When we talk about automation testing, Selenium testing takes an important place. It is one of the best tools for automation testing. At the end of this blog, you will know what Selenium testing is, why it is important in software testing.
What is Selenium?
Selenium is an open-source tool that is used for automating the tests carried out on web browsers. Selenium was founded as an automation testing tool to overcome the drawbacks/ limitations of Manual testing. Testing done using the Selenium testing tool is usually referred to as Selenium Testing.
Why do we need Selenium?
As an automation testing tool, Selenium is faster and needs less human resource involvement.
What are the pros and Cons of Selenium?
Selenium is more advantageous than QTP in terms of costs and flexibility. It also allows you to run parallel tests, while you are only allowed to run tests sequentially in QTP.
What are the components of Selenium?
Selenium Software is not just a single tool but a suite of software. Here is the list of tools.
- Selenium IDE (Integrated Development Environment)
- Selenium RC (Remote Control)
- Selenium WebDriver
- Selenium Grid
At the moment, Selenium RC and WebDriver are merged into a single framework to form Selenium 2.
It is important to know which is the appropriate right Selenium tool for your need. Each of them has its own benefits and drawbacks. Let's see when you can use these components.
Selenium IDE
- To learn about concepts on automated testing and Selenium.
- To create tests with little or no prior knowledge in programming.
- To create simple test cases and test suites that you can export later to RC or WebDriver.
- To test a web application against Firefox and Chrome only.
Selenium RC
- To design a test using a more expressive language than Selenese
- To run your test against different browsers (except HtmlUnit) on different operating systems.
- To deploy your tests across multiple environments using Selenium Grid.
- To test your application against a new browser that supports JavaScript.
- To test web applications with complex AJAX-based scenarios.
Selenium WebDriver
- To use a certain programming language in designing your test case.
- To test applications that are rich in AJAX-based functionalities.
- To execute tests on the HtmlUnit browser.
- To create customized test results.
Selenium Grid
- To run your Selenium RC scripts in multiple browsers and operating systems simultaneously.
- To run a huge test suite, that needs to complete in the soonest time possible.
Summary
- There are four components in the Selenium suite and you should know which is the appropriate right Selenium tool for your need.
- Selenium outweighs QTP in three main areas; Cost, Flexibility, and Parallel testing.
