Configuring Cross-Browser Testing in Jenkins with Build Parameters Using a Selenium Project from GitHub

In modern web applications, users access systems through different browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. However, web applications may behave differently depending on the browser’s rendering engine, JavaScript execution, or security settings.

That’s why cross-browser testing is critical. It ensures consistent functionality and user experience across multiple browsers. Automating this process using Jenkins makes your testing scalable, repeatable, and CI/CD-ready.

In this blog, we will configure cross-browser testing in Jenkins using build parameters with a Selenium project hosted on GitHub.

Why Cross-Browser Testing Matters

Even if your tests pass in one browser, they may fail in another due to:

• UI rendering differences

• Browser-specific compatibility issues

• JavaScript execution variations

• CSS behavior differences

By integrating cross-browser automation into Jenkins, we can dynamically run tests on different browsers without modifying the test code.

⚙️ Tools & Technologies Used

• Selenium WebDriver

• Java + TestNG

• Maven

• Jenkins

• GitHub

• Browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge)

• A Selenium project (configured in Eclipse with BrowserOptions and DriverFactory classes) pushed to a GitHub repository.

What Are Jenkins Build Parameters?

Jenkins is a CI/CD automation server used to build, test, and deploy applications automatically.

Build parameters allow us to pass dynamic values to Jenkins jobs at runtime. In our case, we use a parameter to select which browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge) the automation tests should run on — without editing the framework code.

Step 1: Prepare and Push Your Selenium Project to GitHub

Before configuring Jenkins:

1. Ensure your Selenium framework supports browser parameterization.

     Runner Class:

   

   testNG.xml:

   

2. The browser value should be passed dynamically using:

-Dbrowser=chrome

Inside your framework, implement logic like:

• If browser = chrome → Launch ChromeDriver

• If browser = firefox → Launch FirefoxDriver

• If browser = edge → Launch EdgeDriver

Push your complete project to GitHub so Jenkins can pull the latest code during execution.

Push to GitHub:

Open the command prompt in your Eclipse project folder

Initialize Git using git init

Add your remote repository:

git remote add origin https://github.com/githubName/repositoryname.git

push the code using

git add .

git commit -m "Initial Selenium Cross Browser Framework"

git push -u origin main

Step 2: Create and Configure Jenkins Job

1️⃣ Create a New Job

• Click New Item

• Choose Freestyle Project

• Enter a project name

Freestyle jobs are simple and suitable for basic automation pipelines.

2️⃣ Connect Jenkins to GitHub

Under Source Code Management:

• Select Git

• Enter your repository URL

• Configure credentials if required

This ensures Jenkins fetches the latest automation code during each build.

Step 3: Enable Build Parameters

This is the key step for cross-browser execution.

• Provide a project description.

• Select This project is parameterized

• Click Add Parameter

  

• Choose Choice Parameter

  

Configure Choice Parameter as:

Name: BROWSER

chrome

Firefox

edge

Instead of hardcoding the browser, Jenkins now allows dynamic selection during runtime.

Step 4: Configure Maven Build Command

Under Build → Invoke Top-Level Maven Targets

Add Maven Version and in Goals give command : clean test -Dbrowser=${BROWSER}

What happens here:

• ${BROWSER} takes the selected browser value

• Maven executes the test suite

• Selenium launches the chosen browser

This connects Jenkins parameter selection to your test framework.

Post-build Actions: Provide the paths for your test reports

 Save: Click the Save button to finalize the configuration.

Step 5: Run Cross-Browser Tests

Click Build with Parameters.

Select the desired browser from the dropdown menu.

• Chrome

• Firefox

• Edge

Then Click the Build button to start the execution.

Jenkins will:

• Pull latest code from GitHub

• Execute tests in selected browser.

  

  All test running in Chrome browser

  

  

  All test running in Edge browser

• Display console logs

• Generate reports

You can repeat this for different browsers without touching the code.

Viewing and Interpreting Results

After the build:

• Click Console Output

• Verify which browser was launched

• Review test execution logs

• Check pass/fail status

If a test fails in one browser but passes in another, it highlights browser-specific compatibility issues — allowing faster debugging and resolution.

Conclusion

By configuring Jenkins build parameters for cross-browser testing, you create a flexible, scalable automation setup. This approach eliminates the need for manual browser configuration and strengthens your CI/CD pipeline.

With this setup in place, you can further enhance your automation by adding parallel execution, advanced reporting, and automated notifications.

Cross-browser automation in Jenkins ensures your application delivers a consistent experience — regardless of the browser your users choose.

Thanks for reading the blog!

Hope you found it helpful — happy learning!