node-xvfb-ts

A TypeScript library for easily managing X Virtual Frame Buffer (Xvfb) processes in Node.js applications. Perfect for headless GUI testing with tools like Puppeteer, Playwright, or Selenium.

Installation

``bash
npm install xvfb-ts
`

Prerequisites

- Linux/Unix system with Xvfb installed
- Node.js >= 20.17.0

Quick Start

`typescript
import { Xvfb } from 'xvfb-ts';

const xvfb = new Xvfb();

// Start the virtual display
await xvfb.start();

// Run your headless GUI tests here
// e.g., launch a browser, run Electron app, etc.

// Clean up when done
await xvfb.stop();
`

API Reference

$3

`typescript
interface XvfbOptions {
displayNum?: number; // X display number (default: auto-assigned >= 99)
reuse?: boolean; // Reuse existing display (default: false)
timeout?: number; // Startup timeout in ms (default: 500)
silent?: boolean; // Suppress stderr output (default: false)
xvfb_args?: string[]; // Additional Xvfb arguments (default: [])
}
`

$3

- start() - Start the Xvfb process (returns Promise)
- stop() - Stop the Xvfb process (returns Promise)
- display() - Get the display string (e.g., ":99")

Examples

$3

`typescript
import { Xvfb } from 'xvfb-ts';

const xvfb = new Xvfb({ displayNum: 88 });

await xvfb.start();

console.log(Display: ${xvfb.display()}); // :88

await xvfb.stop();
`

$3

`typescript
const xvfb = new Xvfb({
displayNum: 99,
reuse: true
});

await xvfb.start(); // Won't fail if :99 already exists
`

$3

`typescript
const xvfb = new Xvfb({
xvfb_args: ['-screen', '0', '1024x768x24']
});

await xvfb.start();
`

$3

`typescript
try {
await xvfb.start();
// Your code here
} catch (error) {
console.error('Failed to start Xvfb:', error.message);
} finally {
await xvfb.stop();
}
``

Credits

* Rob--W for the original node-xvfb