Force selenium-webdriver to bind to localhost - node.js

Question

When using selenium-webdriver, something attempts to bind to a port, listening for connections from the unspecified IPv6/IPv4 host (:: / 0.0.0.0). This triggers a firewall message.
I'd like to avoid this firewall message by forcing whatever this is to bind only to localhost, but I can't find any clues about what this server is or how to configure it.
Example code which replicates the issue:
const webdriver = require('selenium-webdriver');
const driver = new webdriver.Builder().forBrowser('chrome').build();
setTimeout(() => {
driver.quit();
}, 10000);
On macOS, this shows the prompt:
Do you want the application “node” to accept incoming network connections?
Obviously choosing "deny" still allows the tests to run (since everything is local anyway), and after selecting this option the OS remembers the choice until Node is updated, but I'd like to lock-down the test so that this isn't an issue.
What is causing this? How can I configure it?

Answer 1

You can use Selenium Standalone Server and bind it to a specific IP address. Additionally you can disable IPv6 addresses lookup.
Launch Selenium Standalone Server like:
java -Djava.net.preferIPv4Stack=true -jar selenium-server-standalone-x.xx.x.jar -host 10.20.30.40
Amend your webdriver initialization code to explicitly set the Selenium Server address like:
const driver = new webdriver.Builder().forBrowser('chrome').usingServer('http://10.20.30.40:4444/wd/hub').build();
replace this 10.20.30.40 with the IP address of your choice (the IP address or alias must exist on the system where you run the test)
References:
Selenium with JavaScript - The Standalone Selenium Server
Connecting Selenium Hubs to Cloud Server