Headless browser testing is the process of evaluating software without utilizing the user interface or
graphical user interface. Without the need for a program to test the application, headless program
testing enables the analyzer to carry out cross-program testing with accuracy and efficiency. This
testing method works well in an environment of continuous integration since it scales well because
visual elements go unnoticed.
This type of software is capable of accessing every page on the website and transferring its material
to another program without displaying it to the user. When the headless software launches, the client
screen is blank since it functions as intended in the backend. The two systems run differently, but the
headless software can dissect and understand her webpages. Because of this, headless apps can express
the viewpoint of the main program without consuming memory or requiring expensive experimentation with
the main program's graphical user interface.
Being faster than standard programs is the goal of headless programming and headless testing. The time
it takes for a typical software to render HTML, stack CSS, and load JavaScript is insignificant because
it doesn't open the program's graphical user interface. Tests without heads can scale execution up to 15
times faster. A headless program might be the most effective strategy if the presentation serves as the
main viewpoint for your test system.
List Of Browsers That Support Headless Test
Headless Chrome
Odoo runs JavaScript test cases and tours test cases using headless Chrome. You can use Headless Chrome
to run Chrome without a full user interface. In light of this, you can execute your JavaScript test
cases in an end-client-like setting. We will present various bundles to execute JavaScript test cases
along with Headless Chrome.
Chrome 59 and later versions allow headless mode. Utilizing Chromium and the Blink rendering engine, it
delivers all of the most recent features of Web Stage to the command line. Without a head With Chrome,
you may change interactions with website pages, take screenshots, and convert website pages to PDF
files.
Headless Firefox
Headless testing is available for Mozilla Firefox versions 56 and higher. Instead of simulating a
browser experience across several devices, developers can now work with Mozilla's built-in APIs to run
Firefox in headless mode and test various scenarios. Without a head, Firefox makes use of W3C WebDriver,
SlimmerJS, and Selenium.
PhantomJS
A headless browser scriptable with a JavaScript API based on WebKit is called PhantomJS. It may be used
to take screenshots, automate pages, monitor networks, show users dashboard screenshots, perform unit
tests via the command line, and collect data from the internet. Nevertheless, PhantomJS is no longer
being maintained.
Google Puppeteer
Puppeteer, a headless browser, is a node library. offers a substantial degree of API for DevTools
protocol-based headless Chrome or Chromium control. Alternatively, you can switch to using Chromium or
full (non-headless) Chrome.
HTMLUnit
It refers to a "GUI-less program for Java programs." As with "typical" software, it shows HTML entries
and offers an API for creating pages, finishing structures, and connecting links.
Splinter
Python powers the headless program Splinter. It is used to test Python web apps and is available to the
public. It can be used, for instance, to automate browser tasks like opening a URL or interacting with a
Thing.
jBrowserDriver
A headless, WebKit-based, Java internet browser driver that is programmable and embeddable and complies
with the Selenium WebDriver specification.