Skip to main content

Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.testdriver.ai/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

TestDriver provisions a fresh cloud VM for every test by default. This guide covers how to configure Linux and Windows machines, reduce startup time by keeping machines alive between runs, use provision scripts for repeatable setup, and install custom software on the fly.

​
Linux Machines

Linux is the default operating system. No extra configuration is required. 
import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
import { TestDriver } from "testdriverai/vitest/hooks";

describe("My Test", () => {
  it("runs on Linux", async (context) => {
    const testdriver = TestDriver(context);

    await testdriver.provision.chrome({ url: "https://example.com" });

    const result = await testdriver.assert("the page loaded successfully");
    expect(result).toBeTruthy();
  });
});

​
Common Linux Options

OptionTypeDefaultDescription
osstring"linux"Operating system
resolutionstring"1366x768"Screen resolution (Enterprise only)
e2bTemplateIdstring—Custom E2B template ID (see Self-Hosted)
keepAlivenumber60000Ms to keep VM alive after disconnect
reconnectbooleanfalseReconnect to last used sandbox
const testdriver = TestDriver(context, {
  os: "linux",
  resolution: "1920x1080",
  keepAlive: 5 * 60 * 1000, // keep alive 5 minutes
});

​
Windows Machines

Set os: "windows" to provision a Windows VM instead. Everything else works the same way. 
const testdriver = TestDriver(context, {
  os: "windows",
});

await testdriver.provision.chrome({ url: "https://example.com" });
Windows sandboxes use EC2 instances and take longer to boot than Linux (E2B) sandboxes — typically 1–3 minutes for a cold start. See Keeping Machines Alive below to avoid this cost on repeated runs.

​
Common Windows Options

OptionTypeDefaultDescription
osstring—Set to "windows"
resolutionstring"1366x768"Screen resolution (Enterprise only)
sandboxAmistring—Custom AMI ID (self-hosted)
sandboxInstancestring—EC2 instance type (self-hosted)
keepAlivenumber60000Ms to keep VM alive after disconnect
reconnectbooleanfalseReconnect to last used sandbox
const testdriver = TestDriver(context, {
  os: "windows",
  resolution: "1920x1080",
  keepAlive: 10 * 60 * 1000, // keep alive 10 minutes
});

​
Keeping Machines Alive Between Runs

Windows (and Linux) cold starts can be expensive if you’re iterating quickly. Use keepAlive + reconnect to reuse the same VM across multiple test runs.

​
Step 1 — Start the machine with a long keepAlive

// first.test.mjs
const testdriver = TestDriver(context, {
  os: "windows",
  keepAlive: 30 * 60 * 1000, // keep alive 30 minutes after this test ends
});

await testdriver.provision.chrome({ url: "https://example.com" });
// ... your test steps
When this test finishes, the sandbox stays running for 30 minutes instead of being terminated immediately.

​
Step 2 — Connect in subsequent runs

// second.test.mjs
const testdriver = TestDriver(context, {
  os: "windows",
  keepAlive: 30 * 60 * 1000,
});

await testdriver.connect({ sandboxId: "sandbox-abc123" });

// provision.chrome() is automatically skipped — Chrome is already open
await testdriver.find("Sign In button").click();
When connecting to an existing sandbox ID:
  • You reuse a specific running machine directly
  • You can continue from the app state created in an earlier test run
  • You should run within the previous test’s keepAlive window
You can also supply a sandbox ID directly: await testdriver.connect({ sandboxId: "sandbox-abc123" }). Use testdriver.getLastSandboxId() to retrieve the ID of the last sandbox for scripting purposes.

​
How keepAlive works

keepAlive is a duration in milliseconds. After the SDK disconnects, the server keeps the VM running for that long before terminating it. The default is 60000 (1 minute). Note: keepAlive: 0 currently falls back to the default disconnect grace period rather than terminating immediately, so use a positive duration when you want to control the grace window explicitly. 
const testdriver = TestDriver(context, {
  keepAlive: 0,           // currently uses the default 1 minute grace period
  // keepAlive: 60000,    // default — 1 minute
  // keepAlive: 600000,   // 10 minutes
  // keepAlive: 3600000,  // 1 hour
});
Machines kept alive beyond your test session continue to consume credits. Always set a keepAlive value appropriate for your workflow.

​
Using Provision Scripts

Provision scripts let you run arbitrary setup steps before your test starts — downloading fixtures, seeding a database, configuring environment variables, and more. Use testdriver.exec() to run shell or PowerShell commands directly in the sandbox.

exec() Reference

Full reference for running shell and PowerShell commands in the sandbox.

​
Linux setup script

await testdriver.provision.chrome({ url: "https://myapp.com" });

// Run a setup script from your repo
await testdriver.exec("sh", `
  curl -s https://myapp.com/api/reset-test-db -X POST
  echo "Test DB reset"
`, 30000);

​
Windows setup script (PowerShell)

await testdriver.provision.chrome({ url: "https://myapp.com" });

await testdriver.exec("pwsh", `
  $env:API_URL = "https://staging.myapp.com"
  Write-Host "Environment configured"
`, 15000);

​
Clone a repo and run a script

await testdriver.exec("sh", `
  git clone https://github.com/myorg/test-fixtures.git /tmp/fixtures
  bash /tmp/fixtures/seed.sh
`, 120000);

​
Installing Custom Software

You can install software at the start of a test using exec(). This works for any package available via apt, brew, choco, winget, npm, pip, or direct download.

​
Linux — apt packages

await testdriver.exec("sh", `
  sudo apt-get update -qq
  sudo apt-get install -y ffmpeg imagemagick
`, 120000);

​
Linux — Node.js tools

await testdriver.exec("sh", "npm install -g @playwright/test", 60000);

​
Windows — winget

await testdriver.exec("pwsh", `
  winget install --id=7zip.7zip -e --silent
`, 120000);

​
Windows — Chocolatey

await testdriver.exec("pwsh", `
  choco install googlechrome --yes --no-progress
`, 180000);

​
Download and run an installer

// Linux
await testdriver.exec("sh", `
  curl -L https://example.com/installer.sh -o /tmp/installer.sh
  chmod +x /tmp/installer.sh
  /tmp/installer.sh --silent
`, 300000);

// Windows
await testdriver.exec("pwsh", `
  Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://example.com/installer.exe" -OutFile "$env:TEMP\\installer.exe"
  Start-Process "$env:TEMP\\installer.exe" -ArgumentList "/S" -Wait
`, 300000);
Installing software at test start adds to your test duration. For software you use in every test, consider preloading it into a custom VM image via the Enterprise self-hosted plan.

​
Want Software Pre-Installed on Every Machine?

Installing packages at runtime works well for occasional or lightweight dependencies. But if you’re installing the same 5-minute setup on every test run, you’re wasting time and credits. With the Self-Hosted Enterprise plan you get access to our golden VM base image and Packer scripts, so you can bake your applications, dependencies, and configuration directly into a custom AMI. Tests spin up with everything already installed — zero setup time.

Self-Hosted Enterprise

Preload software, configure custom hardware, and run unlimited tests with a flat license fee. Our team assists with deployment and setup.