Features and modules

The required shaft-engine artifact provides the public facade and core test automation capabilities. Dependency-heavy integrations are optional.

Feature-to-module map

Feature	Maven artifact
Web, mobile/Appium/Flutter, API, database, CLI, test data, accessibility, reporting, screenshots	`shaft-engine`
Direct BrowserStack WebDriver/Appium sessions and app upload	`shaft-engine`
BrowserStack SDK interception, multi-platform YAML, and SDK orchestration	`shaft-browserstack`
Appium Android/iOS driver-native recording	`shaft-engine`
Local non-headless desktop recording	`shaft-video`
Reference-image assertions and image-path touch actions	`shaft-visual`
SikuliX image-based desktop automation	`shaft-sikulix`
Deterministic explainable web element recovery	`shaft-heal`
Screenshot highlighting, animated GIFs, and `compareImageFolders(...)`	`shaft-engine`

See the upgrade guide for the exact method boundaries.

Use the BOM to align the core engine with any optional modules you add:

pom.xml
<dependencyManagement>
  <dependencies>
    <dependency>
      <groupId>io.github.shafthq</groupId>
      <artifactId>shaft-bom</artifactId>
      <version>${shaft.version}</version>
      <type>pom</type>
      <scope>import</scope>
    </dependency>
  </dependencies>
</dependencyManagement>

<dependencies>
  <dependency>
    <groupId>io.github.shafthq</groupId>
    <artifactId>shaft-engine</artifactId>
  </dependency>
  <dependency>
    <groupId>io.github.shafthq</groupId>
    <artifactId>shaft-visual</artifactId>
  </dependency>
  <dependency>
    <groupId>io.github.shafthq</groupId>
    <artifactId>shaft-sikulix</artifactId>
  </dependency>
</dependencies>

Smart Features

SHAFT's smart features target the Pillars of successful test automation: Scalability, Reliability, and Maintainability. Use that guide for the feature-to-pillar map; use this page for artifact and platform selection.

Supported Platforms

Browsers

	Linux	macOS	Windows	Android	iOS
Google Chrome	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Microsoft Edge	✅	✅	✅	_	_
Mozilla Firefox	✅	✅	✅	_	_
Apple Safari	_	✅	_	_	✅

Apps

	Android	iOS	Windows
Native	✅	✅	N/A
Hybrid	✅	✅	N/A
Flutter	✅	✅	N/A
WPF	N/A	N/A	✅

Other

API	Database	CLI	PDF	JSON	YAML	Excel	Property
✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅

Test Orchestration

TestNG	JUnit	Cucumber
✅	✅	✅

Underlying technology

SHAFT provides one facade over established automation projects while keeping heavy providers optional:

Layer	Technology
Runtime and build	Java 25, Maven
Web	Selenium
Mobile	Appium
API	REST Assured
Test runners	TestNG, JUnit, Cucumber
Evidence	Allure Report
Optional visual providers	OpenCV, Applitools, Selenium Shutterbug
Distribution	Maven Central, GitHub Container Registry

The facade keeps test code on one entry point while the underlying libraries do the specialized work:

SHAFT.GUI.WebDriver driver = new SHAFT.GUI.WebDriver();

driver.browser().navigateToURL("https://duckduckgo.com");
driver.element().type(By.name("q"), "SHAFT Engine");
driver.assertThat().browser().title().contains("DuckDuckGo");

driver.quit();

See Architecture for exact dependency boundaries.

Sponsors and adopters

SHAFT has received tooling or open-source support from:

Engineers responding to anonymous community surveys have reported using SHAFT within organizations including Vodafone, DXC Technology, Euronet, Solutions by STC, IDEMIA, GET Group, EFG Holding, Jahez, Incorta, Paymob, GIZA Systems, and others. These names are community-reported rather than audited customer endorsements — no organization is represented as guaranteeing or officially endorsing SHAFT unless linked as a sponsor above.

Use your own provider credentials through properties rather than hardcoding them in tests:

src/main/resources/properties/browserStack.properties
browserStack.userName=${BROWSERSTACK_USERNAME}
browserStack.accessKey=${BROWSERSTACK_ACCESS_KEY}
browserStack.browserstackAutomation=true

Feature-to-module map​

Smart Features​

Supported Platforms​

Browsers​

Apps​

Other​

Test Orchestration​

Underlying technology​

Sponsors and adopters​

Related​