sbvirtualdisplay

1.4.0 · active · verified Sun Apr 12

sbvirtualdisplay (current version 1.4.0) is a Python library that provides a customized virtual display for headless browser automation, primarily designed for use with SeleniumBase. It functions as a wrapper around Xvfb, Xephyr, or Xvnc programs, enabling browser tests to run in environments without a physical display server, which is particularly useful for Linux backend servers. The library is actively maintained with a steady release cadence.

Warnings

breaking Support for Python 3.7 was dropped in version 1.4.0. Projects requiring Python 3.7 or older must use an earlier version of sbvirtualdisplay.
Fix: Upgrade to Python 3.8 or newer, or pin sbvirtualdisplay to <1.4.0 if Python 3.7 is required.
breaking Support for Python 2.7 and Python 3.6 was dropped in version 1.3.0. The minimum supported Python version became 3.7 (and later 3.8 in 1.4.0).
Fix: Upgrade to Python 3.8 or newer. If older Python versions are necessary, use sbvirtualdisplay <1.3.0.
gotcha This library is primarily designed for Linux environments due to its reliance on the X Window System (via Xvfb, Xephyr, or Xvnc). It is not intended for use on Windows or macOS.
Fix: Ensure that a compatible X server (like Xvfb) is installed and available on the Linux system where sbvirtualdisplay is used. For macOS/Windows, consider native headless browser modes (e.g., Chrome/Firefox `--headless=new`) or other platform-specific solutions.
gotcha The underlying X server (e.g., Xvfb) must be installed on the system where sbvirtualdisplay runs. This library is a Python wrapper and does not install the X server itself.
Fix: Install `Xvfb` (or `Xephyr`/`Xvnc`) via your system's package manager (e.g., `sudo apt-get install xvfb` on Ubuntu) before using `sbvirtualdisplay`.

Install

pip install sbvirtualdisplay Install latest version

Imports

Display
```
from sbvirtualdisplay import Display
```

Quickstart

Initialize a virtual display with specified visibility and resolution, then execute browser automation code within its context. The context manager ensures the display is properly started and stopped.

from sbvirtualdisplay import Display

# Example usage with context manager (recommended)
with Display(visible=0, size=(1440, 1880)):
    # Code to run browser tests in a headless environment
    print("Virtual display is active, running tests...")
    # Example: driver = webdriver.Chrome(options=options)
    # driver.get("http://example.com")
    # ...
print("Virtual display is stopped.")

# Alternative usage with explicit start/stop
display = Display(visible=0, size=(1440, 1880))
try:
    display.start()
    print("Virtual display started, running tests...")
    # Example: driver = webdriver.Firefox(options=options)
    # driver.get("http://example.com")
    # ...
finally:
    display.stop()
    print("Virtual display stopped.")

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