Browser automation without a visible GUI - alternatives to Selenium

[aroberts]

I have developed a C# application that posts links to my social media account automatically. The issue is that it opens a browser window, which I would like to prevent. Since my interactions require JavaScript, using standard HTTP clients isn’t feasible.

Below is the code I’m currently using:

static void Main(string[] args)
{
    IWebDriver driver;
    FirefoxProfile profile = new FirefoxProfile();
    driver = new FirefoxDriver();
    driver.Navigate().GoToUrl("https://accounts.google.com/ServiceLoginAuth");
    driver.FindElement(By.Name("Email")).SendKeys("MYEMAIL");
    driver.FindElement(By.Name("Passwd")).SendKeys("MYPASSWORD");
    driver.FindElement(By.Name("signIn")).Click();
    driver.Navigate().GoToUrl("https://plusone.google.com/_/+1/confirm?hl=en&url=http://site.com/");
    System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(10000);
    driver.FindElement(By.ClassName("e-U-a-fa")).Click();
    Console.WriteLine("Done!");
    Console.ReadLine();
}

I’m looking for options in C#, Python, or PHP. Any recommendations for headless solutions?

[Harry47]

Had the same issue a few months ago - those constant browser windows were driving me nuts during development. Switched to headless Chrome with Selenium in C# and it solved everything. Just add ChromeOptions and set the headless argument to your existing code. Performance was way better too since there’s no GUI to render. Also tried Puppeteer Sharp, which is built for headless automation and handles JavaScript-heavy sites really well. It’s the C# version of Node.js Puppeteer. Syntax is a bit different from Selenium but not hard to pick up if you already know browser automation. Both kept all my original functionality while running completely in the background.

[DancingFox]

I used to rely on PhantomJS for this exact thing until it died. Now I’m using HtmlUnit driver with Selenium - works perfectly for headless automation in C#. No GUI, handles JavaScript, and you won’t see any browser windows pop up. Setup’s easy too - just grab the HtmlUnit driver package and swap out your FirefoxDriver initialization. Performance is solid since it’s not rendering anything. You should also check out Playwright - it’s got great C# support and was built specifically for modern web automation. Handles dynamic content way better than the older headless options and supports multiple browser engines. Either way, you’ll keep most of your existing Selenium code and ditch those annoying browser popups.