I’m having trouble with my automated tests when running them in a Docker environment. The tests work perfectly on my local machine both in regular and headless mode, but when I deploy them to a Docker container, I can’t switch between browser windows or tabs.
Here are my current browser configuration settings:
browserOptions.addArguments("--headless=new");
browserOptions.addArguments("--disable-extensions");
browserOptions.addArguments("--disable-gpu");
browserOptions.addArguments("--no-sandbox");
browserOptions.addArguments("--incognito");
browserOptions.addArguments("--disable-application-cache");
browserOptions.addArguments("--disable-dev-shm-usage");
The strange thing is that all my other test cases run fine in the container. Only the window switching functionality breaks down. I’ve tried various approaches but nothing seems to work.
Has anyone faced similar issues with browser window management in containerized environments? What additional configuration might be needed to make window switching work properly in Docker?
Had this exact issue six months ago and wasted way too much time on it. Your browser arguments aren’t the problem - they’re standard Docker setup. What fixed it for me was adding explicit waits after window operations and better window handle management. Docker’s timing between window creation and handle availability is totally different from local execution. I wrapped my window switching code with WebDriverWait conditions that check for the expected number of handles before switching. Also found that window operations that seem instant locally can take several seconds in containerized Chrome headless. Add a brief pause after actions that trigger new windows and verify your handles are actually created before switching to them.
Had the same issue last month - drove me nuts. Docker’s memory limits mess with window handles in headless mode, causing garbage collection problems. Add --memory=2g to your docker run command and throw --single-process in your Chrome args. Multi-process Chrome fights with containers. Also, switch your code to use window names instead of handles if you’re not already - way more reliable in containerized Chrome.
Hit this exact problem during a major deployment last year. Docker’s process isolation messes with how Chrome handles multiple windows in headless mode. Your config looks fine, but try adding --disable-web-security and --disable-features=VizDisplayCompositor for multi-window stuff. The containerized environment doesn’t always register window creation events properly, so the driver loses track of available handles. I fixed it by adding a retry mechanism when getting window handles and validating each window switch actually worked. Docker’s resource limits can cause window switching timeouts that don’t happen locally - bump up your implicit wait times for window operations.