Empowering Devops With Selenium Cloud Automation Via Lambdatest

The modern application development process has come a long way. The coordination with various tools, plugins and practices helps to improve the quality and efficiency of the application development and testing cycle. Advanced techniques like automated testing play a critical role in not only improving the quality of the application but also the synchronization between the development and testing teams. AI-powered solutions like LambdaTest also have a critical role in empowering technologies like DevOps. The integration of Agile methodologies like continuous development and continuous integration also plays a vital role in improving the overall infrastructure of the app development environment. These are some of the most vital parameters that help to maintain a positive image for the brand.

So, with this article, we are going to explore how application developers can empower DevOps using Selenium cloud automation via LambdaTest. We will also discuss some of the basic steps that will help the application developers during this integration along with some of the best practices in this segment.

The World of DevOps

We can define DevOps as a methodology in the modern software development and information technology industry. It is used as a set of multiple tools and practices. Using DevOps, application developers can integrate and automate the work of software development and also IT operations. The major benefit of this process is that it helps in improving and shortening the system development life cycle.

The proper implementation of DevOps allows the application developers to simultaneously conduct the application development, testing, and production cycle. It also helps to create a basic awareness about the current status of the app development project within the company.

Automating a test case means the removal of manual involvement in the test case execution process. Instead, the system will use a text file that will supply all the required parameters for interacting with the application and emulating human communications. Based on these parameters, the system will generate a detailed test report showing the usability and user interactivity of the application undergoing the development process. Some of the major benefits of test automation are as follows:

• Using test automation, the application developers can conduct repetitive test cases in the application development life cycle. So, the developers can use this extra time to focus on other unique areas that will improve the app’s functionality.
• Automation testing also allows the integration of parallel test execution for initiating and executing multiple test configurations on different machines at the same time.
• Using test automation, the application developers can improve the overall reach of the app development project and thus improve the compatibility for increasing the possible audience base.
• While using test automation, the app developers can integrate multiple plugins and libraries for improving the quality of the application undergoing the development process.

Understanding Selenium and its Cloud Infrastructure

Selenium is an open-source automation testing suite that has multiple tools for initiating automation test cases on web applications. The core infrastructure of the Selenium test suite works on the JavaScript programming language. Using Selenium, the application developers can perform multiple operations during the test case execution process. Let us now analyze the role of all the tools present under the Selenium test suite:

• The Selenium WebDriver is suitable for starting the automation test cases on the correct elements present in a modern web application. This tool can initiate the test cases in the native environment of a web browser without the integration of any dedicated test engine. Integrating cloud platforms for real device testing while using the Selenium WebDriver is also possible.
• For using codeless automation testing, the application developers have to work with the Selenium integrated development environment. This tool analyzes the user interactions and accordingly generates the automation test cases in real-time.
• In case the app developers have to manually create the automation test cases, they can use the Selenium client API tool. This tool allows the creation of automation test cases in any of the popular programming languages like JavaScript, Python, Ruby, and many others.
• Finally, the app developers can integrate parallel testing with Selenium by using the Selenium Grid tool. This tool works as a hub that is connected to several nodes which are represented by all the elements present in modern web applications. Whenever it receives a test case, it studies the parameters and automatically forwards it to the respective element of the web application.

Understanding LambdaTest and its Real Device Cloud for Test Automation

LambdaTest is an AI-powered test orchestration and test execution platform for executing automation testing on web applications. Using this platform, the app testers can run the Selenium test files on over 3000 modern browser instances side-by-side. The LambdaTest cloud API also allows the application developers to initiate real device testing using the thousands of real devices that are present on remote servers. LambdaTest allows the integration of parallel testing for improving the efficiency of the test cases by multiple times. This platform also integrates the test reports from real devices and thousands of simulation softwares for boosting its accuracy and dependability.

Let us now analyze the role of LambdaTest real device cloud in the modern Selenium testing infrastructure:

• Using LambdaTest, the app developers can initiate the Selenium test cases on legacy devices and older browser versions that are no longer available in the market.
• LambdaTest maintains a real-time activity log to keep track of all the failed and successful test cases. So, the app developers can easily refer to this log to access previous test information.
• The test reports generated by LambdaTest are highly intuitive as it consists of videos, screenshots, and other visual representations. These allow the application developers to quickly pinpoint the faulty elements present in the application.

