Error parsing session info from SauceLabs

[itaibh]

Description

When I run the attached code with Appium version 8.0.0-beta on SauceLabs, in the SauceLabs dashboard I see the test running, I see the device launching and the app starting, so I know the session had started. But then the client fails with this error:

org.openqa.selenium.SessionNotCreatedException: Could not start a new session. Unable to parse remote response

See full exception log here: https://gist.github.com/itaibh/5cdf5eb606de58299aed0abb4005c0e0

Environment

I give here sample code that uses the following capabilities:

• IOS 13.0 Simulator
• Appium 1.17.1

However, the same issue occurs on other configurations, where the common thing is that I use Appium Java Client 8.0.0-beta and SauceLabs. Notice this doesn't happen on BrowserStack (which is the only other provider I tested on).

Code To Reproduce Issue

import io.appium.java_client.AppiumDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.MutableCapabilities;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.remote.DesiredCapabilities;
import org.testng.annotations.Test;
import java.net.URL;

public class TestAppiumOnSauceLabs {
    @Test
    public void TestOnSauce() {
        DesiredCapabilities caps = new DesiredCapabilities();
        caps.setCapability("browserName", "");
        caps.setCapability("name", "iOS Native Demo");
        caps.setCapability("platformName", "iOS");
        caps.setCapability("appium:platformVersion", "13.0");
        caps.setCapability("appiumVersion", "1.17.1");
        caps.setCapability("appium:deviceName", "iPhone XS Simulator");

        MutableCapabilities sauceOpts = new MutableCapabilities();
        sauceOpts.setCapability("username", System.getenv("SAUCE_USERNAME"));
        sauceOpts.setCapability("accessKey", System.getenv("SAUCE_ACCESS_KEY"));
        caps.setCapability("sauce:options", sauceOpts);

        caps.setCapability("app", "https://applitools.jfrog.io/artifactory/Examples/eyes-ios-hello-world/1.2/eyes-ios-hello-world.zip");

        WebDriver driver = null;
        try {
            driver = new AppiumDriver(new URL("https://ondemand.saucelabs.com:443/wd/hub"), caps);
        } catch (Exception e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        } finally {
            if (driver != null) {
                driver.quit();
            }
        }
    }
}

Link To Appium Logs

https://gist.github.com/itaibh/d85b1a33257fa5101816f1214a48fda9

[mykola-mokhnach]

I don't think your issue has anything to do with java client. Please report it to Sauce customer support.

[itaibh]

@mykola-mokhnach The problem is with the parsing of the response. I can't tell what the response is, but from SauceLabs logs it seems to be a valid JSON, so that's why I think this IS a client issue. However, if it's not, then for such a simple test code running on such a known vendor I would think you'll have much more impact solving this with SauceLabs than I would.

[mykola-mokhnach]

I assume there is some problem while the client fetches the response from their infra. Basically, the error means the java client was expecting to get a valid JSON as a response to createSession call, but got nothing instead. Also, in Appium logs we can see that the correct response has been generated. So the issue must happen somewhere in between the Appium server and the client lib.

[itaibh]

I'll try to reproduce this with C# (Appium 5.0.0-beta01). If it happens there too then the issue is most likely at SauceLabs side, but if not then it means the issue is most likely in the Java client side.
In any way, what I wrote about who's having more impact stands, so if we come to a conclusion this is something on SauceLabs side I take it as this is the Appium project responsibility to approach SauceLabs. You can then place the link to the issue or whatever here so I can comment on it or thumb up.

[valfirst]

The root cause is SauceLabs returns HTTP 303 with headers like

{
  date=[Wed, 08 Dec 2021 08:08:51 GMT],
  server=[monocle/0.42],
  content-length=[0],
  content-type=[text/html],
  location=[/wd/hub/session/XXXXXXXX-retracted-XXXXXXX]
}

Default Selenium HTTP client doesn't follow redirects. I'm not sure whether it should be fixed on SauceLabs side, or Selenium client side, or Appium client side.

[valfirst]

BTW changing HTTP client to follow redirects fixes the issue.

[mykola-mokhnach]

The root cause is SauceLabs returns HTTP 303 with headers like

This makes sense if it is necessary to wait longer and to avoid connection timeout. @valfirst Do you know how to enable redirects by default for the Selenium's HTTP client?

[itaibh]

I'll try to reproduce this with C# (Appium 5.0.0-beta01).

It works in C#, meaning it's a java client issue.

[itaibh]

BTW changing HTTP client to follow redirects fixes the issue.

@valfirst How can I do that?

[mykola-mokhnach]

AFAIK HTTP client creation options are hardcoded inside Selenium lib and I don't see any simple way to change these. Perhaps we could only add an ugly hack to

java-client/src/main/java/io/appium/java_client/remote/AppiumCommandExecutor.java

Line 149 in 1586152

return httpHandler.execute(req);

(e.g. check if the actual response code == 302 and then try to reload the url)

[valfirst]

for now there is no way to enable following redirects in Selenium HTTP client, I've checked my assumption via debug: just changed the client

[mykola-mokhnach]

Linked the original Selenium's bug. Not sure if it is going to be solved soon though

[mykola-mokhnach]

Selenium lib got a patch there. We'd have to patch its version for java-client as soon as it reaches release state and push a new beta