# Understanding WebDriver, Selenium, Marionette, and Browser Automation

DevFeed: [Understanding WebDriver, Selenium, Marionette, and Browser Automation](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/untangling-webdriver-and-the-browser-automation-landscape-i-live-in-20304.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://www.erranderr.com/blog/webdriver-ontology.html>)

Author: Maja Frydrychowicz

Published: 2016-07-12T04:00:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Mozilla Automation](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/mozilla-automation.md>)

Topics: [webDriver](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/webdriver.md>), [Browser Automation](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/browser-automation.md>), [Selenium](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/selenium.md>), [Testing](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/testing.md>), [Firefox](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/firefox.md>), [HTTP](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/http.md>), [JSON](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/json.md>), [Mozilla](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/mozilla.md>), [JavaScript](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/javascript.md>), [Open Source](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/open-source.md>)

Tags: [automation](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/automation.md>), [browser](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/browser.md>), [browser-ui](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/browser-ui.md>), [browsers](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/browsers.md>), [client-driver](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/client-driver.md>), [firefox](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/firefox.md>), [foss](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/foss.md>), [geckodriver](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/geckodriver.md>), [harness](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/harness.md>), [http](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/http.md>), [javascript](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/javascript.md>), [json](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/json.md>), [marionette](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/marionette.md>), [mozilla](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/mozilla.md>), [open-source](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/open-source.md>), [payload](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/payload.md>), [request](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/request.md>), [responses](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/responses.md>), [selenium](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/selenium.md>), [w3c](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/w3c.md>), [web](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/web.md>), [webdriver](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/webdriver.md>)

## AI overview

An explanatory article untangles the terminology around Marionette, Selenium, WebDriver, FirefoxDriver, and geckodriver. It explains the W3C WebDriver Specification and how its browser-agnostic protocol uses JSON over HTTP to send commands and receive responses for browser automation and testing.

## Source excerpt

I define WebDriver, W3C WebDriver, Selenium, geckodriver, FirefoxDriver, Marionette harness/runner/client/driver and more.