Selenium 4 Cheatsheet: Essential Automation Guide – 2025

Selenium 4 brings a host of game-changing features that modernize test automation frameworks worldwide. With India’s booming software testing industry and growing demand for skilled automation engineers, mastering Selenium 4 is your gateway to career success.

This guide targets software testers, QA engineers, and SDETs aged 22-35 striving to master Selenium 4’s power—whether you are stepping up from manual testing or enhancing existing automation suites.

What’s New in Selenium 4?

Feature	Description	Code Snippet / Example
W3C WebDriver Protocol	Standardized browser-driver communication for improved stability and cross-browser consistency.	java WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver(); driver.get("https://cms.qabash.com");
Relative Locators	Find web elements by relative position: above, below, near, left, right — ideal for dynamic UI layouts.	java WebElement loginBtn = driver.findElement(with(By.tagName("button")).below(passwordField));
Enhanced Selenium Grid	Docker and Kubernetes support with TOML config files; scalable, reliable distributed test execution.	(Docker commands to launch hub and nodes)
Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP)	Direct browser control for network interception, debugging, and performance insights integrated into WebDriver.	java DevTools devTools = driver.getDevTools(); devTools.createSession();
Selenium Manager	Automatic management of browser driver binaries with zero manual configuration.	java WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver(); // No manual driver setup
New Window & Tab APIs	Open new browser windows or tabs programmatically within tests.	java driver.switchTo().newWindow(WindowType.TAB);

Core Selenium 4 Commands & Usage

Below is a comprehensive and up-to-date tabular reference of all essential Selenium WebDriver commands—including those introduced or modified up to July 2025—and a clear marking of deprecated/obsolete commands with examples and preferred replacements.

