What is webdriver?
The 'webdriver' npm package is an HTTP client for interacting with WebDriver-compatible browsers for the purpose of performing automated web application testing. It allows you to control a browser programmatically and perform actions like navigating to URLs, interacting with web page elements, and executing JavaScript within the context of the browser.
What are webdriver's main functionalities?
Browser Navigation
This code sample demonstrates how to navigate to a URL using the webdriver package. It initializes a new browser session, navigates to 'https://example.com', and then closes the session.
const { remote } = require('webdriverio');
(async () => {
const browser = await remote({
capabilities: { browserName: 'chrome' }
});
await browser.url('https://example.com');
await browser.deleteSession();
})();
Element Interaction
This code sample shows how to interact with web page elements. It finds an input field and a button by their selectors, sets a value in the input field, and clicks the button.
const { remote } = require('webdriverio');
(async () => {
const browser = await remote({
capabilities: { browserName: 'chrome' }
});
await browser.url('https://example.com');
const input = await browser.$('input#search');
await input.setValue('WebdriverIO');
const button = await browser.$('button#submit');
await button.click();
await browser.deleteSession();
})();
Executing JavaScript
This code sample illustrates executing custom JavaScript code in the context of the browser. It retrieves and logs the title of the current web page.
const { remote } = require('webdriverio');
(async () => {
const browser = await remote({
capabilities: { browserName: 'chrome' }
});
await browser.url('https://example.com');
const result = await browser.execute(() => {
return document.title;
});
console.log('Document title is: ' + result);
await browser.deleteSession();
})();
Other packages similar to webdriver
selenium-webdriver
Selenium WebDriver is a well-known library for browser automation. It provides bindings for multiple programming languages and is the basis for many browser automation tools. Compared to 'webdriver', Selenium WebDriver is more established with a larger community but can be more complex to set up and use.
puppeteer
Puppeteer is a Node library developed by the Chrome DevTools team. It provides a high-level API to control Chrome or Chromium over the DevTools Protocol. Puppeteer is known for its ease of use and rich features for browser automation and scraping, especially with Chrome-based browsers. Unlike 'webdriver', which is designed to work with multiple browsers, Puppeteer is optimized for Chrome/Chromium.
playwright
Playwright is a Node library that provides a set of APIs to automate Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit browsers. It is similar to Puppeteer but with cross-browser support. Playwright offers features like auto-wait, network interception, and emulation capabilities. It is considered to be more modern and feature-rich compared to 'webdriver' and is developed by the same team that initially built Puppeteer.
nightwatch
Nightwatch.js is an end-to-end testing solution for web applications and websites, written in Node.js. It uses the W3C WebDriver API for browser automation. Nightwatch has a built-in test runner and assertions library, making it a more integrated solution compared to 'webdriver', which is primarily a client for interacting with the WebDriver API.
cypress
Cypress is a front-end testing tool built for the modern web. It is both a library for writing tests and a test runner that executes the tests in a browser. Cypress provides a unique interactive test runner that allows you to see commands as they execute while also viewing the application under test. It differs from 'webdriver' in that it runs in the same run-loop as the application, enabling more consistent results and easier debugging.
Webdriver
This will be soon the official Node.JS Webdriver bindings.
History
Webdriver was originated by Camilo Tapia's initial
Selenium project called WebdriverJS, which was the first webdriver project on NPM.
In 2014, the project was renamed WebdriverIO later on. Since XXX it was renamed again
to Webdriver and will be the official binding for NodeJS.
Need help?
If you have questions or any problems using WebdriverIO join the Gitter Chat, hit us contributor on
Twitter or just file an issue on Github. We will try to get back to you as soon as possible.
Also if you miss any feature, let us know so we can make WebdriverIO even better. For news or
announcements check @WebdriverIO on Twitter.
NPM Maintainers
The npm module for this library is maintained by:
License
MIT