Fixtures for browser setup/teardown in Selenium Python - Build an Automation Script

Automate browser setup and teardown using fixtures

Preconditions (4)

Step 1: Create a pytest fixture that opens a Chrome browser before each test

Step 2: Navigate to 'https://example.com' in the browser

Step 3: Verify the page title contains 'Example Domain'

Step 4: Close the browser after the test completes

✅ Expected Result: The browser opens, navigates to the page, verifies the title, and closes cleanly after the test

Automation Requirements - pytest with Selenium WebDriver

Assertions Needed:

Verify page title contains 'Example Domain'

Best Practices:

Use pytest fixtures for setup and teardown

Use explicit waits if needed

Keep test code clean and readable

Close browser in teardown to avoid resource leaks

Automated Solution

Selenium Python

import pytest
from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.service import Service
from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.options import Options

@pytest.fixture
def browser():
    options = Options()
    options.add_argument('--headless=new')  # Run headless for faster tests
    service = Service()  # Assumes chromedriver is in PATH
    driver = webdriver.Chrome(service=service, options=options)
    yield driver
    driver.quit()


def test_example_domain_title(browser):
    browser.get('https://example.com')
    title = browser.title
    assert 'Example Domain' in title, f"Expected 'Example Domain' in title but got '{title}'"

The browser fixture sets up the Chrome browser before the test and closes it after the test finishes using yield. This ensures clean setup and teardown.

The test test_example_domain_title uses the fixture to open the page and then asserts the page title contains the expected text.

Running Chrome in headless mode speeds up tests and avoids opening a visible window.

This structure keeps tests clean, reusable, and avoids resource leaks by closing the browser after each test.

Common Mistakes - 3 Pitfalls

Not closing the browser after the test

Creating the browser inside the test instead of a fixture

Not using headless mode during automated tests

Bonus Challenge

Modify the fixture to accept a browser name parameter to run tests on Chrome and Firefox

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