[ Feature]: Add Wayland display server support for headless Linux testing
Author: goosewobblerCreated Mar 12, 2026Updated Sep 14, 2026
LabelsNeeds Triaging ⏳Idea 💡
Is your feature request related to a problem?
The current @wdio/xvfb package is limited to X11/Xvfb, which is outdated for modern Linux systems moving to Wayland. It lacks support for CentOS Stream 10 (which removed Xvfb) and relies on an inefficient Docker test matrix (17 scenarios) that is slow and redundant.
Describe the solution you'd like.
Refactor the package to @wdio/display-server with a new architecture that supports both Wayland (primary) and Xvfb (fallback). This includes:
- Wayland-first approach with automatic Xvfb fallback.
- CentOS Stream 10 support via Wayland-only detection.
- Streamlined CI testing (11 scenarios) to reduce build times.
- Backward compatibility with deprecation warnings for legacy options (e.g., autoXvfb → enabled).
- New configuration options like displayServer: 'auto' | 'wayland' | 'xvfb' and auto-install features.
This will future-proof headless testing, improve performance, and clarify package capabilities.
Describe alternatives you've considered.
No response
Additional context
No response
Code of Conduct
- I agree to follow this project's Code of Conduct
Source: webdriverio/webdriverio