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For most current Selenium setups, you do not need to install ChromeDriver separately: Selenium 4.6 and later includes Selenium Manager, which can obtain a compatible driver when your script starts. Install Chrome or Chromium as well, and make sure Selenium can discover the browser. If you need a pinned driver or automatic resolution fails, download a matching Linux driver and configure it on your PATH or through Selenium’s Service object.

The installation steps are the same in India as elsewhere; the official guidance cited here does not identify an India-specific ChromeDriver binary or package. Ubuntu Chromium packaging does vary by release, so check your own release rather than assuming one apt command works everywhere.

What ChromeDriver does—and what you need

ChromeDriver is a separate executable that Selenium WebDriver uses to control the Chrome browser; it is not Selenium itself. The browser must also be installed and discoverable. Chrome’s setup guide describes downloading the platform driver and making it available to Selenium: ChromeDriver setup.

  • A Selenium library installed in the language environment used by your script.
  • Chrome or Chromium installed on the Ubuntu machine.
  • A compatible driver, resolved automatically by Selenium Manager or configured manually.

Having Selenium find a driver only confirms the browser-control setup. It does not by itself confirm that screenshot rendering works in a particular headless or server environment.

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Choose automatic driver management or a manual driver

Approach Setup Version control Best fit
Selenium Manager With Selenium 4.6 and later, Selenium can download the appropriate driver automatically. Convenient compatible match; less direct control over the exact binary. Routine use where the machine can discover the browser and download driver metadata and binaries.
Manual driver configuration Download ChromeDriver and put it on PATH or supply its location through the Selenium binding’s Service object. Explicit control over the selected driver and its path. Pinned or managed environments that require a known local executable.

Selenium documents both automatic resolution and manual fallbacks in its driver installation guidance. Selenium Manager is also covered in the Selenium Manager documentation.

Install the browser and use Selenium Manager

  1. Install Selenium in your project’s language environment and install Chrome or Chromium using the method appropriate to your Ubuntu release.
  2. Use Selenium 4.6 or later. Start a WebDriver session using your language binding’s normal Chrome driver API; Selenium Manager will attempt to resolve and download the appropriate driver.
  3. Run the script in the same environment where the browser is installed. If resolution fails, check browser discovery, outbound network access to driver metadata and binaries, and whether an outdated ChromeDriver earlier on PATH is being used.

Selenium Manager is generally the simplest choice when you do not need to pin a driver version. See Selenium’s Selenium Manager documentation for its scope and current behavior.

Manually install and match ChromeDriver

Check the browser version first

Before choosing a driver, identify the browser and its version. For Chrome 115 and later, ChromeDriver release management is integrated with Chrome. Use Chrome for Testing’s downloadable builds and JSON version metadata to select a matching build. If you are using a non-Chrome-for-Testing Chrome browser, follow Chrome’s version-selection guidance for matching metadata rather than relying on old instructions that treat the standalone download repository as the primary route.

Make the downloaded driver available

  1. Download the Linux ChromeDriver build that matches the browser version, using Chrome’s current version-selection and Chrome for Testing information.
  2. Place the executable in a suitable location and make it executable with your normal Ubuntu file-permission tools.
  3. Either add its directory to PATH or pass the explicit driver path to the binding-specific Service object. Selenium’s documentation describes the manual configuration options: specifying a driver location.
  4. Start a WebDriver session and confirm that it launches the intended browser. If the browser or driver is upgraded, check compatibility again.

Manual placement is useful when reproducibility requires a deliberately selected binary. It also means you are responsible for keeping the browser and driver versions compatible.

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Ubuntu Chromium packages are release-specific

Do not assume sudo apt install chromium-chromedriver works the same way on every Ubuntu release. The cited Ubuntu package page is specifically for Questing and describes chromium-chromedriver as transitional to the Chromium snap: Ubuntu Questing package details. Check the package information for your own Ubuntu release and verify the browser’s actual executable path and version.

Selenium’s October 2023 account of Selenium Manager described an example where it found snap Chromium at /snap/bin/chromium and resolved a matching driver. That is a dated example, not a guarantee for every current Ubuntu release or Selenium Manager version: Selenium Manager status in October 2023.

Capture a screenshot with Selenium

Once WebDriver can launch the browser, use the screenshot API for your language binding. The official setup sources cited above establish the ChromeDriver role and installation paths, but do not provide a verified complete screenshot script, current headless flags, or display-server configuration for every Ubuntu and Selenium combination. Use the official Selenium API documentation for the binding and version you have installed, and validate browser rendering separately from driver installation.

Troubleshooting ChromeDriver setup

Symptom Likely cause What to check
Unable to locate or obtain a driver Selenium cannot resolve a driver, or automatic download is unavailable. Use Selenium 4.6 or later, confirm the browser is installed and discoverable, check network access to download metadata and binaries, then consult Selenium’s driver troubleshooting guidance.
A driver is found but Chrome will not start The browser may be missing, undiscoverable, or incompatible with the selected driver. Confirm the browser path and version, then check that the driver matches it. For Chrome 115 and later, use Chrome’s version-selection guidance.
An old driver appears to be used A stale executable earlier on PATH may take precedence over the intended driver. Inspect PATH and remove or reorder the stale entry, or configure the intended binary explicitly through the binding’s Service object.
Ubuntu package instructions do not match your machine Chromium packaging differs by Ubuntu release; Questing’s cited package is transitional to a snap. Check your release’s package page and verify the installed browser’s real path and version. Do not assume the Questing package detail applies to another release.
WebDriver starts but screenshot rendering fails Driver installation and headless/server rendering are separate concerns. Check the Selenium API guidance for your language and version, then validate the browser’s runtime environment. The sources cited here do not establish one universal headless flag or display-server recipe.
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Or skip the browser setup

If the goal is an image or PDF rather than browser automation, ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server for developers. One GET request can return a PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF. Its documented options include full-page capture, CSS selectors, device and viewport settings, waiting conditions, and PDF controls.

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For example, this cURL request captures a page as WebP; see the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for parameters and response details:

curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webp
  • Cookie and consent banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets are removed before capture; each cleanup step can be turned off.
  • Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed. Responses identify the page verdict and billing status.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Does this installation guidance differ for India?

The official installation guidance cited here does not identify an India-specific ChromeDriver binary or setup difference; use the normal Linux guidance.

Does Selenium Manager replace Chrome or Chromium?

No. It manages driver resolution; the browser itself must still be installed and discoverable.

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