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Configure headless mode for your browser
WebdriverIO defines headless mode through browser capabilities. Put the flag in that browser’s vendor-specific options object, not in a generic shared setting. The official examples cover Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge; their flags are not interchangeable. See the capabilities documentation for the supported namespaces.
Chrome or Chromium
export const config = {
capabilities: [{
browserName: 'chrome', // or 'chromium'
'goog:chromeOptions': {
args: ['--headless=new', '--no-sandbox']
}
}]
}The WebdriverIO headless guide documents --headless=new. The example also includes --no-sandbox; whether that is appropriate depends on the security model and configuration of your execution environment.
Firefox
export const config = {
capabilities: [{
browserName: 'firefox',
'moz:firefoxOptions': {
args: ['-headless']
}
}]
}Microsoft Edge
export const config = {
capabilities: [{
browserName: 'msedge',
'ms:edgeOptions': {
args: ['--headless']
}
}]
}These are capability sketches: add the selected browser’s object to your existing configuration and retain your project’s other settings. The capabilities guide says Safari does not support headless execution.
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Run the test suite or a single spec
From the project directory, run the configured WebdriverIO testrunner:
npx wdio run ./wdio.conf.jsTo narrow a startup or test failure to one file, use the documented --spec option:
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npx wdio run ./wdio.conf.js --spec example.e2e.jsReplace example.e2e.js with the spec path used by your project. If the single spec launches successfully but the full suite does not, investigate suite behavior separately from browser startup.
Choose native headless mode or Xvfb
Headless means running a browser without its window or UI. Try the browser’s native headless mode first when the app and test tooling work without a desktop session. On Linux, Xvfb provides a virtual display for cases that need one; WebdriverIO’s guide identifies display-server (DISPLAY), window-manager, GLX, or desktop-behavior dependencies as reasons to consider it. Electron and applications expecting a graphical environment can also need a display.
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Understand WebdriverIO’s automatic Xvfb behavior
The testrunner considers Xvfb on Linux when DISPLAY is absent or when headless browser flags are passed. The autoXvfb setting controls whether WebdriverIO wraps a worker with Xvfb; set it to false to disable that behavior. If CI already provides an X server, export its DISPLAY so the runner can honor it, or explicitly disable automatic Xvfb.
export const config = {
autoXvfb: true,
capabilities: [{
browserName: 'chrome',
'goog:chromeOptions': { args: ['--headless=new', '--no-sandbox'] }
}]
}xvfbAutoInstall addresses installing Xvfb when xvfb-run is missing; it does not itself turn on Xvfb usage. Enable automatic package installation only if the CI image and its permissions allow it. The WebdriverIO guide also demonstrates preinstalling xvfb on Ubuntu/Debian with apt-get; package names and installation commands differ by distribution.
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Prepare CI and Docker environments
A headless flag does not install a browser or guarantee that its driver can start. Confirm the browser and driver are present and compatible in the environment that runs the job. WebdriverIO documents browser and driver detection or installation under supported conditions, and the driver binaries guide explains how to point to an installed browser when automatic detection does not find it.
- For Chrome, set
goog:chromeOptions.binaryif you need to specify the browser executable. - For Firefox, set
moz:firefoxOptions.binaryif you need to specify its executable. - In Docker, align the installed Chrome version with the ChromeDriver version configured for the project.
WebdriverIO’s Docker guide shows Chrome arguments including --no-sandbox, --disable-gpu, and a window-size flag. Treat these as an example to adapt to your pinned browser and driver versions and the container’s security requirements—not as a mandatory flag list for every image.
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Troubleshoot browser startup and headless failures
- Check the browser and capability name. Confirm the browser is installed or configured, that
browserNameis correct, and that the matching vendor namespace is used:goog:chromeOptions,moz:firefoxOptions, orms:edgeOptions. - Check the flag and its location. The browser-specific headless flag must be spelled correctly and placed inside that options object’s
argsarray. Do not copy one browser’s flag to another. - Check browser-driver compatibility. In particular, verify the pinned Chrome and ChromeDriver versions in Docker or CI. If WebdriverIO cannot detect the browser, set the appropriate browser binary path using the driver binaries guidance.
- Check display requirements on Linux. If the app or test tooling needs a display, inspect
DISPLAYand whether the CI worker already has an X server. Decide deliberately whether to allowautoXvfbor set it tofalse. - Investigate Xvfb failures. If Xvfb cannot start, verify whether
xvfb-runis installed and review the guide’s retry and troubleshooting options. Avoid enabling automatic installation in a locked-down CI environment without confirming permissions and package-install policy. - Isolate the failure. Run one spec with
--specto separate browser startup/configuration problems from suite behavior.
A DevToolsActivePort startup message or apparent user-data-directory collision can follow a browser crash and restart. WebdriverIO’s guide advises diagnosing the initial browser launch and environment rather than assuming the profile directory itself is always the cause.
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Keep versions and expectations in view
WebdriverIO’s documentation is maintained and browser flags, automatic setup behavior, and CI options can change as WebdriverIO and browsers release updates. Check the official pages and the versions pinned in your project when applying these examples. The documented material does not provide a statistic quantifying headless execution speed or adoption, so do not assume a particular performance improvement from the headless setting alone.
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