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WebdriverIO lets you write and run JavaScript browser tests using WebDriver. For a first test, create a Node.js project, run WebdriverIO’s setup wizard, then run the generated test locally. Selenium WebDriver is the browser-automation interface and protocol; WebdriverIO is a framework and set of bindings that can use it. They are complementary, not competing names for the same thing.

WebdriverIO and Selenium: what’s the difference?

Selenium WebDriver is a browser-native automation interface, standardized as a W3C Recommendation. Browser-specific drivers implement that interface, and a test can run against a local browser or through a Selenium server. Selenium also includes other tools, such as Selenium IDE and Selenium Grid; Grid is for distributing browser sessions across machines and platforms. See the Selenium WebDriver documentation and Selenium overview.

WebdriverIO (WDIO) is a JavaScript automation framework. Its test runner organizes test files (specs), browser sessions, concurrency, and integration with test frameworks. Its lower-level protocol bindings expose browser commands and can also be used from a plain Node.js script. You can use WDIO with WebDriver services, including remote ones; using WebdriverIO does not mean avoiding Selenium’s WebDriver ecosystem. More on the distinction between the runner and bindings is in WebdriverIO’s setup types guide.

What do you need before installing WebdriverIO?

  • Node.js 18.20.0 or newer. WebdriverIO’s current getting-started guide targets version 9 and later and says it officially supports Node.js releases that are or will become LTS.
  • A terminal opened in the project directory.
  • A supported browser installed locally for the first run. This tutorial uses Chrome.

These are WebdriverIO requirements, not the separate minimum requirements of Selenium’s JavaScript package. Check the official WebdriverIO getting-started guide if you are using a different WebdriverIO version.

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How do I install WebdriverIO?

In a new or existing Node.js project, run the setup wizard from the project root:

npm init wdio@latest .

The wizard asks how you want to configure the test project, including its test framework, browser, and test organization. Answer for your project rather than assuming the defaults are right. To accept the wizard’s default configuration, use:

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npm init wdio@latest . -- --yes

The documented default uses Mocha, Chrome, and the Page Object pattern. The wizard creates a WebdriverIO configuration and example spec. Package-manager equivalents are available with Yarn, pnpm, and Bun; the npm command above is the documented starting point.

How do I write Selenium tests with WebdriverIO?

Here is a small WDIO/Mocha test that opens Selenium’s sample web form, enters text, submits it, checks the result, and closes the browser session. Save it as a spec in the test directory generated by the wizard, for example test/specs/form.e2e.js. The example assumes the project’s generated configuration uses Mocha and Chrome.

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describe('Selenium sample form', () => {
  it('submits a message', async () => {
    try {
      await browser.url('https://www.selenium.dev/selenium/web/web-form.html');

      const input = await $('#my-text-id');
      await input.setValue('WebdriverIO test');
      await $('button').click();

      await expect(browser).toHaveUrlContaining('/submitted-form.html');
      await expect($('#message')).toHaveText('Received!');
    } finally {
      await browser.deleteSession();
    }
  });
});

WDIO browser and element commands are asynchronous. Use async functions and await for navigation, element actions, and assertions. The finally block requests session cleanup even if an assertion or interaction fails. In a WDIO test-runner project, session lifecycle is generally managed by the runner; if you add explicit cleanup, follow the lifecycle of your generated setup so you do not delete a session the runner still expects to use. The sample form pattern is illustrative; Selenium’s older JavaScript example page itself says it is incomplete and needs updating. For current WDIO command and lifecycle examples, use its getting-started guide.

How do I run a WebdriverIO test?

From the project root, run the generated suite with:

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npx wdio run ./wdio.conf.js

To run just one test file, pass its path with --spec:

npx wdio run ./wdio.conf.js --spec test/specs/form.e2e.js

The runner loads the configuration, starts browser sessions according to the configured capabilities and concurrency, and executes the matching specs. If your wizard created a differently named config or spec directory, use those actual paths.

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How do browser capabilities and driver setup work?

WDIO configuration describes the browser session with WebDriver capabilities. A simple Chrome capability uses browserName; browser-specific settings can be supplied in namespaced options such as goog:chromeOptions. Remote provider options may use vendor namespaces such as bstack:options. Credentials and provider-specific settings belong in the relevant provider configuration, not hard-coded into a shared config file. See WebdriverIO configuration.

Do not assume you must always download and wire up a driver binary by hand. WebdriverIO documents automatic browser-driver setup beginning with version 8.14; the driver setup page describes selecting a browser and, optionally, a browser version. The exact behavior depends on your WDIO version and browser configuration, so consult the driver binaries guide before applying manual-driver instructions written for older setups.

When should you use local execution, Selenium Grid, or a hosted service?

A local browser is enough to learn WDIO and verify a first test. Remote execution becomes useful when you need broader browser or platform coverage, concurrent runs on separate machines, or a managed browser environment. Selenium Grid supports distributed execution across machines and platforms; a hosted remote WebDriver service is another way to run sessions remotely. WDIO configuration supports capabilities and provider-specific options, but the provider’s current setup, browser availability, and credential requirements should be checked in that provider’s documentation. See Selenium’s WebDriver documentation for local and Selenium-server execution context.

Troubleshooting common WebdriverIO problems

  • Node version is rejected or packages fail to run: check node --version. For the documented current onboarding path, use Node.js 18.20.0 or newer and an LTS-line release supported by WebdriverIO.
  • A command returns a promise or an action runs too early: make the test function async and await WDIO commands and assertions. WDIO’s browser commands are asynchronous.
  • WDIO cannot start the requested browser: verify the browser is installed, the configured browserName is correct, and any browser-specific options are valid for that browser. Check the driver setup behavior for your WDIO version before installing a binary manually.
  • A remote session fails to authenticate or rejects capabilities: check the provider’s current credential instructions and capability namespace. Do not place secrets in committed configuration files.
  • Browser processes or sessions remain after an error: ensure the test or standalone script reaches its session teardown path. For runner-managed tests, use the runner’s configured lifecycle; for standalone code, put cleanup in a finally block.
  • The selector or expected text is not found: confirm the page loaded the expected state before interacting, then check the selector against the page’s current markup. If a site renders content asynchronously, use an appropriate WDIO wait rather than assuming navigation completion means every element is ready.

Or skip the browser setup

If you need a screenshot rather than an interactive browser test, ScreenshotNeo offers a one-request screenshot API. It accepts a URL and returns a PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF. For example, this cURL call saves a WebP capture:

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curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webp

See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options. ScreenshotNeo accepts cookie/consent banners and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; each of those steps can be turned off. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and response headers report the page verdict and billing status. An MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf tools for AI agents. The free plan includes 1,000 shots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots.

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