Introduction
In web automation, the challenges posed by security bots have become increasingly prevalent. This article aims to guide you through a strategic approach – using custom user agents in Selenium Python and Playwright Python – to navigate the hurdles these security measures present. Security bots are designed to detect and later prevent automated activities, impacting the effectiveness of test automation efforts.
Using a unique user agent allows automated tests to interact with websites after aligning with security requirements to circumvent bot detection, whether internal or from third-party API providers.
Implementing the Solution
Selenium
- chrome_options: This variable typically holds an instance of ChromeOptions, which is a class in Selenium used to customize the behavior of the Chrome browser when it’s launched via Selenium.
- add_argument: This method is used to add command-line arguments to the options. In this case, it adds a user-agent argument.
link to the project - with complete code examples.
Playwright
This Pytest fixture is designed to set up the arguments for a Playwright browser context, specifically in the context of a session. Let’s break down the code:
@pytest.fixture(scope=“session”): This is a Pytest decorator that defines a fixture, which is essentially a way to set up or configure resources before running tests. The scope=“session” parameter means that this fixture will be executed once per test session.
- browser_context_args: This is a parameter that represents the default browser context arguments. It’s a common practice to pass existing context arguments to the fixture to extend or modify them.
- The return statement line combines the existing browser context arguments with an additional argument for the user agent. It uses the ** (dictionary unpacking) syntax to merge dictionaries. The user agent value is used to set the user agent for Playwright browser context.
link to the project - with complete code examples.
In conclusion
Adapting user agents elevates web automation, ensuring seamless security compliance.
Happy testing!