Top 4 Pros And Cons Of Selenium Testing And How It Improves Your Work
Mercury Interactive commanded the test automation field in the early 2000s with their product Astra Quick Test. However, it was not the ideal product.
For example, tests could only be conducted on Windows PCs, only a limited number of browser versions were supported, and scripts could only be written in a single language — VBScript.
When software developer Jason Huggins created a new, unique test automation tool, he dubbed it Selenium, after the chemical element and supplement commonly used to treat mercury poisoning.
You may get a Selenium certificate by doing a Selenium tutorial and starting your career as a QA.
Here we will dive deep into Selenium testing and see its pros and cons.
What is Selenium testing automation?
Selenium is a collection of open-source software testing automation technologies that has established itself as the de facto standard in quality assurance. Selenium is being used in production by organizations such as:
- Netflix
- HubSpot
- Fitbit
It supports various programming languages and all major operating systems and browsers. In addition, the suite provides a variety of solutions for various testing difficulties and requirements.
We’ll discuss these testing tools in further detail later in the essay and why Selenium has remained relevant for so many years after its development. However, for the time being, let us analyze what it is about Selenium that has made it so popular.
Jason Huggins created a JavaScript framework in 2004 to relieve its author of repeated manual testing. The tool, appropriately dubbed JavaScriptTestRunner at the time, could run tests directly in the browser, drive page interactions, and rerun them without manual input.
Huggins saw the potential of this JavaScript program, released it open source, and dubbed it Selenium Remote Control. The revolutionary aspect was that no other technology previously allowed testers to communicate with the browser in their preferred programming language.
However, it quickly became evident that browsers imposed security restrictions on JavaScript, rendering the tool incapable of utilizing its full powers. Google was an early adopter of Selenium at the time, but developers grappled with its limitations. One of them, Simon Stewart, began developing a product called WebDriver that would communicate natively to browsers. Selenium and WebDriver joined forces and revolutionized how we test software for over a decade.
The advantages of using Selenium
Finally, it’s time to explore how good old Selenium continues to thrive despite the proliferation of excellent testing solutions each year.
- Free
Selenium is not the only automated testing tool on the market, but it is the only one that is free and capable of competing with commercial versions.
Selenium’s open-source status offers it an affordable entry point for businesses and independent developers despite its high learning curve. But, unsurprisingly, even larger firms are hesitant to switch to premium services and give up a few thousand bucks if Selenium continues to function well.
- Integrated workflows for Agile, DevOps, and Continuous Delivery
Selenium was already following the Agile and DevOps narratives long before these buzzwords became popular. Selenium’s essential nature fits wonderfully with the fundamental ideas of Agile, DevOps, and Continuous Delivery.
Selenium’s unequaled versatility is portable across all platforms and frequently does not require the acquisition of new languages.
Selenium interacts seamlessly with a variety of development platforms, including:
- Jenkins
- Maven
- TestNG
- QMetry
Parallel and cross-browser testing using Selenium Grid and other cloud grids such as LambdaTest enables developers to obtain feedback much more quickly and work on improvements immediately rather than waiting overnight for a test to pass.
- Numerous languages, platforms, and browsers
Selenium’s versatility is nearly unrivaled in the realm of test automation.
First, they offer ten languages, including Java, Ruby, C#, PHP, JavaScript, and Python – all of which are among today’s most popular programming languages. Additionally, it is the only widely used tool that supports Linux testing.
- Numerous plugins and extensions
Selenium’s baseline capabilities may be enhanced by using diverse plugins. Some of them are somewhat formally authorized by Selenium (for example, Appium and Selendroid), but there are many more that are not. Additionally, Google “Selenium plugins tool name” to see whether an extension exists for simple interaction with your preferred development environment, such as Jenkins or Eclipse.
These plugins are available for:
- WebDriver
- Grid
- Selenium IDE
The latter is remarkably comprehensive, capable of strengthening the functionally deficient instrument and preparing it for production.
The disadvantages of using Selenium
- The learning curve is steep.
Codeless testing is a popular trend in automated testing nowadays. This technique enables test execution to be performed by anybody without much programming experience. Specific testing solutions, such as TestComplete, Ranorex, or Tricentis, provide this functionality by layering a graphical user interface on top of the code layer and permitting toggling between the two modes. Testers can continue developing scripts and receiving thorough feedback, but they can omit the coding portion entirely if necessary.
Selenium, on the other hand, does not provide codeless testing. You must have a strong command of one of the programming languages, which limits the number of people who may participate in the testing process. Many businesses, particularly startups, hire their best coders to design product features and delegate automated testing to less qualified employees. This is not compatible with Selenium.
While previously stated, this only applies to Selenium WebDriver, as utilizing a far simpler Selenium IDE requires no coding expertise — but it does have certain drawbacks.
- Exclusively for web-based applications
Although this is more of a constraint than a disadvantage, it is worth emphasizing. Selenium is a technology that cannot be used to automate desktop application testing due to its inability to detect desktop application objects.
It is used to test web applications using various browsers. Therefore, to test desktop apps, you would need to either locate a standalone tool such as WinAppDriver and combine it with Selenium or a complete testing instrument such as Katalon that can automate both web-based and non-web-based tests.
- There is no built-in image comparison feature.
Automating picture verification presents challenges during the QA process. Manual inspection is the simplest and most efficient method of determining if a picture is presented accurately on the screen. While it is common for most productions to employ a combination of human and automated testing, this practice is a significant source of problems since the process quickly gets monotonous and testers check less often.
Image comparison is a frequently used technique for resolving this issue. You’ve created a mockup of your image to compare to the one presented throughout the test. TestComplete, Ranorex, and Katalon Studio, among others, already provide this feature.
This is not possible with Selenium without using third-party software. Sikuli is a popular option. It is a tool for image-based recognition that works nicely with Selenium but has limits and is not always accurate. OpenCV is another open-source library that supports C++, Python, Java, and MATLAB and offers hundreds of computer vision and image processing methods.
- There is no technical support.
Seeking assistance with Selenium is a two-edged sword.
The disadvantage is that the community assists, not the product makers. It is possible but difficult to find a solution to your unusual situation or assistance with bespoke demands. In a commercial emergency, you can contact consultancy or service firms for assistance. Selenium’s ecosystem page includes a small list of such businesses.
Selenium Salary
Now, let’s look at the highest-paying jobs that need selenium abilities. A quality assurance engineering manager makes around Rs. 4,130,000 per year. A technical director is rewarded between Rs. 3,940,000 and Rs. 3,940,000 per year. Additionally, positions such as senior development manager (Rs. 3,600,000 per year), staff engineer (Rs. 3,550,000 per year), and vice president are available (Rs. 3,520,000 per annum).
Conclusion
What would happen if Selenium abruptly revealed its intention to become a paid service? It’s difficult to criticize something free but imagines how unpleasant the faults would be if we suddenly had to pay for them.
Selenium is not perfect, but it is sufficient for testers to exert additional effort and disregard the codeless trend. It strikes that sweet spot when you’re willing to spend a few hours online searching for a solution rather than receiving paid assistance. And it still has a few aces under its deck that align with today’s engineering narrative: speedier delivery, modularity, and immediate feedback.
Selenium has a plethora of applications. It does not prevent the need for other test automation technologies, particularly if you have the funds for them. However, its monopolizing character causes you to pause before looking the other way.
Selenium testing is rising, and people getting into this field are set for a bright future ahead.
