browserstack-local

What it is and what it does

browserstack-local is a Python wrapper around BrowserStack's Local binary, allowing you to test web applications running on your local machine or private network using BrowserStack's remote browser infrastructure. It handles the lifecycle of the Local tunnel—starting, stopping, and monitoring the connection—so that your Selenium tests or manual browser sessions can reach localhost or internal servers as if they were publicly accessible.

The package is straightforward: you instantiate a Local object, pass your BrowserStack access key and optional modifiers (proxy settings, folder paths, logging verbosity), and call start() to establish the tunnel. It depends only on psutil for process management and automatically downloads the BrowserStack binary on first use, storing it in a standard location. Configuration is done via a dictionary of arguments, with support for proxies, local identifiers for parallel testing, and verbose logging to help debug connection issues.

Use it for:

• Run Selenium tests against a local development server using BrowserStack's browser grid without exposing the server publicly.
• Test a local folder or staging environment across multiple browser versions and devices simultaneously.
• Enable CI/CD pipelines to perform cross-browser testing on private infrastructure without VPN or firewall reconfiguration.
• Debug browser compatibility issues by testing local code on real remote devices via BrowserStack.
• Support parallel local testing sessions with unique identifiers for load testing or multi-user scenarios.

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

Provides Python bindings to manage BrowserStack Local, enabling remote browser testing against local development servers and folders.

Yes, if you use BrowserStack for remote browser testing and need to test local or private applications. The package is actively maintained with recent releases, has low install friction, and is in the top tier of PyPI packages. However, verify the license terms before adoption, and confirm that the BrowserStack binary download mechanism works in your deployment environment.

Install

browserstack-local on PyPI

pip install browserstack-local

uv add browserstack-local

poetry add browserstack-local

Installing browserstack-local

Before you install

Low install friction with a single runtime dependency (psutil). Active maintenance with a release 7 days ago and recent commits; however, the repository has modest community engagement (10 stars).

License in practice

License status is unclear—no SPDX identifier or raw license text is available in the package metadata. Verify the actual license terms before using in commercial or restricted contexts.

Quickstart

pip install browserstack-local

from browserstack.local import Local

bs_local = Local()
bs_local.start(key="<browserstack-accesskey>")
print(bs_local.isRunning())
bs_local.stop()

Requires a valid BrowserStack account and access key; the package downloads and executes a BrowserStack binary at runtime.

Verify before relying

• Supported Python versions are not specified in the package metadata.
• Whether the BrowserStack binary download is automatic or requires manual setup in certain environments.
• Exact system requirements or OS compatibility constraints for the bundled binary.
• Current download volume and adoption metrics beyond the top-15000 tier classification.

Package facts

Evidence: browserstack_local-1.2.16-py3-none-any.whl

Keywords: BrowserStack, Local, selenium, testing

Tags

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