In this blog, we’ll go over what Selenium is, why you should use it, and its benefits and drawbacks.
What Is Selenium?
Selenium is a free (open-source) framework for automating test execution that is used to assess online applications. Selenium implements itself through a unique driver to each browser, accepting commands and sending them to a browser.
When should we use Selenium?
Numerous test types can be automated with Selenium, a few of which include:
- Integration Testing
- Performance Testing
- Compatibility Testing
Selenium, however, can be utilized whenever you wish to perform simple system tests. Imagine that you want to use Selenium to access a URL, fill out a form, submit it, and then check to see if the submission was successful. If you want to check how your system functions with various OS-browser combinations, you may also use Selenium.
What are the pros of Selenium?
1. It is a free and open source
The fact that Selenium is completely free and open source is the key factor in why everyone adores it. Because Selenium is open-source and cost-free, businesses of all sizes can use it for automated testing, and the community is always developing new features.
2. Supports multiple platforms, browsers, and languages
The extensive variety of systems, languages, and browsers that Selenium supports is yet another fantastic feature. There is no better tool than one that allows you to automate testing for the most popular operating systems and browsers.
3. CI/CD integration
The fact that Selenium can be completely integrated with CI/CD tools like Jenkins, Azure DevOps, Bamboo, Travis CI, Circle CI, GitLab, and many other tools is an additional key advantage.
4. Supports mobile testing
Mobile device testing is achievable with Selenium combined with technologies like Appium. Due to Appium’s Selenium foundation, you can use the same tools you would if you were automating a web page.
5. Parallel execution
You may run tests concurrently and manage the execution from a single location with Selenium Grid. It is well known that web tests take longer to run over time. By using parallel execution, we can start seeing really significant benefits as soon as our test suite grows in size.
6. Live community
With so many experts working with Selenium every day, the community is constantly busy with blog posts, courses, forum inquiries, and tools developed to assist one another.
What are the cons of Selenium?
1. Only supports web applications
Selenium is only effective for automating web tests. Selenium can be used to perform any task within a browser; however, this is the only place where it can be used. For instance, desktop apps cannot be automated.
2. No built-in image comparison
Since Selenium lacks a built-in picture comparison feature, it is crucial to confirm that any images that the application should display are there and shown correctly. Third-party libraries are required in order to be able to achieve this.
3. No built-in reporting capabilities
Selenium lacks a fundamental functionality called reporting. To convey test automation findings to management, contractors, clients, and stakeholders, testers and developers must all produce reports.
4. No tech-support
Even though Selenium has a sizable expert community, finding solutions is not straightforward. One challenge for new users of Selenium may be the absence of a helpful company.
Conclusion:
Congratulations, we now have the knowledge of what Selenium is, when should we use it, and a few of its benefits and drawbacks.
