# Desired Capabilities
Desired capabilities are used in Selenium to configure browser and device-specific options when requesting a session from a remote WebDriver. It falls under the topic of cross-browser testing.
**What is Cross Browser Testing? ๐ป๐**
Cross-browser testing is the practice of testing your website or application across different browsers, operating systems, and devices.
**Why is it Important? โ **
* ๐ Users access your site on different browsers.
* ๐ค Rendering issues can occur on specific browsers.
* ๐ Browser inconsistencies can cause bugs.
* ๐ Ensures site works correctly everywhere.
**Common Browsers to Test ๐ป**
* ๐ฆ Firefox
* ๐ Safari
* ๐ Chrome
* ๐ Internet Explorer / Edge
* ๐ค Headless browsers
**Common Testing Strategies ๐งช**
* ๐ Manual testing on different browsers
* ๐ค Automated testing with multiple browsers
* โ๏ธ Use cloud based browser testing tools
**Key Benefits โ **
* ๐ โโ๏ธ Avoid browser-specific bugs
* ๐ฏ Ensure consistent experience
* ๐ Improve quality
* ๐ก๏ธ Reduce technical debt
* ๐ Optimize conversion rates
Make sure to test across browsers for happy users everywhere! ๐๐
## Some key points about desired capabilities:
* They are a set of key-value pairs that define configuration options for a browser or device when creating a remote WebDriver session.
### Commonly used methods of achieving desired capabilities
* `setBrowserName(String browserName)`sets the name of the browser to be used for the test.
* `setVersion(String version)`sets the version of the browser to be used for the test.
* `setPlatform(Platform platform)`sets the operating system to be used for the test.
* `setCapability(String key, String value)`sets a specific capability for the test.
* `setAcceptInsecureCerts(boolean acceptInsecureCerts)`sets whether to accept insecure SSL certificates.
* `setHeadless(boolean headless)`sets whether to run the browser in headless mode.
* `setProxy(Proxy proxy)`sets the proxy to be used for the test.
* `setPageLoadStrategy(PageLoadStrategy strategy)`sets the page load strategy for the test.
* `setUnhandledPromptBehaviour(UnhandledPromptBehaviour behaviour)`sets the behavior when an unhandled alert is encountered.
* `setJavascriptEnabled(boolean enable)`: Sets whether to enable JavaScript in the browser
Desired capabilities are passed to the WebDriver when creating a session:
```java
DesiredCapabilities = new DesiredCapabilities();
caps.setCapability(CapabilityType.BROWSER_NAME, "chrome");
caps.setCapability(CapabilityType.VERSION, "latest");
WebDriver driver = new RemoteWebDriver(new URL("http://localhost:4444/"), caps);
```
* They enable cross-browser testing by allowing you to switch the browser or device for your tests.
* Different WebDriver implementations require different desired capabilities.
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