Which proxy works best with WebdriverIO?
Residential proxies suit automation that acts like a visitor, with a sticky session for anything that logs in. For testing your own site from other countries, any plan with the right country works; Residential Lite is the cheapest.
Proxy settings for WebdriverIO: host, port and login
A BooProxies plan gives you four things: a host, a port, a username and a password. These are the values for Residential; the username and password are on your plan page.
| Host | resi.proxies.boo |
|---|---|
| HTTP port | 8080 |
| SOCKS5 port | 1080 |
| Username | USERNAME |
| Password | from your plan page |
The country and the session are chosen in the username, not in a separate setting. The generator on your plan page writes the username for you, and Targeting and sessions explains each part.
WebdriverIO proxy setup, step by step
- Start a local forwarder that adds the login:
gost -L=:8899 -F=http://USERNAME:PASSWORD@resi.proxies.boo:8080. - Point the browser at the forwarder in the capabilities.
WebdriverIO proxy example
wdio.conf.js
capabilities: [{
browserName: 'chrome',
proxy: { proxyType: 'manual', httpProxy: '127.0.0.1:8899', sslProxy: '127.0.0.1:8899' },
}],Replace USERNAME and PASSWORD with the login from your plan page. The example asks an IP-check address, so the output is the address your request left from.
Rotating or sticky sessions for WebdriverIO?
If WebdriverIO is acting as one visitor through several steps, use a sticky session so the IP address stays the same throughout. If each run is independent, leave the session out and every run starts from a new address.
A sticky username looks like this:
USERNAME-country-us-time-600-session-a1b2c3d4WebdriverIO proxy not working?
- A local forwarder that adds the login solves this. See proxies with a login in tools that only take IP and port.
- A
407error means the username or password was not accepted. Copy both again from your plan page, and check that nothing added a space or cut the username short. - If the IP address is in the wrong country, look at the username: the country code is part of it. More fixes.
Questions about WebdriverIO and proxies
Does WebdriverIO work with SOCKS5 proxies?
Not with a username and password: WebdriverIO can use SOCKS5 only without a login. Use the HTTP port, 8080, which works for both http and https sites.
Which BooProxies proxy should I use with WebdriverIO?
Residential proxies suit automation that acts like a visitor, with a sticky session for anything that logs in. For testing your own site from other countries, any plan with the right country works; Residential Lite is the cheapest.
Terms explained: headless browser, rotating proxy, sticky session, proxy authentication.
WebdriverIO is a product of its own makers. BooProxies is not affiliated with it; the name is used here only to say what this guide is about. Use it within the rules of the sites you work with and our acceptable use policy.