Implementation:Nightwatchjs Nightwatch CreateClient Options

Knowledge Sources	Nightwatch Nightwatch Programmatic API
Domains	Testing, API, Configuration
Last Updated	2026-02-12 00:00 GMT

Overview

Concrete options object specification for Nightwatch.createClient() defining browser, execution, and environment settings.

Description

The options object passed to createClient() controls all aspects of the client: browser selection (browserName), headless mode, output verbosity (silent, output), async command mode (useAsync), global variables, dev tools, debugging, and the config file path. The options are merged with defaults from the configuration file.

Usage

Construct an options object and pass it to Nightwatch.createClient(). Only specify settings that differ from defaults.

Code Reference

Source Location

Repository: nightwatch
File: lib/index.js (lines 16-51)

Signature

Nightwatch.createClient({
  headless: Boolean,              // default: false - Run in headless mode
  silent: Boolean,                // default: true - Suppress output
  output: Boolean,                // default: true - Enable output
  useAsync: Boolean,              // default: true - Async command mode
  env: String,                    // default: null - Test environment name
  timeout: Number,                // default: null - Global timeout
  parallel: Boolean,              // default: false - Parallel mode
  reporter: Object,               // default: null - Custom reporter
  browserName: String,            // default: null - 'chrome'|'firefox'|'safari'|'edge'
  globals: Object,                // default: {} - Global variables
  devtools: Boolean,              // default: false - Enable DevTools
  debug: Boolean,                 // default: false - Enable debug mode
  enable_global_apis: Boolean,    // default: false - Enable global browser/element
  config: String,                 // default: './nightwatch.json' - Config file path
  disable_process_listener: Boolean, // default: false
  test_settings: Object           // Additional settings to merge
}) -> ClientWrapper

Import

const Nightwatch = require('nightwatch');

I/O Contract

Inputs

Name	Type	Required	Description
headless	Boolean	No	Run browser in headless mode (default: false)
browserName	String	No	Browser name: 'chrome', 'firefox', 'safari', 'edge'
env	String	No	Test environment name from configuration
config	String	No	Path to configuration file (default: './nightwatch.json')
useAsync	Boolean	No	Enable async command mode (default: true)
enable_global_apis	Boolean	No	Enable global browser/element (default: false)
globals	Object	No	Global variables passed to tests
timeout	Number	No	Global timeout in milliseconds

Outputs

Name	Type	Description
ClientWrapper	Object	Wrapper with launchBrowser(), updateCapabilities(), settings, cleanup()

Usage Examples

Create Client with Options

const Nightwatch = require('nightwatch');

const client = Nightwatch.createClient({
  browserName: 'chrome',
  headless: true,
  silent: false,
  output: true,
  enable_global_apis: true,
  globals: {
    baseUrl: 'https://staging.example.com'
  }
});

Related Pages

Implements Principle

Principle:Nightwatchjs_Nightwatch_Client_Configuration

Requires Environment

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