How to save and load cookies using Python + Selenium WebDriver

Utilizing pickle for better serialization

Typically, pickle is the more flexible option, useful when you have non-JSON serializable types like datetime:

import pickle

# Save cookies using pickle
with open('cookies.pkl', 'wb') as f:
    pickle.dump(driver.get_cookies(), f)  # Pickle jar for cookies

# Load cookies using pickle
with open('cookies.pkl', 'rb') as f:
    cookies = pickle.load(f)
    for cookie in cookies:
        driver.add_cookie(cookie)  # Cookies are back with a pickle
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Security tip: Never unpickle data from an untrusted source, as it gives hackers a welcome mat.

Working with different browsers and browser options

# Firefox
driver = webdriver.Firefox()  # Firefox: For the browser switchers
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Switch webdriver.Chrome() with webdriver.Firefox(). Selenium spies no difference between the two.

To manage cookies in separate user profiles using Chrome:

from selenium.webdriver.chrome.options import Options

options = Options()
options.add_argument("--user-data-dir=/path/to/your/custom/profile")  # pigeon-hole browser profiles
driver = webdriver.Chrome(chrome_options=options)  # Kudos for organized cookies
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Security considerations and best practices

Tread on the side of caution

Remember, your browser communicates session-specific sensitive data in cookies. Make sure interactions happen via secure HTTPS:

driver.get('https://secure-website.com')  # HTTPS: The 'S' stands for 'Secure'
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End sessions gracefully

Ending a session is more than just closing a browser window. Call driver.quit() to terminate the WebDriver session properly:

driver.quit()  # Driver. thank you for the ride!
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Troubleshooting

Timing issues

Use time.sleep() to pause execution and allow pages to load:

import time
time.sleep(2)  # Shh! The machine is sleeping!
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WebDriver path issues

If your chromedriver.exe isn't within system PATH, don't fret. You can specify the path directly in code:

driver = webdriver.Chrome(executable_path='/path/to/chromedriver')  # No PATH, no problem!
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Websites preferring familiar faces

Some websites only set cookies after an initial visit. A driver.get() before adding cookies solves this:

driver.get('https://website-requiring-prior-visit.com')  # Break the ice, then add cookies
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