Selenium Web Automation Testing - Best Practices & Advantages

Unleashing the Power of Selenium: Why it Reigns as the Ultimate Web Automation Testing Tool

In today’s digital world, businesses need to ensure that their websites and web applications work seamlessly across various browsers, platforms, and devices. This is where web automation testing comes in handy. Web automation testing is a technique of automating tests that involve the interaction of a user with a web application. Selenium, an open-source automation testing tool, is widely used by businesses to automate web testing. In this article, we will discuss why Selenium is the best web automation testing tool and how GSS (Get software service) can help businesses leverage its power.

Selenium and its Capabilities

Selenium is an open-source, cross-platform automation testing tool that is widely used to test web applications. It was developed in 2004 by Jason Huggins, who was working as a tester at ThoughtWorks. He developed Selenium to automate the testing process of a web application that required constant testing.

Cross-Browser Testing:
Selenium allows testers to test their web applications on different browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Opera. This ensures that the web application works seamlessly on different browsers and provides a consistent user experience.

Multi-Language Support:
Selenium supports multiple programming languages such as Java, Python, C#, Ruby, and JavaScript. This allows developers to write tests in their preferred language, making it easier to integrate Selenium into their development workflow.

Automation of Repetitive Tasks:
Selenium allows testers to automate repetitive tasks such as filling out forms, clicking buttons, and navigating through the web application. This saves time and effort and allows testers to focus on more critical testing tasks.

Integration with CI/CD Tools:
Selenium integrates seamlessly with Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) tools such as Jenkins, Bamboo, and CircleCI. This allows testers to run tests automatically as part of the build process, ensuring that the application is continuously tested and validated.

Advantages of using Selenium web automation testing

Cross-Browser Compatibility Testing
One of the significant advantages of using Selenium web automation testing is that it supports cross-browser testing. Selenium can execute tests in different browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, and Opera.

Open-Source and Free
Selenium is open-source software, which means it is free to use and has an active community of developers who continuously contribute to its development. This feature allows users to access its source code, customize it to their needs, and modify its functionality without incurring any licensing costs.

Language Support
Selenium supports a variety of programming languages, including Java, Python, Ruby, C#, and JavaScript. This feature allows software testers to write test scripts in their preferred programming language, increasing productivity and efficiency.

Easy to Use
Selenium is easy to use, even for non-technical users, thanks to its user-friendly interface and simple programming syntax. The tool has a rich set of features and functions that can be accessed through simple commands, making it easy for testers to create, execute and manage their tests.

Comparison with other web automation testing tools

Selenium vs. QTP/UFT:
QTP (QuickTest Professional) or UFT (Unified Functional Testing) is a commercial automation testing tool developed by HP. It is a powerful tool that supports a wide range of technologies, including Java, .NET, SAP, and Oracle. QTP/UFT provides a record-and-playback feature that makes it easy to create automated test scripts.

Selenium, on the other hand, is an open-source tool that provides the same functionality as QTP/UFT at a much lower cost. Selenium supports a wide range of programming languages, including Java, Python, C#, and Ruby. Selenium also provides a record-and-playback feature, making it easy to create automated test scripts.

Selenium vs. TestComplete:
TestComplete is a commercial web automation testing tool developed by SmartBear. It supports multiple scripting languages such as VBScript, JavaScript, Python, and Ruby. TestComplete is known for its user-friendly interface and advanced reporting features.
Selenium, on the other hand, is an open-source tool that supports a wide range of programming languages and provides extensive support for mobile testing. Selenium’s community support is vast, and it is continuously evolving with new features and updates.

Integration with other testing frameworks and tools

TestNG: TestNG is a testing framework that is widely used with Selenium. TestNG provides various features like test annotations, grouping, dependency, parallel execution, etc. that helps in achieving better test coverage and improved test reporting.

JUnit: JUnit is another testing framework that is widely used with Selenium. JUnit provides various features like test annotations, assertions, test runners, etc. that helps in achieving better test coverage and improved test reporting.

Cucumber: Cucumber is a popular testing tool that is widely used with Selenium. Cucumber provides a behavior-driven development (BDD) approach that helps in achieving better test coverage and improved test reporting.

Best practices for using Selenium web automation testing

Understand the Application Under Test (AUT):
Before starting with test automation, it is important to have a thorough understanding of the application under test. Understanding the AUT can help to identify the critical areas that need to be tested, and also helps to decide the test approach. GSS provides an experienced team of automation testers who can help to understand the AUT and develop effective test cases.

Identify the right test cases to automate:
Automating all test cases is not feasible, as it can be time-consuming and can also lead to false positives. Hence, it is essential to identify the test cases that need to be automated. Test cases that are repetitive, time-consuming, or critical can be prioritized for automation.

Use the right locator strategies:
Locators are used to identify the web elements in the application under test. Choosing the right locator strategy can help to ensure the stability of the test cases. XPath, ID, Name, Class, and CSS selectors are some of the popular locator strategies. GSS can help in choosing the right locator strategy based on the AUT and its elements.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Get Software Services (GSS) offers an excellent online Selenium course that equips learners with the necessary skills to excel in automation testing. The course covers all the essential topics, including Selenium WebDriver, TestNG framework, Maven, and other related tools. The course also provides hands-on practical exercises and assignments to give learners a real-life experience in automation testing.