I am working on automating an application with the Selenium framework in Java, utilizing a headless Chrome browser. The application requires OTP verification upon the first login from a new machine or browser (Chrome, Firefox, IE). After the OTP is validated, subsequent logins do not require it. I assumed that by entering the OTP through the console while using the headless browser, it would not prompt for the OTP again on future logins. However, the headless Chrome setup requests the OTP every time I access the site, even after providing the correct OTP during the initial login. Unlike Chrome, Phantom.js allows for this behavior, but due to other constraints, I can’t use it. What configurations can I adjust to make the headless Chrome operate like the other browsers in managing OTP? What capabilities should I include in my setup?
Faced with repeated OTP prompts in headless Chrome while using Selenium, it's crucial to address the session storage challenge. A headless mode can discard session data between runs, leading to repeated OTP requests. Thankfully, several solutions allow you to optimize this process:
1. Save and Reuse Cookies: Persist cookies to simulate a continuous session. Store cookies in your script after entering the OTP and reload them on subsequent sessions:
import org.openqa.selenium.Cookie;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;
import java.io.*;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;
public class CookieManagement {
private static final String COOKIE_FILE_PATH = "cookies.data";
public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
// Load cookies for continued sessions
loadCookies(driver);
driver.get("https://yourapp.com");
// After successful OTP
saveCookies(driver);
}
private static void saveCookies(WebDriver driver) throws IOException {
File file = new File(COOKIE_FILE_PATH);
FileWriter fileWriter = new FileWriter(file);
List<Cookie> cookies = new ArrayList<>(driver.manage().getCookies());
for (Cookie cookie : cookies) {
fileWriter.write((cookie.getName() + "=" + cookie.getValue() + ";\n"));
}
fileWriter.close();
}
private static void loadCookies(WebDriver driver) throws IOException {
File file = new File(COOKIE_FILE_PATH);
BufferedReader bufferedReader = new BufferedReader(new FileReader(file));
String line;
while ((line = bufferedReader.readLine()) != null) {
String[] parts = line.split("=");
Cookie cookie = new Cookie(parts[0], parts[1]);
driver.manage().addCookie(cookie);
}
bufferedReader.close();
}
}
2. Profile Management: Use a Chrome profile that persists data:
ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions();
options.addArguments("user-data-dir=/path/to/your/custom/profile");
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver(options);
This approach retains session data across different runs of your script.
3. Browser Capabilities: Ensure your capabilities include session initialization similarly across browsers.
By implementing these steps, your headless Chrome should behave more like your standard browser setup, retaining session identifiers and bypassing repeated OTP prompts.
To prevent repeated OTP prompts in headless Chrome with Selenium, try using a persistent profile.
ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions();
options.addArguments("user-data-dir=/path/to/your/custom/profile");
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver(options);
This keeps session data across runs. Additionally, mimic browser requests by setting desired browser capabilities and user-agent strings effectively.