Behave reads behavior scenarios written in Gherkin and connects each step to Python code; Selenium WebDriver performs browser actions from that code. Together they let you test selected user journeys in a browser while keeping the scenario language focused on expected behavior—not a transcript of clicks.
This tutorial builds a small sign-in example, from installation through cleanup and troubleshooting. Behave’s stable tutorial is identified as version 1.3.3, while its “latest” documentation is labeled 1.4.0.dev0; Selenium’s Python API is labeled 4.50.0 and lists Python 3.10+ support. Those documentation labels are not a claim that every combination is a tested or certified version pair. See the Behave stable tutorial and Selenium Python API for current details.
What Behave and Selenium each do
Behavior-driven development (BDD) is a collaborative practice for describing and discussing how software should behave. Behave’s documentation describes BDD as encouraging collaboration among developers, QA, and business or non-technical participants. Behave executes feature files: it matches their Given, When, and Then steps to Python step implementations. Selenium is the browser-automation layer those implementations can call to locate elements, interact with pages, and observe results.
BDD is not another name for browser automation. A behavior scenario can be tested at a model or API layer instead of through a browser when that better verifies the behavior. Use Selenium for representative end-to-end browser journeys, not automatically for every scenario.
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Install Behave and Selenium
Use an isolated Python environment. The commands below install the current packages; pin the versions you choose in your project dependency file if repeatable environments matter. The cited documentation does not establish a specific compatible Behave-and-Selenium version pair, so verify versions in your own environment rather than assuming one.
python -m venv .venv
# macOS or Linux:
source .venv/bin/activate
# Windows PowerShell:
# .venvScriptsActivate.ps1
python -m pip install --upgrade pip
python -m pip install behave seleniumBehave’s installation instructions use pip install behave; Selenium’s Python API recommends an isolated environment and pip install -U selenium. Selenium currently lists Python 3.10+ support. The browser itself must also be installed. For current Selenium, Selenium Manager generally handles obtaining a suitable browser driver when WebDriver starts; manual driver configuration is still available, and Manager does not remove every machine-, network-, or browser-specific setup issue. Documented browser and protocol targets include Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, WebKitGTK, and WPEWebKit.
Create the feature and Python files
Behave’s conventional minimum is a features/ directory with feature files and a steps/ subdirectory containing Python implementations. This example adds an environment hook and a page-object module to separate browser mechanics from behavior steps.
project/
features/
login.feature
environment.py
steps/
login_steps.py
pages/
login_page.pyDescribe the outcome in Gherkin
Create features/login.feature:
Feature: Account sign in
Scenario: A registered user reaches their account
Given a registered user is ready to sign in
When they submit valid credentials
Then their account page is displayedThe steps state the behavior and outcome. They do not expose selectors, button labels, or a click-by-click script. The setup step below assumes the application has a known test account and is available at the configured base URL; change the example locators and URL to match your application.
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Start and close the browser deterministically
Create features/environment.py. This version creates a fresh browser for each scenario so one scenario’s cookies or page state do not silently affect another. A shared browser can reduce startup overhead, but increases the risk of state leaking between scenarios; choose intentionally.
import os
from selenium import webdriver
def before_scenario(context, scenario):
context.base_url = os.environ.get("APP_BASE_URL", "http://localhost:8000")
context.driver = webdriver.Chrome()
def after_scenario(context, scenario):
driver = getattr(context, "driver", None)
if driver is not None:
driver.quit()quit() closes the WebDriver session and its associated browser windows. Keeping cleanup in the teardown hook means it runs after a scenario even when a step fails. Selenium Manager may resolve the Chrome driver automatically when webdriver.Chrome() starts; if that fails in your environment, install or specify a suitable driver using Selenium’s documented options.
Put locators and waits in a page object
Create features/pages/login_page.py. Replace the example identifiers and selectors with those used by your sign-in page.
from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By
from selenium.webdriver.support import expected_conditions as EC
from selenium.webdriver.support.ui import WebDriverWait
class LoginPage:
USERNAME = (By.ID, "username")
PASSWORD = (By.ID, "password")
SUBMIT = (By.CSS_SELECTOR, "button[type='submit']")
ACCOUNT_HEADING = (By.CSS_SELECTOR, "[data-testid='account-heading']")
def __init__(self, driver, base_url):
self.driver = driver
self.base_url = base_url
self.wait = WebDriverWait(driver, 10)
def open(self):
self.driver.get(f"{self.base_url}/login")
def sign_in(self, username, password):
self.wait.until(EC.visibility_of_element_located(self.USERNAME)).send_keys(username)
self.driver.find_element(*self.PASSWORD).send_keys(password)
self.driver.find_element(*self.SUBMIT).click()
def account_heading(self):
return self.wait.until(
EC.visibility_of_element_located(self.ACCOUNT_HEADING)
).textThe page object owns browser details and returns an observed value; the step owns the behavior assertion. This keeps locator changes out of the feature language and lets more than one scenario reuse page operations.
