Hence testers are forced to use GeckoDriver if they want to run automated tests on Mozilla Firefox version 47.0+. The Firefox driver used in earlier versions of Mozilla Firefox will be discontinued, and only the GeckoDriver implementation would be used. Selenium Webdriver version 2.53 is not compatible with Mozilla Firefox version 47.0+. Firefox will understand the commands transmitted in the form of Marionette protocol and executes them. Selenium uses W3C Webdriver protocol to send requests to GeckoDriver, which translates them into a protocol named Marionette. After Selenium 3, testers need to initialize the script to use Firefox using GeckoDriver explicitly. In short, Gecko driver acts as a link between Selenium Web Driver tests and Mozilla Firefox browser.īefore Selenium 3, Mozilla Firefox browser was the default browser for Selenium. Gecko driver acts as a proxy between Web Driver enabled clients(Eclipse, Netbeans, etc.) and Mozilla Firefox browser.
The term Gecko stands for a Web Browser engine that is inbuilt within Mozilla Firefox browser.
