Tag Archives: Selenium Testing

Google Puppeteer

Puppeteer : Is it time to ditch Selenium?

Automation Testing Tools, JavaScript, Software QA Testing, , Ajit Singh

Google has introduced a new library based on Chromium’s dev tool protocol. The library grants high-level API to interact with chromium and handle most tasks which you can perform using Chromium dev tools. The library is implemented in node.js and is really easy to get started once you install required packages using the node package manager.

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Why Puppeteer?

Puppeteer flexes its muscle where selenium misses out. It is not just limited to interactions with the web application under test performing tasks like for e.g. interacting with dom, submitting forms, generating screenshots and pdf of web pages but also in intercepting network activity, throttling CPU and network, generating timeline trace and mocking API amongst some. The puppeteer can be easily be used to write end-to-end automation test suites with the benefit of getting a detailed timeline of the performance of all the assets (images, javascript files and so on).

Engineers can easily switch between headless and non-headless modes. While writing the automation suite, non-headless mode gives a good view of how the browser is interacting with the application under test and helps in debugging; just like in Selenium. But in production, we can execute suite in a headless mode as it reduces execution time and save resources.

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Is it really that Good?

Yes, it enjoys the goodness of async code execution. You can always perform multiple tasks simultaneously following the latest javascript async await conventions. You can test the behavior of your application under different screen sizes. The network can be throttled on demand to find out how your application will run at low internet speeds. For e.g. if you want to test the error messages in an application when a user loses internet connectivity, puppeteer can easily handle such a scenario. Mocking APIs can also be achieved with utmost ease. For instance, if you want to test your “payment completed” screen but don’t want to go through the payment gateway flow, you can easily perform it with puppeteer by mocking the API response. With a detailed performance matrix, puppeteer can easily be used for performance testing.

So what are the drawbacks?

Google puppeteer supports only Chromium and Chrome out of the box. Third party implementations are available for Firefox and Internet Explorer. But they are experimental as of now and are missing a good chunk of the firepower. The documentation available is minimal as compared to selenium.

Why should you prefer Puppeteer over Selenium?

The targeted audience is the major deciding factor. If it majorly comprises of Chrome users you should go ahead with Puppeteer. Other factors include performing automation tasks which are not possible with selenium, like testing Chrome extensions, mocking API calls and so on. Selenium follows WebDriver protocol and has been from a very long time in the market compared to puppeteer hence itis better documented compared to puppeteer.

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Conclusion

Puppeteer is a powerful library which has revolutionized the automation testing by overcoming functionalities missing in WebDriver protocol used by Selenium. Although it is still in the early stages, it promises a bright future, backed up as it is by the illustrious Chrome dev tools team.

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If you have any queries in this field, talk to Mindfire Solutions. For over 19+ years now, we have been the preferred Software Development Partner of over 1000+ Small and Medium-sized enterprises across the globe.

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Selenium vs Appium : Which Tool is Best Suited for Software Testing?

Automation Testing Tools, Selenium, , Mindfire Solutions

Selenium vs Appium

Quality Assurance (QA) testing is a crucial part of any software development process. It ensures that the software application seamlessly performs the expected tasks, and meets the requirements set forth by the stakeholders.

Testing software manually is a tedious and time-consuming process. The process leaves a lot of room for human error, which can harm the software’s performance. That’s why about 73% of organizations are looking to adopt automated testing.

Automation tools like Appium and Selenium offer a more efficient approach to software testing by providing automated test scripts that can be reused for future projects. In this article, we will explore the pros and cons of both tools and discuss the best use case conditions for both Selenium vs Appium.

Comparing Two Widely Used Test Automation Tools: Selenium vs Appium

Appium

Appium is an open-source test automation tool used for mobile application testing. The tool is a mobile-based testing framework that encompasses the philosophy of “write once, run anywhere.” This means that the same tests written for one platform will also run on another. Appium supports test automation for both Android and iOS applications, allowing testers to use their preferred programming language to write tests.

The Appium architecture is built on a client-server model, with the server code written in node.js. Appium Clients are written for each platform (Android, iOS), and send out HTTP requests to the Appium server through the JSON Wire protocol. The server then responds with code that can be understood by the application under test. This allows for cross-platform testing.

The Appium server is responsible for interpreting the instructions from the client libraries and translating them into commands that can be understood by the device under test. It also acts as a proxy between the client and the device, ensuring that all of the necessary commands are sent properly to the device.

Appium also has an Inspector feature, allowing testers to take a deep dive into their applications and view elements inside of their apps. This provides testers with crucial information when debugging issues related to UI tests, such as element locators or XPath selectors which allow testers to interact with elements in an application more accurately.

Benefits of Appium

  • It is a versatile and powerful tool that tests all types of applications, web, native, and hybrid across multiple platforms.
  • Appium allows testers to reuse code snippets between projects, reducing development time and costs associated with writing complex tests from scratch.
  • Doesn’t require the recompilation of applications.
  • Appium does not require any coding knowledge for its operation.

