Cross browser testing stands as a crucial aspect for any web application, primarily due to the unpredictability of the browsers users choose to access your website.
While your application might excel in Chrome, the same cannot be guaranteed for browsers like Internet Explorer (which has regrettably been discontinued) or Safari. Imagine a scenario where a user attempts to use your application on one of these browsers, only to encounter issues. In such cases, they may swiftly switch to a competitor’s offering.
Browser testing plays a pivotal role in averting such outcomes by ensuring the flawless functionality of your application across all major web browsers. This proactive approach safeguards your customer base, enhancing their satisfaction and loyalty.
What is Automated Browser Testing?
Automated browser testing can be defined as the application of automation techniques in the context of browser testing. Developers employ automated toolsets or frameworks to carry out specific tasks designed to assess the performance and functionality of web browsers.
The utilization of automation streamlines the testing process, particularly for tasks that are both time-consuming and repetitive, such as regression or performance testing. In the era of data science, automated tests yield precise outcomes, enabling testers to take proactive measures to address problems and expedite product releases to the market.
The Significance of Automated Browser Testing
Cross-browser testing plays a crucial role in ensuring an optimal user experience. Nonetheless, tackling cross-browser testing presents several challenges, especially if you intend to establish a local infrastructure for test execution. The financial hurdle looms large, considering the need to account for various combinations of browsers, devices, and platforms. While local infrastructure is economically feasible, it lacks scalability, necessitating a substantial investment in setting up a dedicated “cross-browser testing” farm. Initiating testing across various browser farms is a more pragmatic approach.
Automated browser testing emerges as a potential solution to the aforementioned quandary. This methodology harnesses automation tools to conduct cross-browser testing, delivering efficiency, scalability, and the advantages of a framework and test platform that accelerate product testing.
However, constructing an effective test plan necessitates a blend of manual and automated tests, contingent upon the type and complexity of the test scenarios. Relying solely on manual testing for scrutinizing all the features and functionalities of a web application or website is impractical due to its time-consuming nature. The task of verifying browser compatibility becomes overwhelmingly daunting when approached manually.
Automated browser testing offers a superior alternative, utilizing streamlined automation testing tools or frameworks to craft test scripts for application validation. The Selenium automation testing framework enjoys widespread popularity for its compatibility with major browsers and multiple operating systems. It seamlessly integrates with popular programming languages like Python, Java, JavaScript, C#Ruby, among others, facilitates the development of automated tests.
Now, you can execute your scripts at maximum speed using LambdaTest’s automated web testing platform.
Benefits of Automated browser testing
Key benefits associated with employing automated browser testing:
- Ability to conduct tests across multiple platforms
- Cost-effective and scalable for executing repetitive tests
- Expedited test processing through support for parallel test execution
- Scalability to adapt to evolving test requirements
- Enhanced test coverage
- Accelerated time-to-market
- User-friendly implementation
Transitioning from Manual to Automated Browser Testing: Key Steps to Consider
Manual testing involves meticulously executing test cases step by step. However, when dealing with complex test cases, the manual execution of tests on each browser can be exceedingly time-consuming. This is why many organizations seek to automate their manual test cases. When making the shift from manual to automated browser testing, you should take the following points into account for a seamless transition:
- Begin by creating smaller, more manageable sets of test cases to be automated. These smaller sets are easier to handle and can be reused effectively. This initial step will provide insights into whether automation aligns with your specific requirements.
- Depending on the benefits derived from initial automation efforts, contemplate automating additional test cases. You can expand both the volume and variety of test cases subject to automation. Test cases that do not yield substantial benefits from automation can be reverted to manual testing.
- Organize your test cases by mapping them to specific modules and applying clear labels for improved identification. This organizational approach enhances test coverage and facilitates comprehensive reporting.
- Prioritize the automation of test cases in accordance with your business requirements, with a particular emphasis on newly introduced areas that require manual attention.
- Leverage analytics to gain insights into user behavior, particularly regarding the browsers and devices most frequently utilized. This data-driven approach allows you to target the most relevant areas for automation, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of your testing efforts and yielding superior results.
Cross-browser testing plays a crucial role in ensuring an optimal user experience. Nonetheless, tackling cross-browser testing presents several challenges, especially if you intend to establish a local infrastructure for test execution. The financial hurdle looms large, considering the need to account for various combinations of browsers, devices, and platforms.
While local infrastructure is economically feasible, it lacks scalability, necessitating a substantial investment in setting up a dedicated “cross-browser testing” farm. Initiating testing across various browser farms is a more pragmatic approach.
Automated browser testing emerges as a potential solution to the aforementioned quandary. This methodology harnesses automation tools to conduct cross-browser testing, delivering efficiency, scalability, and the advantages of a framework and test platform that accelerate product testing.
However, constructing an effective test plan necessitates a blend of manual and automated tests, contingent upon the type and complexity of the test scenarios. Relying solely on manual testing for scrutinizing all the features and functionalities of a web application or website is impractical due to its time-consuming nature. The task of verifying browser compatibility becomes overwhelmingly daunting when approached manually.
What to Include in Automation?
- Regression Testing: Regression testing involves repetitive tasks where testers must repeatedly input the same variables to ensure that new features added to a web application do not adversely affect existing functionalities. Manual testers may experience fatigue and introduce errors, making automation a prudent choice for regression testing.
- Performance Testing: The manual analysis of various performance metrics is a laborious undertaking. Utilizing automation tools like Appium enables the creation of comprehensive test cases to thoroughly evaluate all aspects of a web application. The HeadSpin platform harnesses the capabilities of Appium to achieve this goal effectively.
