webdrivermanager

Automated driver management and other helper features for Selenium WebDriver in Java

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Quick Overview

WebDriverManager is an open-source Java library that automates the management of driver binaries required for Selenium WebDriver. It simplifies the process of setting up and maintaining WebDriver instances for different browsers by automatically downloading, setting up, and maintaining the drivers.

Pros

Eliminates the need for manual driver management and setup
Supports multiple browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, Safari, etc.)
Automatically detects and downloads the appropriate driver version for the installed browser
Integrates easily with existing Selenium WebDriver projects

Cons

Adds an additional dependency to the project
May increase initial setup time for the first run as it downloads drivers
Requires internet connection for initial driver download and updates
Potential security concerns when automatically downloading executables

Code Examples

Basic usage with Chrome:

WebDriverManager.chromedriver().setup();
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();

Using a specific browser version:

WebDriverManager.firefoxdriver().browserVersion("89").setup();
WebDriver driver = new FirefoxDriver();

Customizing driver binary path:

WebDriverManager.chromedriver().cachePath("/custom/path").setup();
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();

Using WebDriverManager with Selenium Grid:

WebDriverManager.chromedriver().setup();
ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions();
WebDriver driver = new RemoteWebDriver(new URL("http://localhost:4444/wd/hub"), options);

Getting Started

To use WebDriverManager in your Java project, add the following dependency to your Maven pom.xml file:

<dependency>
    <groupId>io.github.bonigarcia</groupId>
    <artifactId>webdrivermanager</artifactId>
    <version>5.3.2</version>
    <scope>test</scope>
</dependency>

Then, in your Java code, you can use WebDriverManager as follows:

import io.github.bonigarcia.wdm.WebDriverManager;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;

public class WebDriverManagerExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        WebDriverManager.chromedriver().setup();
        WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
        driver.get("https://www.example.com");
        driver.quit();
    }
}

This example sets up ChromeDriver, creates a new Chrome browser instance, navigates to a website, and then closes the browser.

Competitor Comparisons

selenium

30,518

A browser automation framework and ecosystem.

Pros of Selenium

Comprehensive suite for browser automation and testing
Supports multiple programming languages (Java, Python, C#, etc.)
Extensive documentation and large community support

Cons of Selenium

Requires manual setup and management of browser drivers
More complex to use, especially for beginners
Larger project size and potentially slower execution

Code Comparison

Selenium:

WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
driver.get("https://www.example.com");
WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.id("example-id"));
element.click();
driver.quit();

WebDriverManager:

WebDriverManager.chromedriver().setup();
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
driver.get("https://www.example.com");
WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.id("example-id"));
element.click();

Key Differences

WebDriverManager simplifies driver management, automatically downloading and setting up the appropriate driver
Selenium provides a complete testing framework, while WebDriverManager focuses on driver management
WebDriverManager is more lightweight and easier to integrate into existing projects
Selenium offers more extensive features for complex testing scenarios

Use Cases

Choose Selenium for comprehensive browser automation and testing projects
Use WebDriverManager when you need simple driver management or want to integrate driver setup into an existing Selenium project

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Cons of ghostdriver

Limited to PhantomJS, which is no longer actively maintained
Lacks support for modern browser automation features
Requires manual setup and configuration

Code Comparison

ghostdriver:

var driver = new webdriver.Builder()
    .withCapabilities(webdriver.Capabilities.phantomjs())
    .build();

WebDriverManager:

WebDriverManager.chromedriver().setup();
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();

Key Differences

WebDriverManager supports multiple browsers, while ghostdriver is PhantomJS-specific
WebDriverManager automates driver setup, ghostdriver requires manual configuration
WebDriverManager is actively maintained, while ghostdriver has limited recent updates

Use Cases

ghostdriver: Legacy projects using PhantomJS, headless testing in older environments
WebDriverManager: Modern web automation projects, cross-browser testing, CI/CD pipelines

Community and Support

ghostdriver: Smaller community, limited recent activity
WebDriverManager: Larger, active community with regular updates and contributions

playwright

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Pros of Playwright

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Powerful API for handling modern web features like shadow DOM and iframes

Cons of Playwright

Steeper learning curve due to its comprehensive feature set
Requires Node.js environment, which may not be suitable for all projects

Code Comparison

WebDriverManager:

WebDriverManager.chromedriver().setup();
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
driver.get("https://example.com");
WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.id("myElement"));
element.click();

Playwright:

const browser = await playwright.chromium.launch();
const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.goto('https://example.com');
await page.click('#myElement');
await browser.close();

Key Differences

WebDriverManager focuses on managing WebDriver binaries, while Playwright is a complete automation framework
Playwright offers a more modern API with built-in waiting and cross-browser support
WebDriverManager is Java-centric, whereas Playwright supports multiple programming languages

Use Cases

WebDriverManager: Ideal for projects already using Selenium WebDriver or requiring specific browser version management
Playwright: Best for new projects seeking a modern, cross-browser automation solution with powerful features

puppeteer

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Pros of Puppeteer

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Cons of Puppeteer

Limited to Chrome/Chromium browsers, not suitable for cross-browser testing
Requires Node.js environment, which may not be ideal for all projects
Steeper learning curve compared to WebDriverManager

Code Comparison

WebDriverManager (Java):

WebDriverManager.chromedriver().setup();
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
driver.get("https://example.com");

Puppeteer (JavaScript):

const browser = await puppeteer.launch();
const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.goto('https://example.com');

WebDriverManager focuses on managing WebDriver binaries for various browsers, while Puppeteer provides a comprehensive API for browser automation. WebDriverManager is more suitable for cross-browser testing and Java-based projects, whereas Puppeteer excels in Chrome-specific automation tasks and JavaScript environments.

cypress

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Fast, easy and reliable testing for anything that runs in a browser.