Weaknesses of Appium

  • The scripts written in Appium have to be maintained, as they can break.
  • The debugging process can be time-consuming when tests fail due to a network latency issue or any other issue related to the test environment.
  • Doesn’t support parallel testing.

Selenium

Selenium is another open-source automated testing framework. It is primarily used as an automation tool for web applications. The tool supports popular browsers and every operating a system like Windows, Linux or MACOS, etc.

Contrary to Appium, Selenium is not a single tool but a tool suite, consisting of four components: Selenium IDE, Selenium RC, Selenium WebDriver, and Selenium Grid. Each piece caters to the different QA testing needs of an organization.

Selenium IDE enables testers to record and playback test scripts while they browse the application. It is best suited for small projects where complex logic isn’t needed. Selenium RC acts as an HTTP proxy and allows developers to automate UI tests for any web application. Lastly, Selenium WebDriver is used for writing more sophisticated tests, with support for various programming languages like Java, Python, Ruby, etc.

Benefits of Selenium

  • Selenium makes it possible to run parallel tests on different machines or browsers simultaneously.
  • Allows integration of third-party plug-ins such as SauceLabs.
  • The debugging process is quite straightforward when compared to Appium.
  • The scripting process can be done quickly and easily as it supports a wide range of programming languages.
  • Selenium has a bigger community than Appium that actively contributes to the tool and documentation.

Weaknesses of Selenium

  • Selenium cannot automate mobile applications.
  • The setup and configuration of Selenium is a time-consuming task.
  • Selenium doesn’t provide end-to-end testing solutions and heavily relies on external libraries.

Suitability of Tools

  • Appium

It is best suited for organizations whose software experience extends beyond web-based applications. The tool is designed to test any kind of application. IT firms use this tool to automate tests on mobile devices and to write tests that can run on Android and iOS platforms. Software companies are also utilizing Appium for testing complex gaming applications and IoT devices that have several moving parts and interactions.

  • Selenium 

Organizations whose primary focus is web application automation should prefer Selenium over Appium as the tool suite can be used to automate all types of tests for browser-based software. Furthermore, companies looking to run parallel automated tests on different machines or browsers simultaneously can opt for Selenium. IT firms leverage this tool for testing complex websites like eCommerce and eLearning platforms which can have hundreds of pages and different user flows.

Related Case Study – AUTOMATED TESTING OF AN IOS HEALTHCARE MONITORING APPLICATION By Mindfire Solutions

Conclusion

Appium and Selenium are two of the most popular automated testing frameworks for software. Both tools are open sources and allow organizations to save time and cut-down costs involved in QA testing.

The decision of which tool to use between Selenium vs Appium depends on the specific requirements of the project. Appium is best suited for organizations looking to test mobile applications and IoT devices. On the other hand, companies with a primary focus on web automation should opt for Selenium as it supports all types of tests for browser-based software.

If you are looking to leverage Appium or Selenium for testing your software, Mindfire Solutions can assist you in the process. Our highly-skilled QA engineers can define the most effective test cases that ensure the software delivers a seamless experience for its users.

Contact Mindfire Solutions to know more about us.

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How to Approach Automation?

Software Quality, , , , , , , , , ,

Test Automation

Automation, in true sense, relieves the person from manual efforts by regulating the repetitive tasks to an extent. Automation is the preferred choice in most industries and software may also be brought into the circle of automation, but without deviating from its actual definition. Automation should not become a costly affair for an engineer to perform.

So, here comes the big question:  “How to approach Automation? “

That brings us to the basics of Automation, i.e. what and when to automate. It is not possible to automate everything in software; however test scenarios those are time consuming and executed repeatedly can be considered for automation. GUI items, Business Critical test cases, connections with database, data validation generally make good automation stuff. Test automation should be done when the projects are large and critical to business, requires frequent regression testing, requirements are not changing frequently, load and performance tests needs to be included, and most importantly project build is stable.

It is required to follow a proper approach to create and execute automation test script so as to increase the efficiency in automating the software. Firstly, define the scope of automation, taking in view the test scenarios to be tested, technical feasibility, complexity and priority of selected tests. After defining the scope, test tool selection should be made depending upon the software interface and technology used. A proper framework is needed to execute automation scripts, so the framework implementation on the selected test tool should be undertaken.

Automation Steps

Tests always run in well-configured environment that supports the tool. Hence, configure the environment correctly and then related test data preparation should be done, to avoid any risks due to invalid data giving inaccurate results.

Automated test development consists prioritizing of test cases to be automated, writing of automation scripts, mapping those scripts with test cases and creating elaborate test suite. Tests then can be run either by using the Test tool or Test Management tools with test data as input and generate test reports for the analysis of the result. Test execution should always be supported and monitored to ensure it is done as per the scope of the automation. Lastly, maintenance of the scripts is done. With every build, scripts need to be added, modified or deleted to make the automation efforts optimally effective.

Therefore, we can maximize the potential of efforts made into automation by strategically planning the automation process. It is always advisable to correct the shortcomings in any process as early as possible to avoid unprecedented repercussion if same is done in later stages, as evident in case of software development models.

Happy Testing !

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