Installing Selenium WebDriver in Python

 Selenium is one of the most powerful tools for automating web browsers. With its flexibility and support for multiple programming languages, it has become the go-to choice for testers and developers alike. Python, known for its simplicity and readability, pairs beautifully with Selenium to create robust and readable test scripts. In this blog, we'll walk through how to install Selenium WebDriver for Python and get started with web automation.

What is Selenium WebDriver?

Selenium WebDriver is a core component of the Selenium framework. It provides a programming interface to interact with web elements and perform operations like clicking buttons, filling forms, navigating pages, and validating outputs. WebDriver allows you to control a browser programmatically—essential for testing web applications.

Prerequisites

Before we install Selenium, make sure you have the following:

Python Installed:

  • You can download Python from the official website: https://www.python.org.
  • To check if Python is already installed, open your terminal or command prompt and type:

bash

python --version

  • If installed correctly, it will display the Python version.

Pip Installed (Python package installer):

  • Pip usually comes bundled with Python.
  • Check if pip is installed:

bash

pip --version

Installing Selenium WebDriver

Once Python and pip are ready, installing Selenium is a one-line command:

bash

pip install selenium

This command downloads and installs the Selenium library for Python from the Python Package Index (PyPI). After installation, you can verify by importing Selenium in a Python file or interpreter:

python

import selenium

print(selenium.__version__)

Downloading WebDriver for Browsers

Selenium needs a WebDriver executable to interact with the browser. Each browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, etc.) requires its own driver.

For Chrome:

Download ChromeDriver:

Go to https://sites.google.com/chromium.org/driver/

and download the version that matches your Chrome browser.

Set the Path:

Either place the driver in the same directory as your script or set the path explicitly in code:

python

from selenium import webdriver

driver = webdriver.Chrome(executable_path="path/to/chromedriver")

For Firefox:

Download GeckoDriver from: https://github.com/mozilla/geckodriver/releases

For Microsoft Edge:

Download EdgeDriver from: https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/tools/webdriver/

Writing Your First Test Script

Once everything is installed, try this simple script to launch a browser and open a webpage:

python

from selenium import webdriver


driver = webdriver.Chrome()  # Assumes chromedriver is in PATH

driver.get("https://www.google.com")

print(driver.title)

driver.quit()

This script:

  • Launches Chrome
  • Navigates to Google
  • Prints the page title
  • Closes the browser


Conclusion

Installing Selenium WebDriver in Python is a straightforward process. With Python's simplicity and Selenium’s powerful capabilities, you can begin automating web applications within minutes. Once you're comfortable with the setup, you can explore more advanced topics like element locators, waits, and test frameworks like PyTest or Robot Framework.

Start small, practice often, and soon you'll master the art of browser automation using Python and Selenium.

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Read More: Taking Screenshots with Selenium Python

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