Selenium Test Automation Benefits & Challenges Explained
Selenium is a widely popular test automation framework that is considered to be a highly efficient tool by organizations worldwide. Although manual testing is still needed for certain aspects of software development depending upon the project requirement, but, still, automation testing provides a highly effective testing platform for carrying out testing activities at a faster pace and in an efficient manner. In this article, you will get to know about the benefits and challenges of selenium test automation.
Selenium test automation benefits:
- Supports popular programming languages: Selenium supports various programming languages such as Python, Ruby, C#, JavaScript, Java, Perl etc. Through this, integration with the development environment becomes much easier. Selenium has its own script but doesn’t restrict to one specific language. The developer and testing team can use any language in which they have the necessary expertise.
2. Testing can be carried out in an efficient manner: Compared to manual testing, the time taken for setting up an automation testing platform is comparatively less. When it comes to selenium automation, it is considered as much faster when compared to other automation testing techniques. For setting up the selenium framework, the time required is much less compared to other automation testing tools. For this specific reason, it is considered to be the most efficient test automation tool for testing web applications.
3. Defects can be identified in the early stage: Testing team knows that if a defect has been detected early in the software application development process, then the code rework will be gradually reduced thus saving time and cost. Through the application of selenium, not only will the defects in the software application will be found earlier, but also the overall velocity of code development is maintained. This will in turn ensure that the website functionality is not compromised.
4. It is an open-source tool: Selenium is an open-source automation testing framework, which makes it a portable and freeware testing tool. There is no licensing cost involved as it is an open-source tool. Cost is saved for the purpose of implementation.
5. It provides an effective suite of tools: Selenium is not a single entity, rather it consists of a suite of tools known as the selenium tool suite. These selenium tools are specifically designed for the purpose of different testing requirements. The tools are Selenium IDE (Integrated Development Environment), Selenium RC (Remote Control), Selenium WebDriver and Selenium Grid.
Selenium test automation challenges:
1. Events being synchronized: One of the key reasons for an automation script failure is sync issues. When there is an event that is going to be occurred, sync issues may arise. In certain scenarios, it might not happen or get delayed due to some unknown reason, which will further cause the test cases to fail.
2. The way dynamic elements are handled: High-end technologies might be used for developing new websites, which will have dynamic content that can be changed over time. Even globally accessible sites may have content based on geo-locations.
3. Issues with OTP handling or Captcha: OTP and Captcha cannot be predicted or assumed. Every time it is generated, different values are popped up. Automating features like new account registration, payment gateway etc., where OTP and Captcha are required becomes a challenging task for automation testers. This shows that 100% automation cannot be done to an application and manual testing is required to implement in such scenarios.
4. Improper reporting formats: The testing process requires a proper reporting format. These test reports act as a bridge between testers and developers. In this context, selenium lacks proper reporting capabilities. The challenge for automation testers is to generate and maintain reports. For better code designs and reporting, programming language based frameworks can be used.
Conclusion: If you are looking forward to implementing selenium automation testing for your software development project, then do get connected with a globally renowned software testing services company that will provide you with feasible testing solutions that are precisely in line with your project specific requirements.
About the author: I am a technical content writer focused on writing technology specific articles. I strive to provide well-researched information on the leading market savvy technologies.