What Is Selenium Testing Framework

Whenever software testing teams work on any test automation project, one framework that comes to their mind is selenium. It is one of the most widely used frameworks by testers all across the globe. But the question is what makes this framework so important for testing teams and why only this framework is most preferred out of all available options of test automation frameworks. Well, in this article we will discuss all these questions and try to find reasons for its popularity.

What is the selenium testing framework?

It is an open-source test automation framework that is used to automate tests for web applications. This framework can be used for all operating systems like Windows, MAC, Linux, etc., and all web browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, and Edge browsers. It supports many scripting languages like Java, PHP, C#, Python, Groovy, Ruby, Perl, etc. It comes with a record and playback feature that helps in testing web applications effectively.  It allows parallel script execution which makes the process of automation testing fast. It contains various components namely Selenium Integrated Development Environment (IDE), Selenium WebDriver, and Selenium Grid. The latest version of selenium libraries is Selenium 4.0.0 Alpha 5.

What are the different components of the selenium testing framework?

Below explained are the three components of this framework:

·        Selenium Integrated Development Environment (IDE)- It is a simple recording and playback tool that comes as a Mozilla Firefox and chrome extension. It is used for evaluating prototypes. Test cases written in IDE can be exported in various programming languages like Ruby, Java, C #, etc., Options for editing and debugging along with recording are also available. For beginners, it is an excellent method for understanding the Selenium WebDriver syntax.

Features of Selenium IDE

·         Cross-browser compatibility – Earlier selenium was only available for Mozilla Firefox, but now it is available as a Google Chrome extension.

·         Record Test- It has a feature of automatically recording test cases by understanding the interaction with the website and web application.

·         Multiple Actions – It operates on a series of commands widely known as "Selenese." This is the type of command that helps to describe the issues that IDE needs to take care of.  Three major types of command included are Assertions, Actions, and Assessors.

 

·         Selenium WebDriver- It proves to be stronger in certain ways than both Selenium IDE and Selenium RC (which is now deprecated). In automating the browser's actions, it incorporates a more modern and stable approach. WebDriver does not rely on JavaScript for Automation, like Selenium RC. Selenium WebDriver controls the browser by directly interacting with it.

Features of Selenium WebDriver

·         It supports various programming languages like Python, Ruby, Perl, PHP, C#, JavaScript, etc.

·         Supports multiple browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, etc.

·         Supports multiple OS like android, iOS, Windows, Linux, etc.

·         Allows parallel execution of tests which helps in saving time.

·         It does not require any server installation.

·         Selenium Grid-It is used to parallel run the test on various browsers across multiple devices. This means running multiple tests at the same time on various devices, browsers, and operating systems at the same time.

Features Selenium Grid

·         It is an open-source tool, therefore no licensing cost is required.

·         It allows running selenium scripts on various browsers and operating systems.

·         It has a record and playback feature.

·         It supports test scripts written in various programming languages like Python, Ruby, Perl, PHP, C#, etc.

·         It allows parallel execution of tests thus; it helps to save overall test time.

Why are the benefits of the selenium testing framework?

·         Open source availability: First and foremost benefit is that it is a free, open-source tool and is publically accessible with no upfront cost involved.

·         Multiple language support: It widely supports all major programming languages such as Java, Python, JavaScript, C#, Ruby, Perl, etc.

·         Parallel testing: Selenium grid allows parallel execution of test cases and helps in saving the time involved in test case execution.

·         Community support:  Users of this tool get huge community support that extends support to developers and software engineers d regarding issues in automating the web browser features and functionalities

·         Browser compatible: It has multi-browser support and allows testing software on various browsers such as Opera, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome, Safari, etc.

·         Multiple OS support:  It is supported by various operating systems such as Windows, Linux, Mac OS, UNIX, etc., and thus, selenium users do not need to worry about OS.

·         Largely available Plugins: It allows integration with third-party plug-ins and thus, selenium can be extended beyond its functionality

·      Easy to use: This tool is very user-friendly which makes it a widely used tool. Also, the community provides lots of free tutorial videos that the user can see and learn from it. It provides a record and playback feature that helps in generating scripts.

Conclusion: There are various web automation testing frameworks available but it is always advisable to choose that framework that completely matched the organization’s needs and requirements. One such framework that suits every test automation need is selenium and is trusted by many organizations. Leverage automation testing from a next-gen QA and software testing services provider to get high-quality software.

About the author: I am a technical content writer and I write articles on various IT-related topics. In this article, I have tried to share my views on the selenium testing framework.