How to Install Appium: Setting Up And Configuring For Mobile App Testing

Prerequisites for Appium 2 Installation

You must confirm that your machine satisfies the following system requirements before installing Appium 2:

Operating System

• Windows: Supports Windows 7, and later.
• macOS: Compatible with macOS 10.10 and later.
• Linux: Works on various Linux distributions such as Ubuntu, CentOS, and Fedora.

Understanding your operating system’s requirements is crucial not only for Appium but also for various other technical aspects. For insights into commonly asked operating system interview questions, check out our guide for essential tips and concepts.

The upcoming section will cover all the requirements for the correct functionality of Appium version 2.

Installing Appium 2

Check out these steps for Appium installation:

• Open the Command Prompt as an administrator.
• Run the command: npm install -g appium.
• After installation, execute appium in the Command Prompt to ensure Appium is working correctly.

Now let us check out these steps in detail.

Note: As Appium launched version 2 recently, there is a high chance that you will have to learn about Migrating From Appium 1.x To Appium 2.x . Consider Checking It Out!

Installing Dependencies

Appium framework depends on the npm package manager for its installation, so we have first to install node.js. After that, we will download some other requirements like Java Development Kit (JDK)/OpenJDK, Android SDK, and Xcode. We will see each installation process in detail.

Node.js

Since Node.js is the foundation of Appium, you must install it on your system. If Node.js is not installed on your system, you can install it by following these steps:

• Visit the Node.js official website.
• LTS (Long-Term Support) and Current are the two download options on the webpage. For stability, it is advised to download the LTS version unless you have a reason to use the Current version in particular.

• To get the installer for the most recent LTS version of Node.js, click the LTS download button.
• Locate the installer file in your Downloads folder or the area your browser specifies as the location to save downloaded files after the download is finished.
• Double-clicking the installer will launch it. You will be led through the installation procedure by the installer.
• Choose the installation settings based on the prompts and your preferences. Unless you have special requirements, you can accept the default settings.
• Node.js and npm (Node Package Manager) should be installed on your machine once the installation is complete.
• To verify the installation, open a command prompt or terminal window and run the following commands:

To check the Node.js version:

node -v

To check the npm version:

npm -v

Console Output:



If both instructions display the version numbers without any errors, Node.js and npm have been correctly installed.

Note: There are two major providers for Java Development Kit; one is from Oracle JDK, and the other is OpenJDK. You can install whichever satisfies your requirement.

Oracle JDK (Java Development Kit)

Appium 2 requires JDK 8 or later to be installed. So, If JDK is not installed on your system, then you can install it by following the steps:

• Visit the Oracle website’s JDK download page.
• There is a list of JDK versions currently available on the JDK download page. Select the proper operating system version. Use of the most recent stable version is advised.

• Select the download link corresponding to your operating system after checking the box to accept the license agreement.
• Locate the installer file in your Downloads folder or the area your browser specifies as the location to save downloaded files after the download is finished.
• Double-clicking the installer will launch it. You will be led through the installation procedure by the installer.
• Choose the installation settings based on the prompts and your preferences. Unless you have special requirements, you can accept the default settings.
• You should have the JDK installed on your machine once the installation is complete.
• Set the JAVA_HOME environment variable:

Windows:

• Open the System Properties, and go to the Advanced tab.
• Click on the Environment Variables button.
• Under System Variables, click the New button to create a new variable with the name JAVA_HOME and set its value to the JDK installation directory.

macOS and Linux:

• Open a terminal window and edit the .bashrc or .bash_profile file in your home directory.
• Run the following command in the terminal:

If you’re using bash, all you have to use the following command:

echo export "JAVA_HOME=\$(/usr/libexec/java_home)" >> ~/.bash_profile

If you’re using zsh (which probably means you’re running macOS Catalina or newer), then it should instead be:

echo export "JAVA_HOME=\$(/usr/libexec/java_home)" >> ~/.zshrc

• To verify the JDK installation, open a new command prompt or terminal window and run the following command:

java -version

OpenJDK (Open Java Development Kit)

The Java Platform, Standard Edition (Java SE) is implemented in OpenJDK (Open Java Development Kit), a free and open-source software program. It acts as a free, open-source replacement for Oracle’s Java Development Kit (JDK). The OpenJDK community, which consists of people, businesses, and organizations interested in advancing Java technology, is primarily responsible for developing the project.

Appium 2 requires JDK 8 or later to be installed. So, If JDK is not installed on your system, you can install it by following the steps:

Windows:

• Extract the contents from the ZIP archive to a desired folder.
• Now, Open the System Properties, and go to the Advanced tab.
• Click on the Environment Variables button.
• Under System Variables, click the New button to create a new variable with the name JAVA_HOME and set its value to the JDK installation directory.

macOS and Linux:

• Open a terminal window and edit the .zshrc or .bash_profile file in your home directory.
• Go to the location where the tar.gz file is located and run the following command to unzip the file.

tar -xf openjdk-20.0.2_macos-aarch64_bin.tar.gz -C $HOME/OpenJDK

Note: YOU HAVE TO HAVE CHANGE THE FILE NAME IF THE NAME IS NOT SAME FOR EVERY COMMAND.

