testdriver:machine-setup

TestDriver provisions a fresh cloud VM for every test by default. This guide covers how to configure Linux and Windows machines, reduce startup time by keeping machines alive between runs, use provision scripts for repeatable setup, and install custom software on the fly.

---

Linux Machines

Linux is the default operating system. No extra configuration is required.

import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
import { TestDriver } from "testdriverai/vitest/hooks";

describe("My Test", () => {
  it("runs on Linux", async (context) => {
    const testdriver = TestDriver(context);

    await testdriver.provision.chrome({ url: "https://example.com" });

    const result = await testdriver.assert("the page loaded successfully");
    expect(result).toBeTruthy();
  });
});

Common Linux Options

Option	Type	Default	Description
os	string	"linux"	Operating system
resolution	string	"1366x768"	Screen resolution (Enterprise only)
e2bTemplateId	string	—	Custom E2B template ID (see Self-Hosted)
keepAlive	number	60000	Ms to keep VM alive after disconnect
reconnect	boolean	false	Reconnect to last used sandbox

const testdriver = TestDriver(context, {
  os: "linux",
  resolution: "1920x1080",
  keepAlive: 5 * 60 * 1000, // keep alive 5 minutes
});

---

Windows Machines

Set os: "windows" to provision a Windows VM instead. Everything else works the same way.

const testdriver = TestDriver(context, {
  os: "windows",
});

await testdriver.provision.chrome({ url: "https://example.com" });

Windows sandboxes use EC2 instances and take longer to boot than Linux (E2B) sandboxes — typically 1–3 minutes for a cold start. See Keeping Machines Alive below to avoid this cost on repeated runs.

Common Windows Options

Option	Type	Default	Description
os	string	—	Set to "windows"
resolution	string	"1366x768"	Screen resolution (Enterprise only)
sandboxAmi	string	—	Custom AMI ID (self-hosted)
sandboxInstance	string	—	EC2 instance type (self-hosted)
keepAlive	number	60000	Ms to keep VM alive after disconnect
reconnect	boolean	false	Reconnect to last used sandbox

const testdriver = TestDriver(context, {
  os: "windows",
  resolution: "1920x1080",
  keepAlive: 10 * 60 * 1000, // keep alive 10 minutes
});

---

Keeping Machines Alive Between Runs

Windows (and Linux) cold starts can be expensive if you're iterating quickly. Use keepAlive + reconnect to reuse the same VM across multiple test runs.

How it works

Every time the SDK successfully connects to a sandbox, it records the sandbox id in .testdriver/last-sandbox inside your project directory. The next test that opts in with reconnect: true reads that file and reattaches automatically — no manual id tracking required.

Provision calls (testdriver.provision.chrome(...), vscode(...), etc.) are skipped when reconnecting, because the application is already running inside the sandbox from the previous run.

Step 1 — Start the machine with a long keepAlive

// first.test.mjs
const testdriver = TestDriver(context, {
  os: "windows",
  keepAlive: 30 * 60 * 1000, // keep alive 30 minutes after this test ends
});

await testdriver.provision.chrome({ url: "https://example.com" });
// ... your test steps

When this test finishes, the sandbox stays running for 30 minutes instead of being terminated immediately.

Step 2 — Reattach automatically with reconnect: true

// second.test.mjs
const testdriver = TestDriver(context, {
  os: "windows",
  reconnect: true,            // ← reads .testdriver/last-sandbox
  keepAlive: 30 * 60 * 1000,
});

// No provision call — Chrome is already open from the previous run.
await testdriver.find("Sign In button").click();

Step 2 (alternative) — Reattach to an explicit id

If you need to pin to a specific sandbox (CI matrix, multiple chains in parallel, etc.) pass the id directly:

await testdriver.connect({ sandboxId: "sandbox-abc123" });

When reattaching to a sandbox:

• You reuse a specific running machine directly
• You continue from the app state created in the earlier run
• You must run within the previous test's keepAlive window

