Automated Browser Testing – Use of Latest Frameworks & Tools

The term ‘Cross-browser testing’ is imperative to those who are working to develop a web or software application. Its primary aim is to ensure the smooth functioning of the app on different browsers. To be exact, cross-browser testing is highly vital for providing the best experience to the users.

In order to conduct cross-browser testing, there are various challenges that need to be addressed. One of the most common being the financial burden since the cost associated with the task is huge to accommodate different permutations involving browsers, platforms, and devices. Automated browser testing as part of test automation services is an appropriate solution to the above-mentioned problem. The usefulness of automated browser testing can be proven with the involvement of automation tools to conduct cross-browser testing that ensures scalability, efficiency, and framework re-usability. All of these factors act in favor to speed up the process of product testing.

For the convenience of testers and developers, automated browser testing assists in devising test scripts with the efficient use of automation tools and frameworks. Therefore, validating the application occurs with much ease and comfort.

In this blog, we will learn about the value of automated browser testing when it comes to enterprise-level software applications. Also, we will discuss the latest updates in terms of frameworks and tools combined.

What is the Need for Automated Browser Testing?

Parallel Testing

The ability to perform parallel testing with Selenium Grid or any other test automation framework is a fairly lucrative benefit of favoring automated browser testing. You cannot manually test two or more different browser + OS combinations at the same time.

Shift-Left Testing

Implementing automated browser testing will assist you in validating new development requirements from the start of the SDLC. This enables you to perform shift-left testing in a much more resourceful manner.

Comprehensive Data for Debugging

When performing manual browser compatibility testing, bug encounters are not always well-reported or documented. As a result, they are difficult to reproduce, and you cannot afford to waste your release bandwidth on a single bug. The scenario differs from automated browser testing in that you receive detailed Selenium logs with exception messages to assist you in locating the bug. You can also record videos or take screenshots command by command.

Simplified Regression Testing

You must be aware of the speed with which release cycles are executed since we now live in an Agile world. CI/CD pipelines that push code into production on a monthly, weekly, or even daily basis make it difficult for testers to conduct regression testing on the web application.

Not to mention that the code changes deployed as a correction for outages would require a systematic round of regression testing to avoid a subsequent outage. In simple words, regression testing can be simplified with automated browser testing. All that is required is to run the Selenium automation scripts after the deployment of the CI/CD pipeline.

Selection of Framework for Automated Browser Testing

Selecting a suitable programming language is critical for development; similarly, picking the best test framework is critical for automation testing.

The test framework should be selected based on the team’s available skills. It should be identified based on the script’s quality, ability, scalability, and ease of use to execute complex test cases. Some of the best test frameworks for the top three programming languages, namely Java, JavaScript, and Python, are listed below.

Java-based Test Automation Frameworks

Selenium

Selenium is a widely preferred test framework for conducting automated cross-browser testing. It is useful for automating functional tests and achieving continuous testing. Selenium automation testing is popular for cross-browser testing because major programming languages (C#, Java, etc.) support the Selenium framework. The Selenium WebDriver is used by many powerful test frameworks, such as Selenide.

TestNG

It is a JUnit-inspired next-generation (NG) open-source test automation framework for Java. When it comes to parameterization, grouping, and sequencing of test cases/test scenarios, TestNG outperforms JUnit. TestNG’s test reporting is also powerful in identifying risk factors with the source code.

Spock

Spock is a Java-based test automation framework that is derived from JUnit and written in Groovy. It is one of the most popular Java-based test automation frameworks for

. Spock’s key advantage over other test frameworks is that it is coherent with the languages of the JVM (Java Virtual Machine). It also suits well with several build tools, IDEs, as well as continuous integration servers.

JavaScript-based Test Automation Frameworks

Jest

Jest is one interesting test automation framework that is primarily developed by Facebook. You can find it advantageous all thanks to its minimal setup and required configuration for getting started. Jest can be called a favorite framework choice for testing applications created using ReactJS.

Cypress

Cypress is a comprehensive end-to-end JavaScript testing framework that fuels today’s modern web interfaces. For instance, it does not make use of Selenium or WebDriver but can handle complex testing scenarios including crumbling mobile networks, complex distributed systems, and background syncing.

Jasmine

It is a feature-wealthy JavaScript automation testing framework. Node.js is used to run the test framework. Jasmine is primarily used for asynchronous testing and does not require a DOM. It is a popular framework for Selenium automation testing and automated browser testing. The big benefit of using Jasmine is its compatibility with your preferred libraries and frameworks. Moreover, it also allows for snapshot testing, which is useful for testing browser compatibility.

Protractor

Protractor is considered effective for testing software applications written in React.js, whereas the Protractor framework is preferred for testing applications that are written using Angular and Angular.js. Furthermore, it is used for carrying out Selenium automation testing since the framework makes use of Selenium WebDriver to perform browser compatibility testing.

WebdriverIO

It is suitable for Selenium automation testing on mobile and non-mobile devices. The WebdriverIO framework is feature-rich and supports both Selenium and Appium frameworks.

Nightwatch

Nightwatch.js is a JavaScript-based test framework primarily used for automated browser testing along with end-to-end testing of web applications, mainly those built with Node.js. This includes a built-in test runner that supports parallel testing. Its presence is ideal for continuous integration and even supports POM (Page Object Model) and all interactions with web page elements with the use of W3C WebDriver API.

Python-based Test Automation Frameworks

Pytest

Pytest is a free and open-source testing framework. Developers use it for unit testing, and testers use it for automation testing. Pytest allows you to create effective test suites that are written in a much more compact manner.

Robot

Another popular Python test framework is Robot. It is used for both ATDD (Acceptance Test Driven Development) and acceptance testing. It can also run on IronPython, which is .Net-based, and Jython, which is Java-based.

Behave

Behave is a great Python framework for BDD test automation (Behavior Driven Development). The overall architecture of the framework is very similar to that of SpecFlow and Cucumber, which are also used for automation testing. Behave has received 525 forks.

Top Automated Browser Testing Tools

Here are the top ten cross-browser testing tools based on testing experience, price, and quality options that cover specific needs associated with the testing of specific browsers.

Test Complete
LambdaTest
QA Wolf
Sauce Labs
IETester
Browserling
Turbo Browser Sandbox
CrossBrowserTesting
BrowserStack Live
Ranorex Studio

Conclusion

For carrying out automated browser testing the selection of the correct framework and tool is essential. With the correct combination, you can make use of a virtual arrangement to simulate a live environment for different browsers and operating systems.

The above-mentioned data gives better knowledge about multiple frameworks suitable for various programming languages. Moreover, you also get a list of trending automated browser testing tools that are preferred by most software testing companies. For each of your cross-browser testing projects, feel free to seek an expert consultation at ImpactQA.

You can contact us right away for stating various project requirements.