To build and run a Selenium project, install a Selenium language binding as a project dependency, make a browser available, write a test that starts and ends a WebDriver session, and run it with your language’s test runner. For many standard setups, Selenium Manager can find or obtain the browser driver automatically; Selenium Grid is optional when you need to run tests remotely or in parallel.
What a Selenium project needs
Selenium WebDriver is a language-neutral interface. Your project uses a language binding—such as Python’s Selenium package or Java’s Selenium library—to send commands through the WebDriver implementation for the browser you want to control. The basic pieces are the binding, a target browser, and its browser-specific driver. See the Selenium Project’s Getting started guide for the current overview.
- Language binding: the package or library your code imports.
- Browser: Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or another browser supported by your setup.
- Driver: the browser-specific component that communicates with the browser. Selenium Manager handles many ordinary driver setup cases.
- Test runner or build tool: pytest, Maven, Gradle, or the equivalent for your language, used to execute the project repeatably.
Record dependencies in a manifest or build file rather than relying on an undocumented one-off installation. This makes it easier for another developer or a CI job to recreate the project.
Choose a language and install Selenium
Use the install instructions for the language and runtime version your project supports. Selenium’s official Install a Selenium library page covers Java, Python, JavaScript, .NET, and Ruby; package names and runtime compatibility can change.
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Python with a virtual environment and pytest
Create and activate a virtual environment, then install the binding. On macOS or Linux:
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
python -m pip install selenium pytestOn Windows PowerShell, activation is typically:
py -m venv .venv
..venvScriptsActivate.ps1
python -m pip install selenium pytestFor a repeatable project, record the dependencies in requirements.txt and install them with python -m pip install -r requirements.txt. Choose and pin versions that your project has verified rather than copying an example version without checking it. The Python binding documentation recommends virtual environments for isolation: Python installation guidance.
Java with Maven or Gradle
For Maven, declare org.seleniumhq.selenium:selenium-java in the project’s pom.xml, using a version appropriate for the project. For Gradle, add Selenium as a test dependency, for example with the testImplementation configuration, and configure the test task for the test framework in use. The official installation guide has current Maven and Gradle examples: Selenium library installation.
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Write and run a first browser test
A minimal test should create a WebDriver session, navigate to a page, check an observable result, and quit the session even if an assertion fails. Here is a Python example using pytest:
from selenium import webdriver
def test_example_title():
driver = webdriver.Chrome()
try:
driver.get("https://example.com")
assert driver.title == "Example Domain"
finally:
driver.quit()Save it as test_example.py. Run just this test with pytest -q test_example.py; run the project suite from its root with pytest. The finally block ensures the browser session is closed after success or failure.
For Java, put the Selenium dependency and a test framework in the project build, write a test that creates a browser driver and closes it, then use the build tool’s test task. The Selenium documentation lists mvn clean test for Maven and gradle clean test for Gradle. A standalone Java example can also be launched using the Maven exec command documented in Selenium’s first script guide.
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Do you need to install ChromeDriver or another driver?
Usually not for a basic, supported local setup. Selenium Manager has shipped with Selenium since version 4.6.0 and is invoked by language bindings when a driver has not been supplied. Selenium Manager added managed browser discovery, download, and caching in Selenium 4.11.0. In that mode, its documentation covers Chrome, Firefox, and Edge.
That automatic path is not universal. The Selenium Manager documentation lists Linux arm64/aarch64, 32-bit architectures, and Raspberry Pi among unsupported cases. Restricted networks, older Selenium versions, unusual architectures, or specialized deployment needs may also require a manually controlled driver strategy. Check the current Selenium Manager documentation and driver location guidance for your environment and browser compatibility.
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If you manage a driver manually, make sure it is compatible with the installed browser and available in the test environment. Avoid hard-coding a machine-specific driver path in shared test code unless the deployment environment requires it; a fixed path makes the project less portable.
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Run locally or use Selenium Grid?
Use the language’s ordinary test runner for a small project or a suite that can run on one machine. Grid becomes useful when tests need to execute across multiple browsers, operating systems, or machines, or when distributed parallel execution is part of the test environment.
Start a local standalone Grid
The Grid quick start requires Java 11 or higher, the Selenium Server JAR, and browsers with drivers available directly or through Selenium Manager configuration. After obtaining the server JAR for the Selenium version you intend to use:
- Start the standalone server:
java -jar selenium-server-<version>.jar standalone. - Configure the test to use the remote endpoint
http://localhost:4444instead of starting a local browser driver directly. - Run the test with the same test runner or build task used for local tests.
Grid setup and configuration details are in the official Grid getting started guide. For a single local browser test, Grid adds infrastructure without being necessary.
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Troubleshoot common setup problems
- Python cannot import Selenium: the package may have been installed outside the active virtual environment. Activate the environment and run
python -m pip install seleniumwith the same Python interpreter used to run pytest. - Browser or driver cannot be found: confirm that the browser is installed and that the Selenium version and platform are supported by the chosen driver-management path. Check Selenium Manager output and the official driver location guidance before adding a machine-specific path.
- Driver and browser versions are incompatible: update or select a compatible driver/browser combination. If you pin or manage drivers yourself, keep that compatibility coordinated in local and CI environments.
- Automatic driver setup fails on a restricted network or unsupported architecture: check Selenium Manager’s platform and network constraints; select an explicitly managed compatible driver if automatic discovery or download cannot work in that environment.
- The test leaves browser processes running: ensure the test calls
driver.quit()in cleanup code, including when an assertion or browser action fails. - Grid tests cannot connect: check that the server started successfully, that the configured remote URL matches the running endpoint, and that the server and test environment have the required Java and browser/driver setup.
Performance, reliability, and cost considerations
Local execution avoids Grid’s additional server and network layer and is the simplest place to develop a test. Grid is a scaling option for distributed runs, but requires maintaining the server and browser-capable nodes. Selenium itself is browser automation software; if you use it for web scraping, a site’s terms may prohibit it or its defenses may block automated access. The Selenium Project notes this caveat in its WebDriver documentation.
For reliability, keep dependencies in the project build, use cleanup that closes sessions, and verify browser/driver compatibility in the same environment where tests run. Browser versions, package versions, runtime requirements, and Grid options evolve, so check the linked Selenium documentation when changing or provisioning an environment.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can Selenium run without a graphical browser window?
Yes. Configure the target browser for headless operation when your test environment supports it; this changes how the browser runs, not the need for a Selenium binding and WebDriver session.
Can I use Selenium for web scraping?
Selenium can automate browser interactions, but a site may prohibit scraping in its terms or block automated traffic. Check the site’s rules before doing so.
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