Laravel Dusk is ideal for browser automation testing in Laravel apps. 1. Install via Composer with composer require --dev laravel/dusk. 2. Set up using php artisan dusk:install to generate test files. 3. Write tests simulating user actions like login, visit, type, and assertPathIs. 4. Use page objects, handle authentication with loginAs(), and adjust timeouts as needed. 5. Run specific tests or capture screenshots on failure. Avoid Dusk for large-scale or API-only testing where tools like Cypress or Laravel’s HTTP tests are better suited.
Laravel Dusk is a great tool for browser automation testing, especially if you're already working within a Laravel application. It’s simple to set up, integrates well with Laravel, and allows you to write tests that simulate real user interactions in the browser.

Unlike other testing tools that require installing external dependencies like Selenium, Dusk uses ChromeDriver by default, so it's lightweight and easy to get running quickly.

How to Install and Set Up Laravel Dusk
To start using Dusk, you just need to pull it in via Composer:
composer require --dev laravel/dusk
Then run the install command:

php artisan dusk:install
This creates a Browser
directory inside Tests
, where your test classes will go. You’ll also find a base test class (DuskTestCase.php
) that sets up the browser session and handles things like logging in or visiting pages.
Make sure your .env
file doesn’t point to a production database — Dusk runs in the testing
environment but still interacts with real databases, so always use a dedicated testing DB.
Writing Your First Browser Test
Dusk tests are written as PHP classes that extend Laravel\Dusk\Browser
. Each method starting with test
will be executed as a separate test case.
Here’s a basic example of logging into a site and checking for an element:
public function test_user_can_login() { $this->browse(function (Browser $browser) { $browser->visit('/login') ->type('email', 'test@example.com') ->type('password', 'password') ->press('Login') ->assertPathIs('/dashboard'); }); }
You can chain methods like type
, click
, press
, and assertSee
to simulate user behavior and make assertions about what should happen next.
If you need to test JavaScript-heavy apps or forms with dynamic content, Dusk handles that smoothly too.
Tips for Organizing and Running Tests
- Use page objects to keep your tests clean. If you have reusable components or flows (like login, navigation menus), extract them into Page classes.
- Run specific tests during development with
php artisan dusk Tests/Browser/YourTest.php
. - Take screenshots on failure — Dusk makes this easy. Just add
$browser->screenshot('error')
inside a catch block or after a failed assertion. - Handle authentication by using
loginAs()
helper to skip login steps in most tests:$browser->loginAs(User::find(1))
Also, don’t forget to adjust the timeout settings if you’re dealing with slow-loading pages or APIs:
protected $defaultTimeout = 10; // seconds
When Not to Use Laravel Dusk
While Dusk is powerful, it’s not always the best fit. For very large test suites with hundreds of scenarios, you might want something more scalable like Cypress or Playwright. Those tools offer better parallelization, cloud support, and richer UI features.
Also, if you're doing API-only testing without any frontend interaction, sticking to Laravel’s built-in HTTP tests would be faster and more efficient.
But for most Laravel projects that need solid browser testing, Dusk gets the job done — no extra setup, no headaches.
That’s basically it. It’s straightforward once you get going, and saves a lot of time over manual testing.
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