Pros of Cypress

All-in-one testing framework with built-in assertion library and mocking capabilities
Automatic waiting and retry-ability, reducing flaky tests
Real-time test execution with time-travel debugging

Cons of Cypress

Limited to testing web applications only (no mobile or desktop support)
Runs tests inside the browser, which can limit certain scenarios
Steeper learning curve for developers new to JavaScript-based testing

Code Comparison

WebDriverManager:

WebDriverManager.chromedriver().setup();
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
driver.get("https://example.com");
WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.id("example"));
element.click();

Cypress:

cy.visit('https://example.com');
cy.get('#example').click();

Summary

WebDriverManager is a Java library that simplifies the management of WebDriver binaries, while Cypress is a complete end-to-end testing framework for web applications. WebDriverManager is more flexible and can be used with various testing frameworks, but requires more setup. Cypress offers a more streamlined experience with built-in features but is limited to web testing. The choice between the two depends on the specific project requirements, target platforms, and team expertise.

appium

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Cross-platform automation framework for all kinds of apps, built on top of the W3C WebDriver protocol

Pros of Appium

Supports mobile app testing (iOS, Android) in addition to web browsers
Allows cross-platform testing with a single API
Supports multiple programming languages (Java, Python, Ruby, etc.)

Cons of Appium

More complex setup and configuration process
Slower test execution compared to native automation tools
Requires additional dependencies and tools (e.g., Xcode, Android SDK)

Code Comparison

Appium (Java):

AppiumDriver<MobileElement> driver = new AppiumDriver<>(new URL("http://127.0.0.1:4723/wd/hub"), capabilities);
MobileElement element = driver.findElement(By.id("elementId"));
element.click();

WebDriverManager (Java):

WebDriverManager.chromedriver().setup();
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.id("elementId"));
element.click();

Key Differences

Appium focuses on mobile app testing, while WebDriverManager simplifies browser driver management
Appium requires more setup but offers cross-platform mobile testing capabilities
WebDriverManager is specifically designed for web browser automation and easier driver management

Both tools serve different purposes in the automation testing ecosystem, with Appium being more versatile for mobile testing and WebDriverManager streamlining browser driver setup for web testing.

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README

WebDriverManager is an open-source Java library that carries out the management (i.e., download, setup, and maintenance) of the drivers required by Selenium WebDriver (e.g., chromedriver, geckodriver, msedgedriver, etc.) in a fully automated manner. In addition, WebDriverManager provides other relevant features, such as the capability to discover browsers installed in the local system, building WebDriver objects (such as ChromeDriver, FirefoxDriver, EdgeDriver, etc.), and running browsers in Docker containers seamlessly.

Documentation

As of version 5, the documentation of WebDriverManager has moved here. This site contains all the features, examples, configuration, and advanced capabilities of WebDriverManager.

Driver Management

The primary use of WebDriverManager is the automation of driver management. For using this feature, you need to select a given manager in the WebDriverManager API (e.g., chromedriver() for Chrome) and invoke the method setup(). The following example shows the skeleton of a test case using JUnit 5, Selenium WebDriver, and WebDriverManager.

import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterEach;
import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeAll;
import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeEach;
import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;

import io.github.bonigarcia.wdm.WebDriverManager;

class ChromeTest {

    WebDriver driver;

    @BeforeAll
    static void setupAll() {
        WebDriverManager.chromedriver().setup();
    }

    @BeforeEach
    void setup() {
        driver = new ChromeDriver();
    }

    @AfterEach
    void teardown() {
        driver.quit();
    }

    @Test
    void test() {
        // Your test logic here
    }

}

Alternatively, you can use the method create() to manage automatically the driver and instantiate the WebDriver object in a single line. For instance, as follows:

import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterEach;
import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeEach;
import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;

import io.github.bonigarcia.wdm.WebDriverManager;

class ChromeCreateTest {

    WebDriver driver;

    @BeforeEach
    void setup() {
        driver = WebDriverManager.chromedriver().create();
    }

    @AfterEach
    void teardown() {
        driver.quit();
    }

    @Test
    void test() {
        // Your test logic here
    }

}

For further information about the driver resolution algorithm implemented by WebDriverManager and configuration capabilities, read the documentation.

Browsers in Docker

Another relevant new feature available in WebDriverManager 5 is the ability to create browsers in Docker containers out of the box. The requirement to use this feature is to have installed a Docker Engine in the machine running the tests. To use it, we need to invoke the method browserInDocker() in conjunction with create() of a given manager. This way, WebDriverManager pulls the image from Docker Hub, starts the container, and instantiates the WebDriver object to use it. The following test shows a simple example using Chrome in Docker. This example also enables the recording of the browser session and remote access using noVNC:

import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterEach;
import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeEach;
import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;

import io.github.bonigarcia.wdm.WebDriverManager;

class DockerChromeVncTest {

    WebDriver driver;

    WebDriverManager wdm = WebDriverManager.chromedriver().browserInDocker()
            .enableVnc().enableRecording();

    @BeforeEach
    void setup() {
        driver = wdm.create();
    }

    @AfterEach
    void teardown() {
        wdm.quit();
    }

    @Test
    void test() {
        // Your test logic here
    }

}

Support

WebDriverManager is part of OpenCollective, an online funding platform for open and transparent communities. You can support the project by contributing as a backer (i.e., a personal donation or recurring contribution) or as a sponsor (i.e., a recurring contribution by a company).