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Phantomjs

PhantomJS is an open-source headless web browser scriptable with JavaScript. It is used for automating web page interactions, testing, web scraping, and capturing website screenshots. PhantomJS implements web standards and runs the latest web technologies without requiring a visual browser.

What is Phantomjs?

PhantomJS is an open-source headless web browser based on WebKit. It is scriptable with JavaScript and used primarily for automating web page interactions, testing web applications, web scraping, and capturing website screenshots.

As a headless browser, PhantomJS implements web standards and runs the latest web technologies, but does not require loading a visible interface. It was created for supporting web development workflows that require a browser without needing a visual rendering.

Some key features and use cases of PhantomJS include:

  • Automating interactions with websites for testing or any task that requires simulating clicks, scrolls, form submissions etc.
  • Web scraping - extract data or content from websites in an automated manner
  • Capturing website screenshots across different resolutions, states and scenarios
  • Testing and monitoring webpage loading performance
  • Programmatic PDF generation from web content

PhantomJS is scriptable with JavaScript through an API for controlling browser interactions. It uses the WebKit layout and JavaScript engine from Qt WebKit for rendering web content internally. As PhantomJS is headless and lightweight compared to a full browser, it requires fewer computing resources for automation and testing scenarios.

While development on PhantomJS has ceased since 2018, there are forks like PhantomJS-Prebuilt available with security fixes and updates for continuing its use where applicable.

The Best Phantomjs Alternatives

Top Apps like Phantomjs

iMacros, Selenium, UI.Vision RPA, PhantomBuster, CasperJS, Cypress.io, puppeteer, Katalon Studio, httest, ActivIT Automatron, DalekJS, SlimerJS are some alternatives to Phantomjs.

IMacros

iMacros is a versatile browser automation and macro recording software for automating repetitive web tasks. It works by recording user actions into macros which can be played back later to imitate the same steps automatically. Some key features of iMacros include:Works across all major browsers - Chrome, Firefox, Internet...

Selenium

Selenium is an open-source automated testing suite for web applications across different browsers and platforms. It provides a playground for automating web-based application testing to test web apps across different browsers and platforms like Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari etc. It also provides an infrastructure for the W3C WebDriver...

UI.Vision RPA

UI.Vision RPA is a robust robotic process automation (RPA) software used to automate repetitive, manual tasks and processes across an organization. It simulates user actions to interact with applications, websites, enterprise systems, and software robots to perform a wide range of automated tasks.Key features include:User interface automation...

PhantomBuster

PhantomBuster is an open-source web automation and ad blocking application designed to provide users more control over their browsing experience. It works by using a headless browser engine to load web pages and then manipulates the content to remove ads, popups, and other annoying or unwanted elements.Some key features...

CasperJS

CasperJS is an open source web testing and automation tool written in JavaScript that uses headless browsing powered by PhantomJS. It provides a high-level API for scripting browser interactions and assertions that allows for automated testing of web applications without needing to open up an actual browser.Some key features...

Cypress.io

Cypress.io is an open source, front end automated testing tool that makes it easy to test anything that runs in the browser. Built specifically for modern web applications, Cypress allows you to write all types of tests: end-to-end tests, integration tests, unit tests, etc.Key features of Cypress include...

Puppeteer

Puppeteer is a Node.js library developed by Google which provides a high-level API to control headless Chrome or Chromium over the DevTools Protocol. It allows developers to automate browser testing and scraping tasks.Some key features of Puppeteer:Launch a browser instance programmatically with full control over browser settingsGenerate...

Katalon Studio

Katalon Studio is a comprehensive test automation platform for web, API, mobile, and desktop application testing. Here are some key details about Katalon Studio:User-friendly interface for creating automated test cases using Selenium/Appium for web/mobile apps, API testing, and desktop application testing.Supports multiple programming languages and frameworks...

Httest

httest is an open-source load testing and benchmarking tool for HTTP and HTTPS servers and web applications. It can generate high workloads to test the performance, scalability, and reliability of web servers, web services, and web applications.Some key features of httest include:Ability to simulate thousands of concurrent connections...

ActivIT Automatron

ActivIT Automatron is an infrastructure automation and configuration management platform designed for IT teams to manage and secure their server and system environments efficiently at scale. It provides capabilities for:Policy-based automation of infrastructure through easy to write automation policiesCentralized monitoring of system health, performance, security configsAutomated patch deployments across...

DalekJS

DalekJS is an open-source JavaScript automated testing framework used for cross-browser testing of web applications. It is built on top of Node.js and allows executing tests across browsers in a fast and stable manner.Some key features of DalekJS include:Cross-browser testing across Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari and...

SlimerJS

SlimerJS is an open source scriptable browser engine built on top of Gecko, the browser engine that powers Mozilla Firefox. It provides a JavaScript API that allows you to control a browser instance programatically for automation, testing, web scraping, and other purposes.Some key features and capabilities of SlimerJS include...