Download and Install Appium 2 Server

Appium 2 Server is an open-source automation tool designed for mobile application testing. It facilitates cross-platform mobile app testing by providing a single automation API for both Android and iOS platforms. To download and install the Appium 2 Server, follow the official documentation and setup instructions to leverage its capabilities in creating robust and efficient mobile test automation frameworks.

What is Appium?

Appium is an open-source test automation framework used for automating native, hybrid, and mobile web applications. It allows the users to use frameworks like Selenium to test across multiple platforms such as iOS, Android, and Windows by leveraging the power of the Selenium web driver. Appium allows developers and testers to write automated tests using their preferred programming languages such as JAVA, python, C#, and more. Appium is majorly known for its cross-platform capability which enables the testers to test on both Android and iOS devices with the same API. Appium 2 is the latest major version of Appium which introduced a lot of new features and enhancements over the Appium 1. x versions. Following are some of the latest features:

1. Multiple Language support: Appium client libraries are available in various programming languages like Java, Python, JavaScript, C#, Ruby, and much more which makes it one of the best mobile application testing open source tools.
2. Improved Stability: The Appium 2 server offers increased stability to the users ensuring reliable test execution across different devices and various operating systems.
3. Enhanced Performance: The latest version of the Appium’s servers has introduced many performance optimizations which results in faster execution of unit tests and reduced the testing time of tests by a large amount.
4. Advanced Debugging: The debugging features have also been improved so that the developers and testers can easily identify and resolve issues in their automation scripts.
5. Cloud Testing Support: Appium enables the distribution of tests across many real mobile devices using third-party cloud services like AWS, Firebase, etc.

Before installing the Appium 2 server check if your system meets the minimum system requirements.

System Requirements

1. A macOS, Linux, or Windows operating system
2. Node.js version in the version range ^14.17.0 || ^16.13.0 || >=18.0.0.
3. NPM version >= 8

How to Install Appium 2 Server?

To install the Appium 2 server, make sure Node js is installed on your systems before you start the installation of the Appium 2 server. If Node js is not installed in your systems then you can follow this article to install it –> install Node js.

Now once you have installed Node js on your systems follow the below steps to install the Appium 2 server :

Step 1: Open the Command Prompt

1. Go to Windows Start and search for the command prompt.

2. Then open the command prompt in administrator mode.

Step 2: Install the Apium 2 Server via the Node Package Manager(npm)

To install Apium 2, type the following command in the command prompt and press enter:

npm install -g appium

Step 3: Check if the Installation was Successful

1. Once the installation is completed successfully then you will see the following output on your command prompt.

2. If you get the same output then you can ensure that the installation was successful.

Run the Appium 2 Server and Verify the Installation

To run the Appium 2 server follow the below steps:

Step 1: Start the Appium 2 Server

To start the appium server type the following command in the command prompt and press enter:

appium

Step 2: Check if the Server is Started or Not

1. If the Appium 2’s server is started successfully, then you will see the following output on your command prompt.

2. Now you can install the drivers and plugins of your choice if you want to.

latest version of Appium v 2.4.1 is installed on the system successfully.

Step 3: Close the Appium 2 Server

You can type Ctrl+ C in your command prompt if you want to close the appium server.

Server closed successfully

Troubleshooting Guide for Appium 2 Server

Sometimes you might encounter issues during the installation of Appium 2 in your systems. This troubleshooting guide will help you to identify and resolve common issues that may arise during the installation process.

1. Check Minimum System Requirements

Please ensure that your system’s specification meets the minimum system requirements for the appium mentioned above or else you might encounter issues during the installation.

2. Update Node.js and npm

An outdated version of Node js and node package manager(npm) can create troubles during the installation. So you can update Node js and npm to the latest version using the following command and then try to install appium 2.

npm install -g npm

3. Proxy Configuration

If you are under a corporate firewall then you will have to configure your network using the proxy setting. Execute the following commands to do the same:

npm config set proxy http://your_proxy:your_port

npm config set https-proxy http://your_proxy:your_port

4. Disable Antivirus

Disable your antivirus if you are using any to check if they are creating trouble for your installation.

5. Clear npm Cache

You can clear the node package manager’s (npm) cache to remove potential conflicts that may arise during the installation process. Run the following command to clear the npm cache

npm cache clean -f

Conclusion

In the following article, we have learned how we can install the Appium 2 server in our systems easily through a step-by-step tutorial. We have also discovered the use of Appium and its latest features. Now as the Appium is installed on your systems, you are ready to automate mobile application testing across different platforms. We hope that this article has helped you to install the Appium 2 server on your systems.

FAQs

1. Which frameworks are supported in Appium 2?

Popular frameworks like Selenium, Espresso, EarlGrey, and much more are supported in Appium 2.

2. Is Appium 2 compatible with both Android and iOS?

Yes, Appium is a cross-platform toot that supports both Android and iOS

3. How is Appium 2 different from Selenium?

Selenium focuses on automating web-based apps only where whereas Appium supports native mobile apps as well.

4. Does Appium 2 support the Rust programming language?

No, the Rust programming is not supported in Appium 2 as of now.

5. Where can I find more information about Appium 2 Server?

Refer to the official Appium documentation for detailed guides, tutorials, and API references: http://appium.io/