Automation testing has become the benchmark of the modern application development industry. Considering modern apps’ complexity and competitive nature, it is impossible to meet deadlines with complete manual test cases. Moreover, due to the involvement of human developers in manual test cases, there are often high probabilities of human errors.
On the other hand, automation testing helps eliminate the complete involvement of human testers and can run the test cases around the clock. The Selenium project has dominated the automation testing market for several years. With the help of its innovative features and a vast community of app developers, Selenium has almost created its empire. The multiple tools offered by Selenium can be confusing for developers new to this segment.
So, in this article, we’re going to know everything that you need to know about Selenium. We will also discuss some basic steps to begin automation testing with Selenium. Let us begin our discussion with the basics of Selenium.
The basics of Selenium
Selenium was started as an umbrella project to help developers automate the testing of web applications. The complete open-source environment helps the developers to access all the features of Selenium without paying any license fee. This feature is highly essential for individual app developers and small development companies. The playback tool in modern Selenium helps developers verify the proper functioning of all the elements in web applications. Selenium is currently running on its fourth version, which was recently released.
One of the significant advantages of Selenium is that the developers do not need to have any specific programming knowledge to use its features. Selenium is accessible on almost all popular platforms like Linux, Windows, and Mac operating systems. On the other hand, it supports the most popular programming languages like Ruby, JavaScript, Python, and more.
It was introduced in the year 2004. Back then, it was known as the JavaScriptTestRunner as it was based on JavaScript. While using Selenium, the developers can integrate third-party tools and libraries in the test environment to further evolve the testing capabilities. In the latter part of this article, we will learn more about the advantages of integrating third-party platforms with Selenium.
The Components of the Selenium
All new automation testers must understand that Selenium is a project consisting of different tools. All the tools will serve a specific purpose in the application testing process. So, to improve our understanding, let us take a detailed look at all of the tools present in Selenium :
· Selenium Client API
During the early years of Selenium, the developers had to write automation test cases in the Selenese programming language. It was a complex process as the new automation testers had to learn a new language. However, with the introduction of the Selenium client API, this restriction was removed from the Selenium developers and testers.
Selenium Client API allowed the developers to write test cases in almost all the popular programming languages like JavaScript (Node.js), C#, Groovy, Java, Perl, PHP, Python, Ruby, and Scala. Removing the language restriction on developers also helped improve the test cases’ creative abilities. Although Selenium introduced a new client API with the Selenium update, it continues to provide stable support for the older APIs.
· Selenium RC
Since the first release, the Selenium remote controller has been present in Selenium. This tool helps the developers to integrate the test cases into an HTTP protocol so that they can be directly executed in the browser window. It is essential to verify a web application’s functioning in a real-world scenario. This distinct process also helps the developers verify the proper functioning of all the visual elements in a web application.
The placement of the visual elements may vary due to the screen size and the display resolution. However, the developers must note that Selenium RC was removed after the second update of Selenium, as Selenium integrated most of the functions of the remote controller with the Selenium WebDriver.
· Selenium Integrated Development Environment
The Selenium IDE is an important tool available in the form of a browser extension on most popular browsers like Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. This extension helps the developers to perform all the basic testing processes on the browser window. The Selenium 4 update allows the developers to use the Selenium integrated development environment on Firefox as an integrated test box. There are also other alternatives to the Selenium IDE that are available in the market. Some of the famous names are Kantu and Katalon recorder. Selenium itself maintains these two alternate IDEs. The Selenium IDE helps the developers to record user actions to create sequential test cases.
The developers have to access the application like a regular user, and they can witness the system automatically, creating the test cases in real time. Since the test cases are created based on user interaction, they are accurate and comparable to real-world use habits.
· The Selenium Grid
The Selenium grid is responsible for conducting parallel testing on the Selenium automation test cases. Parallel testing is the process of initiating multiple test instances at the same time. Using this process, the developers can simultaneously initiate multiple testing configurations of different operating systems and browser versions. This feature is essential when the developers have to verify the functioning of multiple components of a complex application simultaneously.
There are also multiple cloud platforms like LambdaTest that helps developers to initiate parallel testing on their web applications. The Selenium grid works as a hub connected to different nodes represented by multiple web application elements. On the initiation of a testing process, the hub will receive the test information and forward it to the respective node for test execution.
· The Selenium WebDriver
The Selenium WebDriver is the most vital component of that Selenium project, as it is responsible for the execution of the test cases on the individual elements of a web application. The Selenium WebDriver is also responsible for communicating with the web browsers for the execution of the test cases. It is highly effective compared to the Selenium remote controller as it does not require a core engine. It is because the Selenium WebDriver has native communication abilities that it can implement on web applications.
Some Important Terms Linked to Selenium Automation Testing
Before beginning automation testing with Selenium, there are specific terms that the developers must keep in mind. These terms are essential to utilize the full potential of the automation test bench. They are as follows:
· The Selenium Test Script: The Selenium test script is a text file that will be created with the preferred programming language. This file will consist of all the data required to verify the functioning of a particular element in the web application. The server will use this file for executing all the test cases.
· JSON Wire Protocol: It is a crucial transfer protocol used in the test execution phase. Using this mechanism, the system can transfer all the vital data between the server and the client. This data is essential for conducting a steady workflow of data analysis. The developers must remember that this wire protocol is the industry standard for providing multiple web services during the test execution phase.
· Browser Drivers: Selenium uses multiple drivers specific to different browsers. These drivers are essential to ensure that you can utilize the full potential of a test bench. Moreover, these drivers help the developers to execute the test cases smoothly. Therefore, the developers must install the target drivers before initiating the test cases. This system will also allow the test cases to create a secure connection with the browser.
Role of Tools and Platforms in Selenium Automation Testing
As we already discussed in the earlier part of this article, various tools and platforms can help developers to simplify the app development process. Specific cloud platforms can help developers initiate test cases from anywhere worldwide on hundreds of real devices. These devices are present on multiple cloud servers and are accessible by paying only a minimum license fee. Let us improve our knowledge of cloud servers with the help of LambdaTest as an example:
To create a basic understanding, LambdaTest is a cloud platform that helps developers to ensure that their applications are cross-browser compatible in a secure test grid. Cross-browser compatibility is a modern standard that helps developers ensure that their applications do not suffer from performance loss due to operating system or browser version changes.
LambdaTest can execute automation test cases from multiple frameworks like Selenium, Playwright, and Cypress. While using Selenium automation test cases, the developers can execute the scripts on more than three thousand different browsers. LambdaTest improves the execution and accuracy of test cases with modern features like accurate device testing and parallel testing. It also helps the developers to verify the proper functioning of local web pages.
Conclusion:
Selenium automation testing is an essential component of modern app development. Using Selenium automation testing, the developers can ensure that they provide the best user experience to their customers. This process also helps the developers to complete the test cases within a few days. Many experts also believe that automation testing will become the future of the app testing market.
However, the developers must remember that a significant drawback of Selenium automation testing is that it can verify the functioning of only web applications. Considering the variety of currently available software, this drawback can massively affect the development capabilities of a company. So, developers and companies need to plan their test cases correctly. Specific alternatives like Cypress and Playwright are also available in the market.
