Web Browser Automation

Introduction#

Laravel Dusk provides an expressive, easy-to-use browser automation API. In Laravel, it is used for testing. In a console application, it is a great way to automate web tasks — scraping a page, filling out a form, or taking a screenshot on a schedule.

The console-dusk component makes Laravel Dusk available inside your Artisan commands.

Installation#

You may install the console-dusk component using the app:install Artisan command:

php application app:install console-dusk

Browsing From a Command#

Once the component is installed, your commands have access to the browse method. It accepts a closure that receives a browser instance:

<?php

namespace App\Commands;

use LaravelZero\Framework\Commands\Command;

class VisitLaravelZeroCommand extends Command
{
    protected $signature = 'visit';

    protected $description = 'Visit the Laravel Zero website';

    public function handle(): void
    {
        $this->browse(function ($browser) {
            $browser->visit('https://laravel-zero.com')
                ->assertSee('Laravel Zero');
        });
    }
}

Running the command will drive a real browser:

The full browser API — clicking links, filling forms, waiting for elements, and taking screenshots — is documented in the Dusk documentation on the Laravel website.

Note: Behind the scenes, this component uses the nunomaduro/laravel-console-dusk package. You will find further details there.