How to Set Up Selenium with Java/Python: Step-by-Step Guide

Selenium remains one of the most widely used automation frameworks for web application testing. Its flexibility, cross-browser compatibility, and support for multiple programming languages make it an ideal choice for QA engineers and automation testers. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the complete step-by-step process of setting up Selenium with both Java and Python, helping you get started quickly and efficiently.

???? What is Selenium?

Selenium is an open-source automation tool designed to automate web browsers. It supports multiple languages like Java, Python, C#, Ruby, JavaScript, and works across browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari.

Selenium mainly includes:

• Selenium WebDriver – browser automation

• Selenium Grid – parallel and distributed testing

• Selenium IDE – record and playback tool

PART 1: How to Set Up Selenium with Java

???? Step 1: Install Java Development Kit (JDK)

1. Download the latest JDK from the Oracle website or OpenJDK.

2. Install it and configure the JAVA_HOME environment variable.

3. Verify installation:

   java -version
   

???? Step 2: Install an IDE (Eclipse or IntelliJ IDEA)

For Selenium with Java, the most commonly used IDEs are:

• Eclipse

• IntelliJ IDEA

Download and install your preferred IDE.

???? Step 3: Download Selenium WebDriver Java Bindings

1. Visit the official Selenium website.

2. Download the Selenium Java Client library.

3. Extract the files and add them to your project’s build path.

Alternatively, for Maven projects, add the following dependency in pom.xml:

<dependency>
    <groupId>org.seleniumhq.selenium</groupId>
    <artifactId>selenium-java</artifactId>
    <version>4.21.0</version>
</dependency>

???? Step 4: Download Browser Drivers

Different browsers need specific drivers:

• Chrome → ChromeDriver

• Firefox → GeckoDriver

• Edge → EdgeDriver

Place the driver in a known path and set it in your script:

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

???? Step 5: Write Your First Selenium Test in Java

import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;

public class SeleniumTest {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.setProperty("webdriver.chrome.driver", "path/to/chromedriver");
        WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
        
        driver.get("https://www.google.com");
        System.out.println("Title: " + driver.getTitle());
        
        driver.quit();
    }
}

Congratulations! Selenium with Java is ready to use.

PART 2: How to Set Up Selenium with Python

???? Step 1: Install Python

Download and install the latest version of Python from python.org.
Check installation:

python --version

???? Step 2: Install pip (Python Package Manager)

Pip usually comes installed with Python. Verify using:

pip --version

???? Step 3: Install Selenium for Python

Run the following command in your terminal or command prompt:

pip install selenium

???? Step 4: Download Browser Drivers

As with Java, download the required drivers:

• ChromeDriver

• GeckoDriver

• EdgeDriver

No need to set PATH manually from Selenium 4.6 onward since Selenium Manager handles drivers automatically.

???? Step 5: Write Your First Selenium Test in Python

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By

driver = webdriver.Chrome()

driver.get("https://www.google.com")
print("Title:", driver.title)

driver.quit()

Your Selenium setup with Python is now complete.

???? Java vs Python: Which Should You Use?

Choose Java if you're working in enterprise ecosystems; choose Python if you want quick and readable automation.

Conclusion

Setting up Selenium with Java or Python is a straightforward process once you have the right tools and drivers. Java offers robust enterprise-level support, while Python provides simplicity and faster development. No matter which language you choose, Selenium remains a powerful tool to automate browser interactions and enhance your software testing workflow.