Master List of Selenium Commands (2025) with Deprecated (❌) and Examples

Category	Command / Method	Example	Deprecated?	Notes / Replacement / Comments
Browser Control	driver.get(String url)	driver.get(“https://cms.qabash.com“)	No	Launches URL
	driver.getTitle()	String title = driver.getTitle()	No	Gets the page title
	driver.getCurrentUrl()	String url = driver.getCurrentUrl()	No	Gets current URL
	driver.getPageSource()	String html = driver.getPageSource()	No	Gets entire page source
	driver.close()	driver.close()	No	Closes current browser window
	driver.quit()	driver.quit()	No	Closes all browser windows, ends session
Navigation	driver.navigate().back()	driver.navigate().back()	No	Back in browser history
	driver.navigate().forward()	driver.navigate().forward()	No	Forward in browser history
	driver.navigate().refresh()	driver.navigate().refresh()	No	Refresh page
	driver.navigate().to(String url)	driver.navigate().to(“https://cms.qabash.com“)	No	Alternate navigation
Element Location	driver.findElement(By.id(“id”))	driver.findElement(By.id(“username”))	No	Standard element lookup
	driver.findElement(By.name(“name”))	driver.findElement(By.name(“email”))	No
	driver.findElement(By.className(“c”))	driver.findElement(By.className(“profile”))	No
	driver.findElement(By.xpath(“xpath”))	driver.findElement(By.xpath(“//button”))	No
	driver.findElement(By.cssSelector(“selector”))	driver.findElement(By.cssSelector(“.menu”))	No
	driver.findElement(By.linkText(“text”))	driver.findElement(By.linkText(“Sign In”))	No
	driver.findElement(By.partialLinkText(“txt”))	driver.findElement(By.partialLinkText(“Sign”))	No
Relative Locators	with(By…).above(elem)	with(By.tagName(“button”)).above(passwordField)	No	New in Selenium 4
	with(By…).below(elem)	with(By.tagName(“input”)).below(userField)	No
	with(By…).toLeftOf(elem)	with(By.tagName(“button”)).toLeftOf(submitButton)	No
	with(By…).toRightOf(elem)	with(By.tagName(“button”)).toRightOf(cancelButton)	No
	with(By…).near(elem)	with(By.tagName(“img”)).near(usernameField)	No
Element Interact	element.click()	element.click()	No	Clicks element
	element.sendKeys(“text”)	element.sendKeys(“password”)	No	Types text
	element.clear()	element.clear()	No	Clears field
	element.getText()	String text = element.getText()	No	Gets visible text
	element.getAttribute(“attr”)	String a = element.getAttribute(“href”)	No	Gets attribute
	element.isDisplayed()	boolean vis = element.isDisplayed()	No	Checks display
	element.isEnabled()	boolean en = element.isEnabled()	No	Checks enabled
	element.isSelected()	boolean sel = element.isSelected()	No	For checkboxes/radios
	element.submit()	element.submit()	No	Submits a form
Windows/Tabs	driver.switchTo().window(handle)	driver.switchTo().window(windowHandle)	No	Changes to window/tab
	driver.getWindowHandles()	Set<String> handles = driver.getWindowHandles()	No	Gets all open handles
	driver.switchTo().newWindow(WindowType.TAB)	driver.switchTo().newWindow(WindowType.TAB)	No	Opens new tab/window (S4+)
Frames/Alerts	driver.switchTo().frame(int/name/element)	driver.switchTo().frame(0)	No	Switches to frame
	driver.switchTo().defaultContent()	driver.switchTo().defaultContent()	No	Returns to main DOM
	driver.switchTo().alert()	driver.switchTo().alert().accept()	No	Handles JS alerts
Waits	driver.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait(Duration)	driver.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait(Duration.ofSeconds(10))	No	Use Duration, NOT TimeUnit as of Selenium 4
	WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, Duration.ofSeconds(10));	wait.until(ExpectedConditions.visibilityOf(element));	No	Explicit wait
	driver.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait(long, TimeUnit)	driver.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait(10, TimeUnit.SECONDS)	❌ Yes	Deprecated. Use Duration only ()
Advanced / API	JavascriptExecutor, executeScript	((JavascriptExecutor)driver).executeScript(“window.scrollBy(0,100)”)	No	Runs JS on page
	Actions object	new Actions(driver).contextClick(elem).perform()	No	Mouse/key complex interactions
DevTools/CDP	driver.getDevTools()	DevTools devTools = driver.getDevTools();	No	Direct Chrome DevTools (S4+)
Options API	DesiredCapabilities cap = …	DesiredCapabilities capabilities = new DesiredCapabilities();	❌ Yes	Deprecated. Use browser-specific Options (ChromeOptions, etc)
	options.merge(capabilities)	ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions(); options.merge(caps);	No	In S4, merged options must be assigned, doesn’t mutate object
Grid/Remote	RemoteWebDriver	new RemoteWebDriver(new URL(hubUrl), options)	No	For Selenium Grid
Miscellaneous	FindsBy (interface)	—	❌ Yes	Internal, replaced with FindElement/FindElements
	setLegacy	options.setLegacy(true);	❌ Yes	Removed—use GeckoDriver
	executable_path (Python)	driver = webdriver.Chrome(executable_path=”chromedriver”)	❌ Yes	Deprecated, use driver.Service object
	AddAdditionalCapability (C#)	options.AddAdditionalCapability(“cloud:options”, opts, true)	❌ Yes	Use AddAdditionalOption
	BrowserType.FIREFOX	capabilities.setCapability(“browserName”, BrowserType.FIREFOX)	❌ Yes	Use Browser.FIREFOX

Code Examples of Deprecated & Modern Usage

// DEPRECATED: TimeUnit-based Implicit Wait (Do NOT use, will warn)
driver.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait(10, TimeUnit.SECONDS);

// REPLACEMENT: Use Duration
driver.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait(Duration.ofSeconds(10));

// DEPRECATED: DesiredCapabilities (Do NOT use unless legacy)
DesiredCapabilities caps = new DesiredCapabilities();

// REPLACEMENT: Use browser-specific Options
ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions();
// ...set options...
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver(options);

# DEPRECATED: direct path (Selenium Python)
driver = webdriver.Chrome(executable_path="chromedriver")

# REPLACEMENT:
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.service import Service
service = Service("chromedriver")
driver = webdriver.Chrome(service=service)

Expert Insight: Always check official docs for your Selenium version, as deprecated APIs may be removed entirely in future releases. Migrate away from DesiredCapabilities, FindsBy, and TimeUnit-based waits ASAP for stable, maintainable scripts.

• Use Duration, browser-specific Options, and always favor new Relative Locators, DevTools, and Window APIs.
• Selenium Manager (new) automates driver downloads—avoid manual path settings.
• All new and deprecated details are up-to-date as of July 2025.