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Connect feature steps to Python
Create features/steps/login_steps.py:
import os
from behave import given, when, then
from features.pages.login_page import LoginPage
@given("a registered user is ready to sign in")
def registered_user_ready(context):
context.username = os.environ.get("TEST_USERNAME", "test-user")
context.password = os.environ.get("TEST_PASSWORD", "test-password")
context.login_page = LoginPage(context.driver, context.base_url)
context.login_page.open()
@when("they submit valid credentials")
def submit_valid_credentials(context):
context.login_page.sign_in(context.username, context.password)
@then("their account page is displayed")
def account_page_is_displayed(context):
assert context.login_page.account_heading() == "Your account"Store real test credentials in environment variables or another appropriate secrets mechanism rather than committing them to source control. Run the scenario from the project directory with:
behaveBehave discovers feature files under features/, loads Python files under features/steps/, and matches decorated functions such as @given, @when, and @then to the feature text.
Use waits for observable conditions
Browser pages do not necessarily reach the needed state as soon as navigation or a click returns. The example uses WebDriverWait with expected conditions to wait for visible elements. Prefer a condition tied to the next action or assertion over a fixed sleep: sleeps wait the same amount regardless of whether the page is ready sooner or later.
Use one synchronization strategy consistently. Behave’s page-object guide warns that implicit waits configured with driver.implicitly_wait() can stack with explicit waits and produce unpredictable timeout durations. This example uses explicit waits and does not set an implicit wait. Adjust the timeout to the application and environment, and wait for the actual state the scenario needs.
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Keep scenarios behavior-focused
Gherkin is most useful when it communicates intent in language a product, QA, and engineering team can discuss. A scenario such as “When they submit valid credentials” expresses an action at the behavior level. A scenario that spells out every selector, click, and wait describes the current interface implementation and tends to change when that interface changes. Behave’s practical testing guidance recommends describing what an application should do rather than how it does it.
For a behavior that is better verified through business logic or a REST API, test at that layer where practical. Model/API tests can avoid browser-specific setup and isolate the behavior from the UI; browser scenarios can verify that important user-facing paths work end to end. This is a design trade-off, not a published speed or maintenance benchmark. Behave’s guidance discusses both layer choice and avoiding UI-detail-heavy scenarios.
Extend the example without turning features into scripts
Behave supports parameterized steps, data tables, text blocks, and Scenario Outlines with example rows. Use them when they make a meaningful behavior clearer—for example, checking the same sign-in outcome for a small set of credential cases. Keep setup data understandable, and avoid a single generic step language that hides what each scenario verifies. The stable tutorial documents these Gherkin and step-definition features.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshoot common failures
- Behave reports an undefined step: The feature wording does not match a step decorator, or the implementation is not under
features/steps/. Make the text match, check spelling and punctuation, and confirm Behave is being run from the project directory. - WebDriver cannot start or find a browser: Confirm the browser is installed and supported, and that the active Python environment has Selenium installed. Selenium Manager usually manages the driver, but network restrictions, browser availability, or machine configuration can still interfere. Check Selenium’s API documentation for manual driver setup options if needed.
- A step times out waiting for an element: Verify the page URL, selector, and expected state in the actual application. Ensure the page has reached the state the wait targets, and choose a condition appropriate to that state, such as visibility rather than mere presence.
- Timeouts take longer than expected: Avoid mixing implicit waits and explicit waits. Use one strategy, and inspect every wait’s condition and timeout.
- Scenarios pass individually but fail in a suite: Check for shared browser, cookie, account, or server-side state. Use a fresh browser per scenario where isolation matters, reset test data, and retain teardown that calls
quit(). - Credentials are rejected: Confirm the test account exists in the target environment and that the environment variables are set. Avoid substituting production credentials into an automated test.
Or skip the browser setup
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does Behave control the browser?
No. Behave matches Gherkin steps to Python functions; those functions use Selenium WebDriver for browser interaction.
Can Behave scenarios test an API instead of a browser?
Yes. Behave can describe behavior while its Python step implementations exercise a model or API layer; use Selenium when the browser journey itself needs verification.
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