- Smoke Testing: Smoke tests, conducted by developers to assess build stability, serve as indicators for the QA team to initiate further formal testing. Automating smoke tests empowers developers to efficiently analyze results and identify significant issues within the web application.
- Functional Testing: Functional testing encompasses the evaluation of practical aspects of a web application, including its user interface, APIs, security features, database functionality, and more. As organizations expand, the manual execution of functional tests becomes impractical. Automation offers advantages such as accelerated test execution, the ability to conduct a higher number of simultaneous tests, and enhanced overall test precision.
- Data-Driven Testing: Data-driven tests separate data from test scripts, allowing data to be integrated as needed to extend the tests. When dealing with numerous data sets, automation is the optimal approach for managing and executing data-driven testing scenarios.
Getting Started with Automation Testing: Key Considerations
- Maintain a Balance: Emphasize the coexistence of manual testing alongside automation. Aiming for complete automation may not always be the most practical approach.
- Start Small: Begin your automation journey by automating a select few test cases, focusing on those of modest complexity. This allows for easier reusability in the future. Implementing a labeling system for test cases is a beneficial practice, aiding teams in distinguishing which test cases warrant automation and which should remain in the manual testing realm.
- Know What Not to Automate: Recognize that certain aspects, such as user experience tests, may not yield accurate results when automated since algorithms cannot accurately predict individual user behaviors. In such cases, manual testing remains the preferred method.
- Select the Right Tools: Identify the appropriate browser testing tools for your automation testing needs. Selenium proves to be an excellent choice for web-based applications, while Appium has established itself as a standard for mobile-based applications. When choosing between open-source and premium tools, factor in considerations such as budget constraints.
Assess your specific requirements and compare them with the services offered by the open-source version of your chosen tool. If your needs align with open-source capabilities, leverage them to their fullest extent.
- Infrastructure Planning: Determine the infrastructure necessary to execute automation tests effectively. Consider whether to employ simulators or emulators, although testing on real devices is typically the superior option. Simulators can only provide a simulated experience and may not consistently yield the most accurate results.
Ensure that your test grid includes a mix of real devices and browsers and is configured for parallel testing, enabling the simultaneous execution of multiple tests across various devices.
- Leveraging LambdaTest – AI Powered Test Orchestration & Execution Platform: Explore the capabilities of the LambdaTest platform, which facilitates testing applications on real devices across the globe. It seamlessly integrates into your CI/CD workflows and supports functional and performance testing both before and after release.
LambdaTest is an AI-powered test orchestration and execution platform that offers compatibility with automated testing tools such as Selenium, Cypress, Playwright, Puppeteer, Appium, and various others. Additionally, you have the advantage of utilizing parallel testing capabilities to accelerate your software release processes.
Prominent Test Frameworks for Automated Browser Testing
Test frameworks serve as a set of guidelines for crafting and executing test cases. While selecting an appropriate programming language is vital for development, choosing the right test framework holds equal significance in automation testing.
The selection of a test framework should align with the team’s skill set and be assessed based on criteria like script quality, user-friendliness, scalability, and the ability to handle complex test scenarios. Below are some of the leading test frameworks categorized by the top three programming languages: JavaScript, Python, and Java.
a. Test Automation Frameworks for JavaScript:
- Jest: Developed by Facebook, Jest is a highly regarded test automation framework known for its minimal setup and suitability for ReactJS applications.
- Cypress: Cypress is a comprehensive JavaScript-based end-to-end testing framework designed for modern web interfaces, offering unique capabilities for complex scenarios.
- Mocha: Mocha is an open-source framework widely used for JavaScript-based automated browser testing, particularly suited for Node.js applications.
- Jasmine: Jasmine is a feature-rich automation testing framework compatible with Node.js, excelling in asynchronous testing and supporting various libraries and frameworks.
- WebdriverIO: WebdriverIO is a next-gen framework for WebDriver test automation using Node.js, featuring support for mobile and non-mobile devices and integration with Applitools Eyes for visual regression testing.
- Protractor: Protractor is tailored for testing Angular and Angular.js applications, utilizing Selenium WebDriver for browser compatibility testing and offering additional locators and testing framework support.
b. Test Automation Frameworks for Python:
- PyUnit (or UnitTest): PyUnit, inspired by JUnit, serves as Python’s standard test automation framework, suitable for various testing scenarios.
- Pytest: Pytest is an open-source framework widely used for unit and automation testing, known for its compact and efficient test suite creation.
- Robot: Robot is another popular Python framework used for Acceptance Test Driven Development (ATDD) and acceptance testing, compatible with different platforms, including IronPython and Jython.
- Lettuce: Lettuce is utilized for BDD and behavior-driven tests, are essential for black-box testing in Python-based automation.
c. Test Automation Frameworks for Java:
- JUnit: JUnit, a standard framework for executing repeatable test cases, seamlessly integrates with Selenium WebDriver for automated cross-browser testing.
- TestNG: Inspired by JUnit, TestNG excels in parameterization, grouping, and sequencing of test cases, offering robust test reporting capabilities.
- Selenium: Selenium is a prevalent test framework for automated cross-browser testing, supporting functional tests and continuous testing across various programming languages.
Conclusion
Automation has become an integral and highly sought-after component of our daily routines, significantly enhancing the efficiency of our tasks and enabling quicker product launches. In this context, LambdaTest emerges as a valuable resource for enterprises venturing into cross-browser testing.
Irrespective of your specific requirements, we provide the solution necessary to ensure your application’s compatibility across multiple web browsers. This compatibility, in turn, facilitates seamless business scaling. We invite you to initiate a free trial and experience the benefits firsthand.
