When the talks about test automation come up, Selenium Automation undoubtedly tops the list because it is one of the best and most special tools in the current scenario. Both the developers and testers enjoy using Selenium. Even though there are multiple choices in the market, Selenium is still the most used option. No doubt it is because of the convenience and the benefit it offers to the businesses. The article here has discussed what Selenium is and the advantages and drawbacks of using Selenium for the company. It will provide you with precise insights.
Selenium – What is it?
It is a test automation framework used across industries. The software accepts commands and transfers them to the browser, then implemented for a specific driver. It can be used on browsers like Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox using some programming languages like Java, Python, JavaScript.
Pros of Selenium
When choosing an automation tool, it is essential to analyze the advantages first. This section has covered the advantages one can expect to get with Selenium.
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Free and Open Source
The biggest reason why Selenium is performed by businesses is that it is free of cost and open source. This provides companies of different sizes the ability and ease of using Selenium for automated tests. Besides, the usage is free of cost. Also, the community is always coming up with new capabilities as it is open-source.
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Support Multiple Platforms
A great thing about Selenium is the long list of platforms and languages. Nothing can be better than a tool that can be easily automated on browsers and operating systems. Further, one need not have to learn another language to use Selenium. One can use their favorite programming language.
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CI/CD Integration
It is a fully integrated CI/CD tool like Bamboo, GitLab, Azure DevOps, and multiple others. It is important because test automation is used with the aim to automate execution.
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Supports Mobile Testing
Using Selenium integrated tools, it is easy to test mobile devices. Appium is based on Selenium which allows you to use the same capabilities just like you were automating a web page. When appium is used in Selenium, it can help automate Android, Windows, IOS applications even if it is a hybrid, native or mobile web app.
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Parallel Execution
Using Selenium, one can run tests in parallel and have proper control over the execution and the central point. It is a great thing because the execution time for the web increases with time, and with parallel execution, one can have very interesting gain from the moment.
Cons of Selenium
Despite some great aspects and the fact that Selenium is one of the most used platforms, but there are some disadvantages of the same too
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Supports only Web Applications
It is found that Selenium works for web test automation. No doubt one can do everything within the browser by making use of Selenium. However, it is restricted just to the browser. This means it isn’t possible to automate desktop applications.
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Learning Curve
To make the most of Selenium, using Selenium WebDriver is highly advised. However, learning the right way of using Selenium WebDriver is not easy. Also, it takes time. There are things one needs to learn in order to start with automation testing with Selenium. Nowadays, test automation comes up with a path for cordless tools that is without any need for programming knowledge.
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No Built-in Comparison
Selenium does not come with a built-in image comparison, which is vital to validate the images that should be displayed. For this third party, libraries must be used to have the capability. Alternatively, you can use tools like test projects built on the top of the Selenium as it has empowered the native functionalities without the fox features. Also, there are about 1500 tools needed for automated actions that one can explore.
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Expensive Test Maintenance
A difficulty herein is with the locators that one must use for test automation scripts for which the locator is modified. One needs to update the test code for the solutions with AI tools that can be handled better. In such situations makes the maintenance cost of test scripts is cheaper.
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No Built-in Reporting Capability
The most basic feature of reporting is not present in Selenium. All the developers and testers must create reports with test automation results to present them to the contractors, managers, customers, and stakeholders. To use this, one needs to integrate third-party libraries to collect execution data for developing test reports.
Every software has its advantages and drawbacks. Having a clear idea will help you choose the best one for your requirement. Mentioned here were the ones you need to have a clear idea about. Undoubtedly it must have provided you a basic understanding as if Selenium will work well for your business requirement or not. But in the end, you will need to have the proper knowledge to make the most of it. This would mean taking Selenium certification or courses to better understand its uses, which will further increase the difficulty and the time required for managing the process.
Conclusion
Suppose you are planning to take up the Selenium certification. In that case, there are different options you can consider but opt for the online classes undoubtedly will serve as the best as it will provide the convenience of carrying out your regular classes without any worry. Karthik Training is the one you can consider for the training. The experts will ensure you get the training done in the best way possible. Undoubtedly it will work great for you and will help improve your skills. So instead of worrying any longer, make sure you visit the website to get a better idea about the course structure and different aspects. For sure they will fulfill the requirement well.