Console Output:


• You can extract the path or use this OpenJDK/jdk-20.0.2.jdk/Contents/Home path to set the JAVA_HOME path.
• Run the command to change the directory to the root.

cd $HOME

• Run this command to add the PATH.

cat > .zshrc

• Add this line and press ctrl + c to terminate and save the PATH.

export JAVA_HOME=$HOME/OpenJDK/jdk-20.0.2.jdk/Contents/Home
export PATH=$JAVA_HOME/bin:$PATH


• This command will output the saved file.

cat .zshrc

Console Output:


• To verify the JDK installation, open a new command prompt or terminal window and run the following command:

Console Output:

Android SDK

Install the Android SDK and set the required environment variables if you want to automate Android apps. To install the Android SDK (Software Development Kit), follow these steps:

• Visit the official Android developer website.
• Click the Download Android Studio Flamingo button to download it. The official Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for Android development is called Android Studio, and it comes with the Android SDK.
• After clicking the button, a dialog box will open, scroll to the end of that box and download the file.
• Locate the installer file in your Downloads folder or the area your browser specifies to save downloaded files after the download is finished.
• Double-clicking the installer will launch it. You will be led through the installation procedure by the installer.
• Per your choices, follow the instructions and select the installation options. Unless you have unique requirements, you may accept the default options.
• You could be asked for administrator access to finish the installation during the process.
• Launch Android Studio once the installation has been completed.
• Click Next after selecting Standard Installation on the Android Studio Welcome screen.
• A list of the required installation components will appear on the next screen. The checkboxes next to Android Virtual Device (AVD) and Android SDK are selected. If necessary, select additional elements. Next, select Next.
• Alternatively, you can accept the Android SDK’s default installation location. To continue, click Next.
• You could be asked to accept licenses for the Android SDK components on the following screen. Click Next after reading the terms and checking the appropriate boxes to accept the licenses.
• The Android SDK and any components you’ve chosen will begin to download and be installed by Android Studio.
• After installation, You can start the Android SDK Manager from within Android Studio. To open it, select Configure > SDK Manager. Depending on your requirements, you can get various SDK platforms, tools, and system images from the SDK Manager.
• Setting up Environment Variables

Windows:

• Open the System Properties, and go to the Advanced tab.
• Click on the Environment Variables button.
• Under System Variables, click the New button to create a new variable with the name ANDROID_HOME and set the variable value to the Android SDK installation directory (e.g., C:\Android\sdk).
• Click “OK” to save the changes.

macOS and Linux:

• Open a terminal window and edit the .bashrc or .bash_profile file in your home directory.
• Add the following line at the end of the file:

export ANDROID_HOME="/path/to/android-sdk"

Note: replace “/path/to/android-sdk” with the actual JDK installation directory.

Using Android Studio, the Android SDK has been installed successfully. The tools, libraries, and system images required for creating and testing Android apps using Appium are provided by the Android SDK.

If you prefer to test your application on a virtual device, then you need to set up an Android Emulator. Learn what an Android emulator is, its advantages, and how to set one up by watching the video.

Xcode

You must install Xcode on macOS to automate iOS apps. Xcode is a product of Apple, so it will only run and be installed on Apple devices like MacBooks and iMacs.

To install Xcode on macOS, follow these steps:

• Access the App Store on your Mac.
• In the App Store’s top-right search field, type Xcode to find it.
• The Apple-developed Xcode app should appear when you click the Xcode search result.
• Click the Get or Download button on the Xcode app page.
• To start the download process, enter your Apple ID and password if requested to start the download process.
• The App Store will download and install Xcode on your macOS device. Given the size of Xcode, this procedure can take some time.
• Xcode is located in your Applications folder after installation.
• Open Xcode, then follow the setup instructions that occur. This can entail agreeing to license agreements or giving more permissions.
• You can also receive a request from Xcode to install new software or upgrades. To continue installing these components, adhere to the on-screen directions.
• Xcode on your macOS system will be available for usage after the initial setup.

Note: Installing Xcode also requires installing command-line tools, such as the iOS Simulator, which is used to run simulations of iOS apps when running Appium tests.

Your macOS system’s Xcode program has been installed successfully. Xcode provides the essential emulators, compilers, and tools for creating and testing iOS apps with Appium.

It’s crucial to follow the installation guidelines for your operating system and the official Appium documentation for any upgrades or additional specifications. The handbook offers comprehensive instructions for setting up Appium on several platforms.

