Selenium Webdriver and its purpose.

What is Selenium Webdriver:

Selenium WebDriver is one of the component in Selenium which can be used for automating web browsers, primarily aimed at easing the testing and verification of web applications. It’s an important part of the Selenium suite, where WebDriver offers a programming interface to interact with web browsers, allowing developers and testers to automate browser actions seamlessly. Unlike its predecessor, Selenium RC (Remote Control), WebDriver directly communicates with the browser, providing a more stable and efficient means of automation.

1. WebDriver supports various programming languages, including Java, Python, C#, and JavaScript, making it adaptable for developers working in different technology stacks.

2. It allows the automation of diverse tasks such as navigating web pages, interacting with web elements, submitting forms, and validating expected outcomes.

3. WebDriver's cross-browser compatibility ensures that tests can be conducted across different browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer, promoting consistent behavior across various platforms.

4. The framework's flexibility, coupled with an extensive community and active development, positions Selenium WebDriver as a cornerstone in the field of web automation and testing. Its capabilities extend beyond testing, as WebDriver is often used for web scraping, data extraction, and other browser automation tasks in diverse software development scenarios.

Why we should use WebDriverManager in Selenium Automation

When worked with Selenium WebDriver, there are few challenges that we face.There are different versions of chrome driver and which one should we use it.Even after updating the browser testing may not work as required.

That’s when WebDriverManager comes to the rescue.

The Issue with Traditional WebDrivers:

Before WebDriverManager, Selenium tests needed a browser driver manually downloaded and configured for each browser.

For example, to automate Chrome, we need to:

1. Go to the ChromeDriver download page

2. Find the version that matches your Chrome browser

3. Download the .exe file

4. Store it somewhere in your project

5. Set the system property manually like this:

6. System.setProperty("webdriver.chrome.driver", "path/to/chromedriver.exe");

7. WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();

The error may occur if Chrome updates automatically, your driver version may stop working. Other team members may have different driver versions.

The Best approach : WebDriverManager

WebDriverManager is a simple Java library that automatically manages browser drivers for Selenium.

It:

1.      Downloads the correct driver version automatically

2.      Matches it with your browser version

3.      Caches it for future runs

4.      Works across Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, and Safari

No manual setup. No path issues. No more version mismatches.

Lets see how to Use WebDriverManager in EclipseIDE:

Step 1: Add Dependency

When using Maven, just add this to your pom.xml:

<dependency>

    <groupId>io.github.bonigarcia</groupId>

    <artifactId>webdrivermanager</artifactId>

    <version>6.3.2</version> <!-- or the latest -->

</dependency>

 Step 2: Use It in Your Code

import io.github.bonigarcia.wdm.WebDriverManager;

WebDriverManager.chromedriver().setup();

WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();

WebDriverManager handles everything automatically — downloading, configuring, and matching the right driver.

WebDriverManager works with almost all major browsers like Chrome,Firefox,Edge,Opera,Safari.

We can also combine WebDriverManager with headless testing easily:

WebDriverManager makes it easy to manage browser drivers automatically, removing the need to manually download or set driver paths. It can be seamlessly combined with headless testing, where browsers run without a graphical user interface.

This is perfect for running tests in CI/CD pipelines or cloud environments where you don’t have a GUI.

 Advantages of Using WebDriverManager

Benefit	Description
No manual driver download	It automatically fetches the correct driver version.
Version compatibility	Matches browser version and driver version automatically.
Works across OS	Runs smoothly on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
CI/CD friendly	Ideal for Jenkins, GitHub Actions, or Docker environments.
Automatic updates	Keeps your drivers up-to-date without manual effort.

Use It in Your Base Class

In a framework, it’s best to call WebDriverManager setup once, inside your BaseTest or DriverFactory class.

Conclusion:

Using WebDriverManager makes Selenium automation simpler, faster, and more reliable.It eliminates one of the most annoying setup problems — managing driver versions — and helps your tests run smoothly everywhere.

Happy Learning!