BrowserHub Module
BrowserHub runs and observes browser sessions on managed browsers, live or automated, without you maintaining a local Selenium grid.
You pick an operating system and a browser version, and the service allocates an instance for you. From there you either drive the browser yourself in the application, or point an existing Selenium suite at the hub and let it drive.
BrowserHub lives under the /browser URL prefix.
What You Can Do
- Browse the browser inventory by operating system, browser, and version.
- Start a live session and control the browser with your mouse and keyboard over a WebRTC video stream.
- Run automated Selenium and WebDriver sessions against the same pool, from CI or from your machine.
- Generate ready-to-paste W3C capabilities and client code with the Selenium Config Generator.
- Record network traffic during a session and download it as a HAR file.
- Capture screenshots and video recordings, and read browser logs.
- Upload test data and configuration files for your runs.
- Track browser usage and session analytics in reports.
- Set version retention policies that control which browser versions are kept available.
Session Types
| Type | Started from | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Live | The Browsers page, or the Add Browser dialog inside a session | Streaming video, mouse and keyboard control, logs, screenshots, recordings, network capture |
| Automation | A Selenium or WebDriver client pointed at the hub | Session record, logs, screenshots, recordings, network capture, test results |
Both types are backed by the same session model, so a finished session opens the same tabbed record either way; an automation session adds a Test Results tab.
Page Guide
| Page | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Dashboard | Fleet metrics, browser breakdown, recent activity, most used browsers |
| Browsers | The OS and version picker, provisioning, and active sessions |
| Live Testing | The live session list and the session detail workspace |
| Automated Testing | Selenium and WebDriver session runs and their detail view |
| Files | The file repository for test data and configuration files |
| Reports | Browser usage and live test analytics |
| Settings | API keys, the Selenium Config Generator, and version policies |
Relationship to MobileHub
BrowserHub reuses a large part of the MobileHub implementation. The session detail workspace, the artifact panels, the file repository, the report charts, and the API Keys tab are the same components, filtered to browser resources.
Where a screen behaves the same way in both modules, this documentation says so and links across rather than repeating the description. See MobileHub for the shared session model and the parts BrowserHub inherits.
BrowserHub does not have the MobileHub screens that only make sense for phones: there is no Appium inspector, no device metrics panel, no device file browser, and no reservations.
Permissions
| Permission | Gates |
|---|---|
browserhub:session:create | Starting a session from a version cell, and uploading a file |
browserhub:session:delete | Deleting a file from the repository |
browserhub:session:read | Opening any BrowserHub page under /browser |
There is no separate update permission, so stopping a session rides on the same key that started it.
The browser farm is an external service reached through the API gateway. The controls described here are client-side affordances: buttons are hidden or disabled when the permission is missing, but server-side enforcement is owned by that service and is not described here.
Where the Service Lives
The application host serves the pages under /browser.
The browser farm itself is reached through the API host, https://api.rabbitqa.com, under these gateway prefixes.
| Prefix | Used for |
|---|---|
/df/api/** | Browser inventory, capabilities, sessions, files, reports, retention policies |
/df/api/automation/** | Automation session data |
/df/wd/** | The W3C WebDriver endpoint your Selenium client connects to |
/df/ws/** | The WebSocket transport behind live streaming and network events |
The /df/ prefix and the df: capability namespace come from the shared Device Farm service, which serves both BrowserHub and MobileHub.