Chaining describe blocks within one test file

A common pattern is to break a long flow into focused describe blocks that share one sandbox — the first block provisions and signs in, later blocks reconnect and continue:

import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
import { TestDriver } from "testdriverai/vitest/hooks";

const KEEP_ALIVE_MS = 5 * 60 * 1000;

describe("step 1 — log in", () => {
  it("signs in and lands on the dashboard", async (context) => {
    const testdriver = TestDriver(context, { keepAlive: KEEP_ALIVE_MS });
    await testdriver.provision.chrome({ url: "https://example.com/login" });
    await testdriver.find("username input").click();
    await testdriver.type("standard_user");
    await testdriver.pressKeys(["tab"]);
    await testdriver.type("secret_sauce", { secret: true });
    await testdriver.pressKeys(["enter"]);
    expect(await testdriver.assert("the dashboard is visible")).toBeTruthy();
  });
});

describe("step 2 — add to cart", () => {
  it("reuses the logged-in sandbox", async (context) => {
    const testdriver = TestDriver(context, {
      reconnect: true,           // ← skip provisioning, reattach
      keepAlive: KEEP_ALIVE_MS,
    });
    await testdriver.find("Add to cart").click();
    await testdriver.find("cart icon").click();
    expect(await testdriver.assert("the cart has an item")).toBeTruthy();
  });
});

describe("step 3 — check out", () => {
  it("continues from the cart state", async (context) => {
    const testdriver = TestDriver(context, { reconnect: true, keepAlive: 30_000 });
    await testdriver.find("Checkout").click();
    expect(await testdriver.assert("the checkout form is visible")).toBeTruthy();
  });
});

A runnable copy of this pattern lives at examples/reconnect-sequential.test.mjs.

How keepAlive works

keepAlive is a duration in milliseconds. After the SDK disconnects, the server keeps the VM running for that long before terminating it. The default is 60000 (1 minute). Note: keepAlive: 0 currently falls back to the default disconnect grace period rather than terminating immediately, so use a positive duration when you want to control the grace window explicitly.

const testdriver = TestDriver(context, {
  keepAlive: 0,           // currently uses the default 1 minute grace period
  // keepAlive: 60000,    // default — 1 minute
  // keepAlive: 600000,   // 10 minutes
  // keepAlive: 3600000,  // 1 hour
});

---

Using Provision Scripts

Provision scripts let you run arbitrary setup steps before your test starts — downloading fixtures, seeding a database, configuring environment variables, and more. Use testdriver.exec() to run shell or PowerShell commands directly in the sandbox.

<Card title="exec() Reference" icon="terminal" href="/v7/exec"

Full reference for running shell and PowerShell commands in the sandbox.

Linux setup script

await testdriver.provision.chrome({ url: "https://myapp.com" });

// Run a setup script from your repo
await testdriver.exec("sh", `
  curl -s https://myapp.com/api/reset-test-db -X POST
  echo "Test DB reset"
`, 30000);

Windows setup script (PowerShell)

await testdriver.provision.chrome({ url: "https://myapp.com" });

await testdriver.exec("pwsh", `
  $env:API_URL = "https://staging.myapp.com"
  Write-Host "Environment configured"
`, 15000);

Clone a repo and run a script

await testdriver.exec("sh", `
  git clone https://github.com/myorg/test-fixtures.git /tmp/fixtures
  bash /tmp/fixtures/seed.sh
`, 120000);

---

Installing Custom Software

You can install software at the start of a test using exec(). This works for any package available via apt, brew, choco, winget, npm, pip, or direct download.

Linux — apt packages

await testdriver.exec("sh", `
  sudo apt-get update -qq
  sudo apt-get install -y ffmpeg imagemagick
`, 120000);

Linux — Node.js tools

await testdriver.exec("sh", "npm install -g @playwright/test", 60000);

Windows — winget

await testdriver.exec("pwsh", `
  winget install --id=7zip.7zip -e --silent
`, 120000);

Windows — Chocolatey

await testdriver.exec("pwsh", `
  choco install googlechrome --yes --no-progress
`, 180000);

Download and run an installer

// Linux
await testdriver.exec("sh", `
  curl -L https://example.com/installer.sh -o /tmp/installer.sh
  chmod +x /tmp/installer.sh
  /tmp/installer.sh --silent
`, 300000);

// Windows
await testdriver.exec("pwsh", `
  Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://example.com/installer.exe" -OutFile "$env:TEMP\\installer.exe"
  Start-Process "$env:TEMP\\installer.exe" -ArgumentList "/S" -Wait
`, 300000);

---

Want Software Pre-Installed on Every Machine?

Installing packages at runtime works well for occasional or lightweight dependencies. But if you're installing the same 5-minute setup on every test run, you're wasting time and credits.

With the Self-Hosted Enterprise plan you get access to our golden VM base image and Packer scripts, so you can bake your applications, dependencies, and configuration directly into a custom AMI. Tests spin up with everything already installed — zero setup time.

<Card title="Self-Hosted Enterprise" icon="server" href="/v7/self-hosted"

Preload software, configure custom hardware, and run unlimited tests with a flat license fee. Our team assists with deployment and setup.