The process of application testing has come a long way, beginning from complete manual test cases to the introduction of complete automation testing. In modern times, app developers can integrate the development and testing phases simultaneously to utilize the full potential of the app testing infrastructure. Moreover, integration of automation testing with cloud-based test environments helps app developers to improve the quality of the application undergoing the development process. AI-powered test orchestration and execution platforms like LambdaTest massively help app developers to improve the quality of the cloud testing infrastructure. Modern methodologies like continuous integration and continuous development also boost this transition toward app perfection.
So, with this article, we are going to discuss the process of scaling the Selenium API testing infrastructure. We will also analyze some of the best features of LambdaTest that help the application developers to transform the cloud testing environment. Finally, we will wrap up our discussion with some of the best practices and trends that can help improve the quality of modern automation testing.
Introduction of Automation Testing
Automation testing is a direct effort toward the removal of human involvement in the test case execution process. In this process, the system will use a text file that will supply all the required parameters for verifying the performance of the application based on human interaction emulation. These interactions can also justify the stability and usability of the application with the help of elaborate test reports. The app developers can also make significant changes in the automation test data to customize the requirements according to the development project.
Let us now understand the benefits of integrating automation testing in the modern application development life cycle:
- With the help of test automation, application developers can automatically conduct these repetitive test cases. They can focus on other creative areas that can have a key role in improving the functioning of the application infrastructure.
- Test automation allows app developers to integrate parallel testing for initiating multiple test instances at the same time. With this process, it is possible to verify all the elements of a complex application within a few days.
- Experts suggest that test automation must be considered a long-term investment. This is because test automation benefits the company by eliminating the involvement of manual test benches.
- Test automation helps to improve the quality of the application by integrating 3rd party tools, plugins, and libraries and also removing errors that arise due to human involvement.
- The overall concept of automation testing allows the application developers to massively improve the test coverage and boost the compatibility of applications to gain a wider section of the audience.
Elaborating Selenium Infrastructure
Selenium is a modern umbrella project that has various open-source tools for initiating automation testing on web applications. All the tools present under the Selenium test suit help the developers at different stages of the testing cycle. The core functioning of the Selenium infrastructure is based on the popular programming language JavaScript. Selenium also has a huge community of tech enthusiasts who are always ready to assist the new automation testers and developers. However, it is important to remember that Selenium is only useful while the app developers are working with web apps. Now let us have a quick look at the role of the different tools present under the test suit:
- The Selenium IDE
The Selenium IDE stands for integrated development environment and allows the developers to execute codeless automation testing. The major benefit of this process is that it allows the generation of test cases automatically in real-time based on real user interactions.
- The Selenium WebDriver
The Selenium WebDriver initiates the testing instances and also executes them on the target elements of a modern web application. Using the Selenium WebDriver, the application developers can initiate the test cases on the native environment of a web browser without the involvement of a dedicated test engine.
- The Selenium Grid
The Selenium Grid is responsible for initiating parallel testing on modern web applications. The major benefit of this advanced testing mechanism is that it initiates multiple test configurations on different machines at the same time. For this purpose, it uses the concept of a hub that is connected to several nodes which are represented by all the elements of a modern web application.
- The Selenium Client API
This tool is useful when the application developers are forced to manually write the automation test cases. Using the Selenium client API, it is possible to write the test cases in any popular programming language and then import it into the native environment of Selenium. Some of the languages supported by this tool include Ruby, JavaScript, Python, and many others.
LambdaTest and Its Real Device Testing Cloud
LambdaTest is an AI-powered test orchestration and test execution platform for initiating automation testing on web applications. Using this platform, the app developers can import test cases from Selenium and also other alternatives like Cypress and Playwright. Using the Selenium test cases, LambdaTest can run on more than 3000 different browser instances. The LambdaTest real device cloud allows app developers to perform cloud test cases on more than 3000 real devices through remote servers. The integration of real device testing with thousands of emulation softwares allows to boost the accuracy of the test reports.
Let us now understand the benefits of integrating the LambdaTest real device cloud:
- Using the LambdaTest real device cloud, the application developers can even access the legacy devices that are no longer available in the market.
- Using the LambdaTest real device cloud, application developers can remove the geolocation barriers and run the test cases from anywhere around the world.
- It is possible to maintain a real-time activity log to keep track of all the successful and failed test cases. The app developers can also refer to this result whenever they are stuck with any element of the application.