Downloading and Setting Up Appium

Now that all the required software is installed. We are all set to install Appium and start automation testing.

NPM (Node Package Manager)

To install Appium through NPM, run the following command prompt in the terminal:

npm install -g appium

Appium Desktop – a GUI application

Appium 2.0 deprecated the functionality of downloading Appium using the GUI version. So the only option for downloading is using the NPM package manager.

Installing Other Dependencies

Apart from Appium, you also need some other tools like UiAutomator2, XCUITest, Appium client, Appium Plugins, and Appium Inspector to interact with your application.

UiAutomator2

User interface (UI) interactions and testing on Android devices are automated using the testing framework and driver known as UiAutomator2. It is a component of the Appium framework and was created specifically for automating native and hybrid Android apps.

You can use the ‘official’ driver name for the UiAutomator2 driver to quickly install it using the Appium Extension CLI because the core Appium team maintains it.

appium driver install uiautomator2

It will look something like this:

XCUITest

Apple offers the XCUITest framework for automating the UI (user interface) testing of iOS applications. It is a component of Xcode, Apple’s integrated development environment (IDE), and was created exclusively for testing iOS apps. XCUITest enables testers to interact with the UI parts of the app, carry out tasks like tapping, scrolling, and text input, and verify the UI’s intended behavior.

To install XCUITest run the following command:

appium driver install xcuitest

It will look something like this:

If you don’t want any hassle in setting up Environment Variables and running multiple commands you can also use appium-installer.

npm install -g appium-installer

It will look something like this:

You can run the installer using the following command:

appium-installer

After running the following command it will provide various set up options:

You can refer to the following video if you are stuck in between the installation process.

Appium Client

To communicate with the Appium server and automate mobile app testing in multiple programming languages, Appium provides several client libraries. The following list of well-liked Appium client libraries:

• Java: “Appium Java Client” is the name of the Appium Java client library. It offers tools and techniques for creating Java test scripts for apps for iOS and Android.

To install the Appium client for Java:

Maven: mvnrepository

Add the following to pom.xml file:

<dependency>
  <groupId>io.appium</groupId>
  <artifactId>java-client</artifactId>
  <version>8.5.1</version>
  <scope>test</scope>
</dependency>

Gradle:

Add the following to build.gradle file:

dependencies {
  testImplementation 'io.appium:java-client:8.5.1'
}

• Python: Appium’s Python client library is referred to as “Appium-Python-Client.” It enables you to create Python test scripts for iOS and Android apps.

To install the Appium client for Python you can run the following command:

pip install Appium-Python-Client

Console Output:


• JavaScript: “WebdriverIO” and “wd” (WebdriverJS) are official client libraries for JavaScript provided by Appium. With the aid of these libraries, you can create JavaScript test scripts for both iOS and Android apps.

To install the Appium client for JavaScript, you can run the following command:

npm i --save-dev webdriverio

Console Output:


• Ruby: Appium’s Ruby client library is known as “appium_lib.” It offers a Ruby-based interface to interact with the Appium server and automate the testing of Android and iOS apps.

To install the Appium client for Ruby you can run the following command:

gem install appium_lib
# or
gem install appium_lib_core

Console Output:


• C#: Appium offers a client library for the language dubbed “Appium.WebDriver”. You may use it to create C# test scripts for iOS and Android apps.

To install the Appium client for C#, you can run the following command:

dotnet add package Appium.WebDriver --version 4.4.5

Console Output:

Appium Plugins

Appium offers several plugins that increase the functionality and testing potential of mobile app automation. These plugins provide extra functionality and support for particular use scenarios.

Some of the useful plugins and commands for installing it are shown below:

• To install an officially supported plugin

appium plugin install images


• To install a new plugin from npm appium-device-farm

appium plugin install --source=npm appium-device-farm

Console Output:


• To install a new plugin from npm appium-dashboard

appium plugin install --source=npm appium-dashboard


• To list already installed plugins

appium plugin list --installed


• To update a plugin (it must be already installed)

appium plugin update device-farm


• To uninstall a plugin

appium plugin uninstall appium-device-farm

Console Output:


• To install a plugin from a local folder (useful for developers)

appium plugin install --source=local /Users/me/sources/images

A complete list of third-party and official plugins can be found in the most recent Appium 2.0 documentation.

Appium Inspector

With the help of the Appium Inspector tool, you may examine and interact with a mobile application’s user interface (UI) components. It offers a graphical user interface (GUI) so that you may inspect individual pieces, view the app’s UI hierarchy, and get an ID, Accessibility ID, ClassName, or XPath as locators in Appium for automation. You can use the Appium Inspector online version using inspector.appiumpro.com. Refer to our detailed blog on Appium Inspector.

Note: Boost your efficiency by ultimate guide of Appium Commands Cheat Sheet for Developers.