0 600
xset s off

# Start the Matchbox window manager
matchbox-window-manager -use_cursor no -use_titlebar no &

# Start the web browser full screen
/usr/bin/chromium-browser --app=http://your-site \
  --kiosk \
  --noerrdialogs \
  --disable-session-crashed-bubble \
  --disable-infobars \
  --check-for-update-interval=604800 \
  --disable-pinch