Appium-Capabilities-6 : Complete Details on “Appium-Default Capabilities”(Both Command line & config file)

Get a step-by-step walkthrough in the video below!

What Are Default Capabilities?

Appium default capabilities are a way to pre-configure capabilities that will automatically be merged with every new session request, unless explicitly overridden in the request.

These default capabilities are defined in the Appium server config file (appium-config.json or .yaml) or passed via command line

Default capabilities are base capabilities applied automatically to every test session.

They reduce duplication when:

• Running multiple tests with shared settings
• Working in team projects with consistent baseline config

Where to Define Default Capabilities?

1. In Appium Config File (appium-config.yaml or json)

server:
  default-capabilities:
    platformName: android
    automationName: uiautomator2
    newCommandTimeout: 300
    noReset: true

2. Command Line

appium --default-capabilities '{"platformName":"android","automationName":"uiautomator2"}'

Behavior of Default Capabilities:

• Merged with session-specific capabilities.
• If a capability is defined in both, the session-specific value takes precedence.
• Allows you to enforce or encourage consistency without hardcoding in tests.

Real Example: appium-config.json

https://github.com/AppiumGuide/AppiumGuide/tree/main/config_files

Override Example in Test Code (Java)

       
 @BeforeTest
 public void setup() throws MalformedURLException {
  
  UiAutomator2Options cap=new UiAutomator2Options();
  cap.setDeviceName("Pixel6");

//Will override if different from default i.e. from 50 seconds to 100 seconds
  cap.setNewCommandTimeout(Duration.ofSeconds(100)); 
     
  driver = new AndroidDriver(new URL("http://127.0.0.1:4723"), cap);
  driver.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait(Duration.ofSeconds(100));

Use Case Scenarios:

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Summary

• Default Capabilities help manage commonly used settings in Appium tests.
• Best defined in appium-config.yaml/json or via CLI.
• They’re merged with each new session request but can be overridden.
• Ensure you don’t put test-specific values as defaults.

GitHub Link:

GitHub - AppiumGuide/AppiumGuide

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github.com

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