Automation Testing Framework for Web Applications with Selenium WebDriver: Opportunities and Threats

Selenium is the most widely used automation testing framework used today. What makes Selenium so popular? Are there any disadvantages also of Selenium? Let’s understand the advantages of the Selenium framework first.

1. Available as an Open source 
   

Selenium is open-source, therefore free to download and use. This is a major reason for its success however the ease of use is an equal contributor.

2.  Increased compatibility
   

Selenium provides compatibility in the below areas and that is why it is really a popular framework.

i. Operating systems

Selenium is compatible with multiple Operating Systems and therefore can be used on different machines. It is compatible with Windows, Linux and Mac etc.

ii. Programming Languages

Another important compatible feature is, it supports multiple languages, a developer or tester need not learn a new language to start using Selenium. Java, Ruby, Python, C#, Javascript and Perl all are supported by Selenium, this makes it a popular choice among testers.

iii. Cross-Browser

Selenium supports multiple browsers like – Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari and Opera. And mostly these browsers are used by end-users; hence the cross-browser compatibility testing can also be performed by Selenium.

iv. Frameworks Support

Selenium is supported and integrated with other frameworks like – TestNG, Maven, Jenkins etc. This leverages more power and utility to Selenium because the advantages of all these frameworks are also integrated with it.

Due to the compatibility with Operating Systems, Programming languages, Cross-Browsers and support of external frameworks, a Selenium automation testing framework is able to provide better coverage and better results for testing.

3.  Mouse and Keyboard actions
   

Selenium very well supports the simulation of mouse and keyboard actions by the end-user. This covers a whole new area in testing because keyboard and mouse actions are vital in any testing.

4.  Ease of scripting
   

The Selenium’s support for multiple languages already frees the tester from a load of learning a new programming language. Apart from this, scripting in the Selenium Framework is relatively easy and less time-consuming.

5.  Community support and updates
   

Selenium is a framework that is supported by a community, there are regular updates and enhancements to the framework which is accessible by all. This helps in getting huge support from the community and the other developers/testers that are already using Selenium.

6.  Parallel execution using Selenium Grid
   

Another variation of the Selenium framework called Selenium Grid supports parallel execution of the test cases. This saves execution time considerably and helps to achieve the testing targets easily.

7.  Flexible and Reusable
   

Selenium is flexible to changes and is reusable to a great extent. The same framework can be used for multiple applications with few changes.

Disadvantages of using a Selenium framework

1.  Not Codeless
   

Today the world is going after script-less automation testing frameworks like TestComplete, Ranorex, Testsigma etc. A person without any coding knowledge can write and execute test cases using these script-less testing tools. This advantage is missing in a Selenium-based automation testing framework, where the script is the base of everything.

2.  No official technical support and help
   

Selenium works on community support and help, there is no official technical support as such which is reliable.

3.  No inbuilt reporting system
   

Selenium does not have a reporting system of its own. For reporting, we are dependent on TestNG, JUnit and Extent Library for reporting purposes.

4.  Image comparison is unsupported
   

Many times in software testing image comparison is required. Selenium does not support image comparison directly, we need to use third-party tools like Sikuli etc.