- The LambdaTest real device cloud generates highly intuitive test results that consist of different videos, screenshots, and test logs which are simple enough to be understood by all the members of the application development company.
How LambdaTest Transforms Cloud Testing
Let us now analyze some of the features and capabilities of LambdaTest that are helping to transform the modern cloud testing infrastructure:
- Robust Cloud Testing Infrastructure:
The cloud testing infrastructure of LambdaTest allows the application developers to initiate the test cases on multiple configurations of devices, browsers, and operating systems at the same time. With the cloud testing infrastructure, the application developers do not have to set up physical testing machines. The major benefits of this approach are easy scalability and the option to simultaneously run the test cases on multiple devices and browsers at the same time. Now let us take a look at the code for configuring the LambdaTest cloud infrastructure for executing Selenium test cases:
from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.common.desired_capabilities import DesiredCapabilities
# Set desired capabilities for LambdaTest
desired_caps = {
‘platform’: ‘Windows 10’,
‘browserName’: ‘Chrome’,
‘version’: ‘latest’,
‘build’: ‘Your Build Name’,
‘name’: ‘Your Test Name’
}
# Create WebDriver instance
driver = webdriver.Remote(
command_executor=’https://YOUR_USERNAME:%[email protected]/wd/hub’,
desired_capabilities=desired_caps
)
# Navigate to a URL and perform actions
driver.get(“https://www.example.com”)
print(driver.title)
driver.quit()
- Initiation of Cross-Browser Testing:
While using LambdaTest for Selenium-based cloud testing, the application developers can initiate cross-browser testing. This is an advanced process that allows app developers to guarantee the functioning of the application irrespective of changes in the operating system, browser version, or device parameters. Cross-browser testing is highly useful when app developers are working with cross-platform apps that can be accessed on different devices like smartphones, desktops, and even tablets.
- Automated Screenshots and Video Recordings:
While using LambdaTest for executing cloud testing with Selenium, the application developers can generate highly useful test reports. This is because LambdaTest will automatically capture screenshots and record videos during the test case execution process. These will help the app developers to pinpoint all the elements of the applications that might be faulty. This process in turn helps to simplify the debugging and troubleshooting phases that will follow soon after.
- Integration of Parallel Testing:
The LambdaTest real device cloud allows the application developers to initiate parallel testing while working with Selenium test cases. The benefit of this process is that the application developers can run multiple test instances on different test configurations at the same time. It is a very important parameter when app developers are working with complex applications that have thousands of different elements. In this regard, we would advise the app developers to name the test cases based on the target elements to keep track of the test case status. The application developers have to enter the following code to initiate parallel testing with Lambda test on Selenium:
from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.common.desired_capabilities import DesiredCapabilities
from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor
# List of desired capabilities for parallel execution
capabilities_list = [
{‘platform’: ‘Windows 10’, ‘browserName’: ‘Chrome’, ‘version’: ‘latest’},
{‘platform’: ‘Windows 10’, ‘browserName’: ‘Firefox’, ‘version’: ‘latest’},
# Add more desired capabilities for different browsers and versions
]
def run_test(capabilities):
driver = webdriver.Remote(
command_executor=’https://YOUR_USERNAME:%[email protected]/wd/hub’,
desired_capabilities=capabilities
)
driver.get(“https://www.example.com”)
print(driver.title)
driver.quit()
# Execute tests in parallel using ThreadPoolExecutor
with ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=len(capabilities_list)) as executor:
executor.map(run_test, capabilities_list)
- Integration of Real-Time Testing:
LambdaTest allows the application developers to verify the Selenium test cases on more than 3000 different real browsers. The application developers can access these browsers through multiple remote servers using the LambdaTest API. However, the app developers need to purchase the LambdaTest license as it will provide the access key to this cloud.
- Integration of OS and Device Coverage:
While using LambdaTest for Selenium testing, the application developers can run the test cases on thousands of different combinations of operating systems and devices. LambdaTest also supports certain legacy devices and old browser versions that are no longer available in the market. This has a huge benefit in improving the target audience. This is because various surveys show that 75% of the existing user base does not update their devices or browsers frequently.
The Conclusion
With this article, we tried to justify how LambdaTest-based Selenium testing allows application developers to scale Selenium infrastructure and improve the quality of cloud test cases. We also analyzed the benefits of integrating automation testing in the modern application development life cycle. So, we recommend that app developers constantly update the information and knowledge regarding all the new additions in this segment. It is also important to constantly analyze the market and gather target customer information to customize the applications accordingly. