Debugging Options

You can use various logging options to debug your failed test cases and fix them with ease.

This document explains the capabilities for enabling the different debugging options that BrowserStack supports. Learn how to debug the running as well as the executed tests on BrowserStack.

Text logs

These are a comprehensive record of your test. They are used to identify all the steps executed in the test and troubleshoot errors for the failed step. Text Logs are accessible both from the Automate dashboard, as well as via our REST API to access text logs.

You don’t need to set any options for text logs, as these are enabled by default, and cannot be disabled.

Visual logs

These contain the screenshots that are auto-generated at every Selenium command that your code executes. Visual logs help with debugging the exact step and how the page was rendered when the failure occurred. They also help identify any layout or design related issues with your web pages on different browsers.

Visual logs are disabled by default. You can enable them by using the browserstack.debug capability.

Capability	Description	Expected values
`browserstack.debug`	Enable visual logs	A string. Defaults to `false` `true` if you want to enable the visual logs. `false` otherwise.

For example, this is how you enable visual logs:

// Enabling visual logs

DesiredCapabilities caps = new DesiredCapabilities();
caps.setCapability("browserstack.debug", "true");

// Enabling visual logs

var capabilities = {
 "browserstack.debug" : "true"
}

// Enabling visual logs

DesiredCapabilities caps = new DesiredCapabilities();
caps.SetCapability("browserstack.debug", "true");

# Enabling visual logs

$caps = array(
 "browserstack.debug" => "true"
);

# Enabling visual logs

capabilities = {
 "browserstack.debug" : "true"
}

# Enabling visual logs

caps = Selenium::WebDriver::Remote::Capabilities.new
caps["browserstack.debug"] = "true"

# Enabling visual logs

my $capabilities = {
 "browserstack.debug" => "true"
}

Video logs

Every test run on the BrowserStack Selenium grid is recorded exactly as it is executed on our remote machine. This feature is particularly helpful whenever a browser test fails, so you can see the entire test in action. You can access these videos from the Automate dashboard for each session. You can also download the videos from the Dashboard or retrieve a link to download the video using our REST API.

Video logs are enabled by default. Note that video recording increases the text execution time slightly. You can disable them by using the browserstack.video capability.

Capability	Description	Expected values
`browserstack.video`	Enable video recording	A string. Defaults to `true` `true` if you want to enable the video recording. `false` otherwise.

For example, this is how you disable video logs:

// Disabling video logs

DesiredCapabilities caps = new DesiredCapabilities();
caps.setCapability("browserstack.video", "false");

// Disabling video logs

var capabilities = {
 "browserstack.video" : "false"
}

// Disabling video logs

DesiredCapabilities caps = new DesiredCapabilities();
caps.SetCapability("browserstack.video", "false");

# Disabling video logs

$caps = array(
 "browserstack.video" => "false"
);

# Disabling video logs

capabilities = {
 "browserstack.video" : "false"
}

# Disabling video logs

caps = Selenium::WebDriver::Remote::Capabilities.new
caps["browserstack.video"] = "false"

# Disabling video logs

my $capabilities = {
 "browserstack.video" => "false"
}

Selenium logs

Selenium logs capture information about every Selenium command in your test script along with the browser preferences that you have configured. These logs provide insight into anything that might have led to your tests to fail. On the Automate dashboard, click the Other Logs tab to view the Selenium logs. You can also use the REST API to access Selenium logs.

Selenium Logs

Selenium logs are enabled by default. Set the browserstack.seleniumLogs capability to false to disable Selenium logs.

Capability	Description	Expected values
`browserstack.seleniumLogs`	Enable Selenium logs	A string. Defaults to `true`. Set to `false` to disable Selenium logs.

Appium logs

The Appium server generates Appium logs, which contain a detailed record of your Appium test session execution. If your test session fails, the logs can assist you in troubleshooting any errors. On the Automate dashboard, click the Other Logs tab to view the Appium logs. Appium logs can also be accessed via the REST API.

Appium Logs

Appium logs are enabled by default. To disable Appium logs, set the browserstack.appiumLogs capability to false.

DesiredCapabilities desiredCapabilities = new DesiredCapabilities();
desiredCapabilities.setCapability("browserstack.appiumLogs", "false");

var capabilities = {
	'browserstack.appiumLogs': 'false',
}

DesiredCapabilities capability = new DesiredCapabilities();
capability.SetCapability("browserstack.appiumLogs", "false");

$capabilities = new DesiredCapabilities();
$capabilities->setCapability("browserstack.appiumLogs", "false");

desired_cap = {
	'browserstack.appiumLogs': 'false'
}

desired_caps = {
    'browserstack.appiumLogs': 'false'
}

Console logs

Console Logs capture the browser’s JS console output at various steps of the test to troubleshoot JavaScript issues. You can retrieve Console logs using both the Automate dashboard, as well as the REST API to access console logs. Currently, this works only for Chrome browsers, and we will roll this out to other browsers soon.

Console Logs

Console logs are enabled by default and are set to errors. You can disable them, or change verbosity options by using the browserstack.console capability.

Capability	Description	Expected values
`browserstack.console`	Level of console logs to capture	A string. Defaults to `errors` `disable` to disable console logs. `errors` to capture errors. `warnings` to capture warnings and errors. `info` to capture info, warnings and errors. `verbose` to capture everything

For example, this is how you disable console logs

// Disabling console logs

DesiredCapabilities caps = new DesiredCapabilities();
caps.setCapability("browserstack.console", "disable");