Automation testing is the newest revolution in the segment of application development and testing. This is because, with the help of this advanced process, app developers can ensure the stability and functionality of the application. The modern instances of test automation help app developers verify the individual performance of all the elements and also the combined infrastructure.
In the world of test automation, app developers must be aware of multiple tools and libraries that can help them with different applications, project requirements, and developer preferences. Selenium testing is one of the most popular names in the segment of automated web app development. App developers can also integrate the Jest automation testing tool with Selenium testing to further improve the efficiency of the test cases.
This article will primarily focus on some of the most influential and useful tools and libraries that are currently present for conducting Selenium-based Jest automation testing. Moreover, we’ll also elaborate on some of the basic concepts and practices that can help app developers to elevate the standard of their development and testing bench.
Understanding The World of Test Automation
The primary motive of automation testing is to replace the repetitive cycle of manual test cases and the requirements to have a manual test bench. Instead, the system will use a text file that will consist of various automation codes, data sets, information, and other critical statistics that will allow it to interact with the application like a normal user. This user interaction emulation will allow the system to understand the application’s usability, stability, and user activity. Based on these communications, the system will generate a test report to verify whether the app is suitable for the production phase. The application developers and testers can also make significant changes in the test file to ensure the dependability and integrity of the test reports.
The process to store, reuse and maintain the automation test files is also very simple. Various market experts believe that it is possible to reuse up to 60% of the existing automation test data. However, app developers must be careful about the initial investment charges that come with test automation. This is because the company has to invest a fortune to integrate various tools, libraries, and plugins that are critical for the proper execution of the automation test cases. So, having a stable workflow, revenue resources, and investments is very important to justify this transition.
The Basics of Selenium
Selenium is one of the market leaders in the segment of automation testing in web applications. It has been present in this market since 2004 and has created quite a name for itself due to its dependability and simplicity. Since its initial introduction, it has gone through four major updates. Due to its immense dependability on the well-known programming language JavaScript, Selenium was also known as a JavaScriptTestRunner at one instance during its initial years. Selenium is a test suite that consists of different tools that assist developers at different stages of the application testing process. Moreover, the open-source nature of Selenium ensures that all the developers can access its features without worrying about any usability charges.
Selenium also has a huge community of tech enthusiasts who are always ready to help new developers whenever they are stuck with any feature of Selenium. This community also works hard to create new features for improving testing satisfaction for the new application developers and testers. However, it is essential to remember that Selenium is only useful when the application developers are working with web applications. So, for other apps like native apps, cross-platform apps, and hybrid apps, the app developers will be forced to look for an alternative in the present market.
Best Tools and Libraries for Selenium Jest Automation Testing
There are various tools and libraries which massively help the developers while they’re working with Selenium-based just automation testing. However, these tools and libraries are unique and have different use case scenarios. So, to avoid any confusion regarding the use, we have created a list of most of the unique and useful ones. They are as follows:
- Selenium WebDriver: This tool is a component of the Selenium test suit. It is the most important part of the entire suit as it helps the application developers start the test cases and ensure that they are conducted on the target elements of a web application. Moreover, the Selenium WebDriver can natively communicate with all the elements of a web application and conduct the test cases in a native environment. This is one of the major reasons wife the Selenium WebDriver is often considered an updated version of the remote controller that was previously present in the first version of the Selenium test suite.
- Jest-Selenium: This library integrates Selenium with a Jest automation testing framework. With the help of this library, application developers can write Selenium-based test cases while working with the Jest testing framework. It also provides a very simple and easy way to manage browser instances and execute the Selenium commands with the Jest test cases. With the help of this library, the application developers can also maintain an activity log of the current instances that are being executed on the web application.
- TestCafe: This popular JavaScript testing framework allows application developers to conduct cross-browser testing without setting up the Selenium WebDriver. This is because it runs the browser natively and eliminates the requirements for any browser drivers.
- Jest: This is a JavaScript testing framework that is developed by Meta previously known as Facebook. It is a very simple and intuitive way to write the integration and unit test cases for all JavaScript applications. Some of the popular features include assertions, code coverage, and test runners.
- Selenium-WebDriver: This is an implementation that works on JavaScript and provides a secure and simple API for conducting Selenium-based test cases. It also provides a simple and concise syntax that interacts with all the web elements and handles asynchronous operations.
- Allure Test Report: This tool generates comprehensive test reports that are visually appealing and easy to understand. With the help of this tool, application developers can integrate Selenium and Jest for detailed HTML test reports.
- Puppeteer: It is a node.JS library that is developed and maintained by Google. The primary motive of this library is to provide a high-level API for implementing browser automation using the Chrome browser. It can work with Selenium to automate multiple browser interaction tasks supported by Selenium, including PDF generation and web scraping.
- Jest-Image-Snapshot: With this plugin, the application developers can compare images while using the Jest framework. The primary motive of this plugin is to find differences or errors based on the placement of user interaction elements before and after any change in the application infrastructure. It can also help to find various errors related to visual regressions and consistency.
- Faker.js: As the name suggests, it is a library that generates realistic fake data. This is very useful when the application developers are using automation test cases to emulate user data entry.
- Selenium Grid: The app testers can run the Selenium automation test instances in parallel format. The benefit of this process is that it helps to initiate hundreds of test cases on different configurations and machines at the same time.
Read Also: 30 Best CI/CD Tools For 2023
Role of Cloud Platforms in Selenium Testing
In the present application development industry, app developers need to test the functioning of the applications on real devices. This is because real device testing helps the app developers understand the app’s performance based on various physical parameters like unstable bandwidth, user interaction error, or low battery. These results are almost impossible to verify while the app developers are working with emulators and simulators. However, setting up and maintaining a physical app development test bench is a very expensive process. The updating process is very hectic as thousands of new devices come on the market every year. However, app developers can easily eliminate this process with the influence of cloud platforms.
Cloud platforms provide similar test results with the help of real devices that are present on multiple remote servers and can be accessed via the Internet. Cloud platforms also eliminate geolocation barriers as they help app developers to initiate tests from anywhere in the world. Finally, these platforms provide access to multiple legacy devices that are no longer available on the market. We can further improve our knowledge about the influence of cloud platforms in the modern application development and testing industry by considering LambdaTest as our benchmark discussion point:
For the basic explanation, we can introduce LambdaTest as an automated cross-browser testing platform for web apps. It executes all the test cases with the help of cloud-based remote servers. The modern app market considers automated cross-browser testing as a new standard for the highest end-user satisfaction. This is because, with the help of this advanced process, the app developers can guarantee the stability of the application irrespective of the user’s change in the operating system, device version, or any other browser parameters. LambdaTest uses advanced features like parallel test execution to improve the test efficiency by multiple times. This platform can execute the test cases from Selenium and other competitors like Playwright and Cypress.
While working with Selenium-based automation test files, the app developers can execute them on more than 3000 modern browsers simultaneously. It is also possible to verify the stability of locally hosted web apps with the help of LambdaTest. Finally, the combination of hundreds of real devices with thousands of emulation software helps improve the dependability and integrity of the test reports.
The Conclusion
With this article, we aimed to spread proper awareness regarding multiple tools and libraries that are going to help developers when they’re working with Selenium test automation testing. We all can agree that we are moving towards an app development market that will be completely dependent on automation testing practices. So, it is very important for app developers to constantly update their knowledge regarding all the new trends and innovations in this segment. The app companies can also help in this transition with the help of campaigns and seminars to spread enough knowledge regarding healthy automation testing practices. App developers also need to choose the correct tools that can complement their testing requirements. One of the best practices is to conduct frequent market surveys to have a clear idea about the end user’s requirements.
