Can Automation with Selenium Survive Automatic Chrome Updates?

Dilemma: Automating with Selenium Amidst Automatic Chrome Updates

Automating web tasks with Selenium using the ChromeDriver is a great way to enhance testing. However, when Chrome browser automatically updates, scripts often fail due to incompatibility with the updated ChromeDriver. The question arises: is there a workaround to avoid manually updating the ChromeDriver binary while maintaining browser updates?

Understanding the Dependency

Each Chrome release may introduce new features or modifications, requiring an updated ChromeDriver binary to interact with it effectively. The ChromeDriver binary is specifically designed to support a specific range of Chrome versions, ensuring compatibility. As an example:

• ChromeDriver v84.0.4147.30 supports Chrome version 84
• ChromeDriver v79.0.3945.36 supports Chrome version 79

Inevitability of ChromeDriver Updates

Regrettably, the answer to the question is a resounding "no."

The mismatch between an outdated ChromeDriver and an updated Chrome browser inevitably leads to script failures. This is because the ChromeDriver is not equipped to handle the new browser functionalities or changes introduced in the latest Chrome version.

Disabling Chrome updates is not a recommended solution as it could compromise your system's security and browser performance. Therefore, regular updates to your ChromeDriver binary are crucial to maintain compatibility with the automated tasks you are performing using Selenium.

The above is the detailed content of Can Automation with Selenium Survive Automatic Chrome Updates?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!