What Is Vibium?
Jason Huggins, the unique creator of Selenium, Appium, and co-founder of Sauce Labs, is constructing his subsequent foundational testing device. He describes Vibium merely:
Vibium is Selenium Check Automation for AI. No matter we did with Selenium for the online, no matter we did with Appium for cellular, we’re doing with AI.
Vibium goals to be the following open-source customary for software program testing—designed from the bottom up for AI-driven growth and testing workflows.
* FYI this submit will probably be up to date as Vibium evolves. Additionally the insights on this article come immediately from Jason Huggins by way of his Check Guild Automation Podcast interview and his keynote at TestGuild IRL Chicago, the place he revealed Vibium Atlas for the primary time.
Why Vibium? Why Now?
Jason sees a transparent sample in his profession:
Selenium → Net testing
Appium → Cell testing
Vibium → AI-era testing
As AI turns into the dominant platform for software program growth, Huggins is creating testing infrastructure to experience that wave, simply as he did when internet and cellular grew to become mainstream.
The Technical Basis: WebDriver BiDi
At its core, Vibium implements the WebDriver BiDi specification—a WebSocket-based protocol that solves the flakiness and efficiency problems with the unique HTTP-based WebDriver.
Consider it as Selenium rebuilt with fashionable structure:
- Sooner communication by way of WebSockets as an alternative of REST
- Bi-directional real-time updates from the browser
- Constructed-in stability that Playwright and Puppeteer pioneered
Jason positions this as answering the query: “In case you needed Selenium to cease being flaky, what would you do in a different way?” The reply: begin with WebSocket-based communication.
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How AI Adjustments Testing with Vibium
Vibium would not simply add AI on prime of current automation—it essentially rethinks the structure:
- Clever Fallback As a substitute of Failure
Conventional WebDriver fails with “aspect not discovered.” Vibium can ask an AI for assist when caught, probably discovering different paths to proceed the take a look at reasonably than instantly failing. - Automated Utility Mapping
Vibium revives “model-based testing” by robotically producing software maps from actual consumer interactions—eliminating the handbook labor that beforehand made this method impractical.
Consider it like Google Avenue View to your software: By instrumenting your app and recording occasions as customers navigate by way of it, Vibium builds a navigational mannequin of workflows and paths. - Vibium Atlas: Visualizing Your App
Jason demonstrated Vibium Atlas—a visible interface exhibiting your software as nodes (pages) and edges (actions connecting them), just like Google Maps however for software program workflows. This is not simply fairly visualization; it is the muse for clever take a look at technology.
Open Supply Philosophy
True to his roots, Jason guarantees:
There must be an open supply reference implementation you could obtain and by no means have to offer me cash or use my service.
Vibium will supply:
- Free open-source libraries (JavaScript, Python, doubtless Java)
- Native/on-premise deployment choices
- Assist for open-weight LLMs (Llama, Qwen) alongside industrial choices
- Elective SaaS companies for groups wanting managed infrastructure
Breaking with Custom: Past Web page Objects
Jason is “killing web page object fashions” in favor of what he calls “MAP” (Mannequin for Adaptive Path)—a paradigm the place checks consistently adapt to modifications reasonably than failing when encountering sudden states.
As a substitute of brittle scripts that break when a button strikes, Vibium goals for “shark mode”—at all times shifting ahead, adapting to obstacles like cookie popups, e-newsletter modals, or format modifications.
The Imaginative and prescient: “Waymo for Net Apps”
Jason makes use of the metaphor of self-driving automobiles: “I need Waymo for internet apps. You simply get within the automotive, robotic takes the wheel and drives you to the shop”.
For testing, this implies asking business-level questions:
- “Can individuals purchase issues in my retailer?”
- “Can customers register for occasions?”
Slightly than micro-managing each click on and assertion.
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Goal Customers: Vibe Coders
Vibium is designed for the “vibe coding” technology—builders utilizing AI instruments like Claude Code, Lovable, or Cursor to construct purposes by way of pure language prompts reasonably than handbook coding.
As you construct with AI help and manually take a look at your app, Vibium data these interactions to robotically generate take a look at suites—making a suggestions loop between growth and testing.
Present Standing and Roadmap
Jason is clear about Vibium’s early stage:
- Alpha/preview part: The Chicago occasion in September 2024 marked the primary public demonstration of Vibium Atlas
- Coming quickly: WebDriver BiDi implementation with clever ready
- Placeholder packages: Accessible on NPM and PyPI however not but useful
- Staff constructing: Huggins is “Avengers-style assembling the staff” and actively looking for contributors
Why This Issues for Check Engineers
Expertise That Will Matter
- Area experience over coding prowess
- Immediate engineering and pure language specification
- Check orchestration reasonably than script upkeep
- Vocabulary mastery for efficient AI collaboration
Issues Vibium Goals to Clear up
- Check upkeep burden: Much less brittle, self-healing checks
- Flakiness: Constructed-in resilience by way of WebDriver BiDi
- Protection gaps: Automated mapping reveals untested paths
- Pace: WebSocket-based communication and clever ready
- AI integration: Native assist as an alternative of bolted-on options
Find out how to Comply with Vibium’s Improvement
- Web site: vibium.ai (at present below building)
- Social: Comply with Jason Huggins on LinkedIn and Bluesky (@hugs.bsky)
- Packages: Seek for “vibium” on NPM and PyPI (placeholders for now)
- Neighborhood: Interact with discussions on testing boards and conferences
The Title: Why “Vibium”?
Like Selenium (which was additionally a “dad joke” reference to Mercury), Vibium is deliberately playful. The title sparked dialog and a spotlight in ways in which earlier makes an attempt like “Valet” by no means did.
Whereas there was dialogue about calling this “Selenium 5.0,” Jason felt the Selenium model carried an excessive amount of baggage from years of rivals highlighting its weaknesses.
Wanting Forward
Vibium represents a brand new testing layer—what Huggins calls “end-to-end testing in lazy mode”—the place you deal with enterprise outcomes reasonably than implementation particulars.
Whether or not this imaginative and prescient absolutely materializes stays to be seen, however given Huggins’ monitor document with Selenium and Appium, the testing group is paying shut consideration.
Wish to study extra? Comply with the Vibium journey by way of Jason Huggins’ social channels and look ahead to package deal updates on NPM and PyPI.