Integrating Selenium Cloud Automation via LamdaTest

For integrating Selenium cloud automation testing with LambdaTest, the application developer simply has to follow a few prerequisites and simple steps. So, for the simplicity of the new automation testers and developers we have listed all the steps below:

1. The first step in this process is to use a version control system like Git that will allow the application developers to manage the code base. It will also enable collaboration among the different members of the team, implement track changes and also ensure version control.
2. It is very important to choose a suitable CI/CD tool like Jenkins that can allow the application developers to automate the testing process. The developers must remember to configure the CI tool so that it can trigger the test automatically whenever there is a new code pushed into the code repository.
3. Now it is time to set up the test automation framework using Selenium. The application developers should choose a programming language for writing the test cases that are supported by both Selenium and LambdaTest. Some of the most popular options include Java, Python, and many others. In this segment, the app developer should try to name the test cases according to the target elements to keep track of thousands of elements present in a modern web application.
4. It is time now to integrate the Selenium test cases with LambdaTest with the Selenium Grid. Before this, the application developers have to navigate to the official website of LambdaTest and sign up for a new account to purchase the license. This license will provide the access key that will allow the application developers to access the LambdaTest real device cloud. Using the LambdaTest capabilities, the application developers can run the Selenium test cases across multiple browsers, devices, and operating systems. The following code will allow the developers to Configure the WebDriver Capabilities:

import org.openqa.Selenium.By;

import org.openqa.Selenium.WebDriver;

import org.openqa.Selenium.WebElement;

import org.openqa.Selenium.remote.DesiredCapabilities;

import org.openqa.Selenium.remote.RemoteWebDriver;

import java.net.URL;

public class LambdaTestSampleTest {

    public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {

        String username = “LAMBDATEST_USERNAME”;

        String accessKey = “LAMBDATEST_ACCESS_KEY”;

        DesiredCapabilities capabilities = new DesiredCapabilities();

        capabilities.setCapability(“browserName”, “chrome”);

        capabilities.setCapability(“version”, “latest”);

        capabilities.setCapability(“platform”, “WIN10”);

        WebDriver driver = new RemoteWebDriver(new URL(“https://” + username + “:” + accessKey + “@hub.lambdatest.com/wd/hub”), capabilities);

        driver.get(“https://www.google.com”);

        WebElement searchBox = driver.findElement(By.name(“q”));

        searchBox.sendKeys(“LambdaTest”);

        searchBox.submit();

        System.out.println(“Page title: ” + driver.getTitle());

       

        driver.quit();

    }

}

5. The app developers should modify the test cases to enable parallel test execution across multiple devices and browser configurations. While implementing this process, the system will utilize the LambdaTest parallel testing capabilities and reduce the overall test execution time.

6. Now that we have discussed the setup process, test case creation process, and the test execution process with Selenium cloud automation via LambdaTest, it is important for the application developers to have a clear understanding of the test case reporting and monitoring feature. This will allow the app developers to implement multiple mechanisms to capture test results. Various test monitoring tools like Allure or TestNG allow the application developers to generate comprehensive test reports for understanding the capabilities of the app. It will also highlight the faulty test cases including the elements that might be bugged. So, it will play a critical role in simplifying the troubleshooting or debugging process that will follow soon after.

7. We would also advise the application developers to implement certain test cases like scalability and load testing, security testing, regression testing, and visual testing. With the help of these test cases, the application developers will be able to understand the functioning of the app when it is subjected to real-world parameters and various forms of user interactions. While using LambdaTest and Selenium, the app developers can easily implement these test cases with their respective code structures.

The app developers need to initiate these test cases every time there is a minute change in the core framework of the application. It will allow the proper flow of DevOps methodologies and ensure application quality. We also recommend the app developers go through the official documentation of Selenium and LambdaTest. This will provide them with adequate methods, features, and sample test cases to understand various capabilities that might be useful according to their app development project.

The Conclusion

With this article, we focused on elevating the DevOps standards using Selenium cloud infrastructure via LambdaTest. We also understood the benefits of test automation in the modern application development life cycle. So, app developers need to have sufficient information for integrating and utilizing these potentials. In this regard, we would advise the testers and developers to gather adequate information about all the recent trends and innovations in this segment. It is also important to analyze the target audience base and gather information about the requirements so that developers can customize the applications accordingly. Finally, it is very important to choose the automation tool and framework that can complement the project and also the developers.