Troubleshooting Sahi Pro: Resolving Proxy, Session, Locator, and CI/CD Issues in Enterprise Automation

Details: Category: Testing Frameworks; By Mindful Chase; 29.Aug; Hits: 2

Sahi Pro is a widely used enterprise-grade test automation framework, particularly valued for its ability to handle complex web applications with dynamic elements, multiple browser sessions, and role-based access testing. Despite its strengths, large-scale usage of Sahi Pro in CI/CD pipelines and enterprise ecosystems can surface rare but critical issues. These include unstable object identification, session leakage, slow playback in heavy DOM environments, and integration breakdowns with build tools. Unlike lighter frameworks, Sahi Pro's proxy-based architecture and script runner design require deep understanding to diagnose and remediate failures effectively. This article explores advanced troubleshooting techniques for Sahi Pro, aimed at senior engineers and test architects managing enterprise automation suites.

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Background: Why Sahi Pro Troubleshooting is Complex

Sahi Pro works by injecting JavaScript into the browser through a proxy, enabling robust object identification even in dynamic UIs. While this reduces locator fragility compared to Selenium, the proxy layer, browser drivers, and server orchestration can become points of failure. In distributed test farms, misconfigured proxies, memory leaks, or session collisions can destabilize large test runs. Furthermore, when integrated into CI/CD pipelines with tools like Jenkins or Bamboo, timing mismatches between builds and Sahi execution often lead to flaky results.

Architectural Implications

Proxy Injection Model

Sahi Pro intercepts and modifies HTTP traffic to inject automation scripts. Network or SSL/TLS misconfigurations can break this flow, resulting in tests that fail to recognize elements.

Session Management

Each test typically spawns a browser session. Improper cleanup can leak sessions, consuming CPU/memory and affecting subsequent test runs.

Distributed Execution

Enterprise teams often scale Sahi Pro via multiple nodes. Network instability or mismatched configurations between controller and nodes can cause unpredictable failures.

Diagnostics and Root Cause Analysis

Step 1: Analyze Logs

Sahi Pro generates detailed logs under the logs/playback directory. Reviewing the exact step where playback halts often reveals object resolution issues or proxy errors.

Step 2: Inspect Browser Console

Check injected JavaScript and XHR requests. Console errors may indicate blocked resources or CSP (Content Security Policy) conflicts with the injected scripts.

Step 3: Verify Proxy Configuration

Run tests with verbose proxy logging to detect blocked requests or SSL handshake failures.

set SAHI_OPTIONS=-Dproxy.verbose=true
testrunner.bat scripts/testsuite.suite firefox

Step 4: Monitor Resource Utilization

High memory consumption in long test runs indicates browser session leaks. Use OS-level tools or JVM profiling to confirm leaks.

Step 5: Validate CI/CD Integration

Ensure that Jenkins agents or Bamboo tasks invoke Sahi Pro with correct environment variables. Misaligned PATH or JAVA_HOME values frequently cause "browser not found" errors.

Common Pitfalls

Unstable object recognition due to dynamically generated element IDs
Leaving browser sessions open after test completion
SSL interception errors caused by untrusted proxy certificates
Slow playback when automating Angular/React SPAs with heavy DOM changes
Flaky CI/CD executions caused by race conditions between build deploy and test run

Step-by-Step Fixes

Improving Object Recognition

Use Sahi Pro's relational APIs instead of fragile ID-based locators:

_click(_near(_button("Login"), _textbox("Username")))

Ensuring Session Cleanup

Configure post-test hooks to close browsers explicitly:

_closeBrowser();

Fixing Proxy and SSL Issues

Import Sahi Pro's root certificate into browsers and enterprise proxy trust stores. This resolves HTTPS interception errors.

Optimizing CI/CD Integration

Delay test start until deployment is confirmed. Use retry logic or health checks before invoking Sahi Runner:

testrunner.sh scripts/testsuite.suite chrome -threads 5 -baseurl http://staging-app/health

Scaling Distributed Execution

Synchronize node versions and configurations. Use monitoring to detect node failures early, and configure failover strategies in orchestrated test grids.

Best Practices for Long-Term Stability

Prefer relational APIs and business-level identifiers for robust element targeting.
Integrate test cleanup routines into frameworks to prevent resource leaks.
Automate certificate deployment across browsers to prevent SSL proxy issues.
Run regular load tests on the test framework itself to expose scalability bottlenecks.
Version-control all Sahi Pro scripts and config files to ensure reproducibility.

Conclusion

Troubleshooting Sahi Pro requires a deep understanding of its proxy-based model, session management, and distributed execution patterns. Failures often stem from overlooked details such as untrusted certificates, improper session cleanup, or CI/CD race conditions. By leveraging diagnostic logs, strengthening locator strategies, enforcing cleanup, and aligning CI/CD workflows, teams can achieve resilient large-scale automation with Sahi Pro. Long-term stability comes from treating test infrastructure as production-grade, complete with monitoring, governance, and automation of the testing framework itself.

FAQs

1. Why do Sahi Pro tests fail intermittently on dynamic web apps?

Dynamic frameworks like Angular/React frequently change element IDs. Use relational APIs like _near and _under for stability instead of brittle selectors.

2. How do I resolve SSL certificate errors in Sahi Pro?

Install Sahi Pro's certificate in browser trust stores and corporate proxies. This ensures HTTPS requests are intercepted and modified successfully.

3. What is the best way to prevent resource leaks in long test runs?

Always invoke _closeBrowser() at the end of scripts or configure teardown hooks. Monitor JVM and OS metrics for early signs of leaks.

4. How can I stabilize Sahi Pro in CI/CD pipelines?

Insert health checks and retry logic before launching test runs. This prevents test flakiness caused by deploying and testing simultaneously.

5. Can Sahi Pro handle distributed execution at scale?

Yes, but nodes must be consistently configured and monitored. Implement failover strategies and proactively test node resilience under load.

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