Pro Tips for Selenium 4 Automation

• Prefer relative locators over brittle absolute XPaths to make your test resilient to UI changes.
• Use the Chrome DevTools Protocol integration in Selenium 4 for capturing network requests and performance metrics to add deeper validations.
• Leverage Selenium Manager to eliminate driver binary management and avoid environment-specific issues.
• Implement explicit waits with WebDriverWait and avoid Thread.sleep() to create stable and performant tests.
• Structure test code using Page Object Model (POM) to improve readability and maintainability.

Why Selenium 4 is Crucial for AI Testing Today?

Selenium 4 makes automation testing more powerful and maintainable with features like the W3C WebDriver protocol, relative locators, enhanced Selenium Grid, and Chrome DevTools Protocol integration. Combined with AI testing frameworks, it reduces test maintenance by up to 60%, helping testers adapt swiftly to UI changes and complex workflows.

Recommended AI Testing Tools for Selenium Integration

Tool	Category	Benefits	Recommendation
Testim	Self-Healing Web Tests	AI auto-fixes flaky locators, reduces maintenance	⭐ Recommended by QABash
Applitools	Visual AI Testing	Cross-browser visual regression with AI	⭐ Recommended by QABash
Mabl	Low-Code AI Automation	Natural language test creation & performance monitoring
AccelQ	Codeless AI Testing	ML-driven test automation for faster cycles

In our experience with QABash community, integrating these AI tools with Selenium 4 cuts test flakiness and boosts reliability significantly.

Step-by-Step Implementation Guide: Selenium 4 + AI Integration

// Initialize Selenium 4 driver and CDP session
ChromeDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
DevTools devTools = driver.getDevTools();
devTools.createSession();
devTools.send(Network.enable(Optional.empty(), Optional.empty(), Optional.empty()));

// Example: Use relative locator for more stable element finding
WebElement passwordField = driver.findElement(By.id("password"));
WebElement loginButton = driver.findElement(with(By.tagName("button")).below(passwordField));

// Visual validation with Applitools
Eyes eyes = new Eyes();
eyes.setApiKey(System.getenv("APPLITOOLS_API_KEY"));
eyes.open(driver, "QABash App", "Login Page Test");
eyes.checkWindow("Login Page");
eyes.close();

1. Setup Selenium 4 and AI tool SDKs with your project dependencies.
2. Write tests using relative locators and integrate AI visual or self-healing capabilities.
3. Leverage CDP for performance and network monitoring within your tests.
4. Run tests on cloud Selenium Grid 4 with Docker for scalable parallel testing.

Future Trends in AI Testing You Can’t Ignore

• WebDriver BiDi Protocol: Bi-directional real-time browser control enabling sophisticated telemetry and debugging.
• Natural Language Test Generation: Convert plain English test cases into executable automation scripts with AI.
• Predictive Flakiness Detection: ML models pre-identify likely failing tests to optimize test runs.
• Shift-Left AI: Integrate AI-powered testing within CI/CD pipelines for continuous quality and faster feedback.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What’s new in Selenium 4?
A: Selenium 4 introduces several major enhancements, including full support for the W3C WebDriver protocol for better cross-browser compatibility, new Relative Locators to find elements by their position relative to others, integration with Chrome DevTools Protocol for advanced debugging and performance monitoring, an improved Selenium Grid 4 with Docker support, and Selenium Manager which automatically downloads and configures browser drivers.

Q2: How do I use the Relative Locators feature?
A: Relative Locators allow you to find web elements based on their spatial position relative to other elements. For instance, you can locate a button that is “below” or “to the right of” another element, making your tests more stable against UI layout changes. Common methods include above(), below(), near(), toLeftOf(), and toRightOf().

Q3: How do I replace deprecated implicit waits in Selenium?
A: Instead of the older implicit wait that used TimeUnit (e.g., implicitlyWait(10, TimeUnit.SECONDS)), Selenium 4 requires you use the new Duration-based wait API like this: driver.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait(Duration.ofSeconds(10)). This provides a modern and type-safe way to specify timeouts.

Q4: How can I open a new browser tab in Selenium 4?
A: Selenium 4 adds a new way to open new tabs or windows using: driver.switchTo().newWindow(WindowType.TAB) for a new tab, or WindowType.WINDOW for a new window. This command opens the new context and switches focus to it automatically.

Q5: What is Selenium Manager?
A: Selenium Manager is a new feature that automatically manages your browser driver binaries in the background. This means you no longer need to manually download or configure paths for ChromeDriver, GeckoDriver, etc. Selenium Manager makes setup seamless and less error-prone.

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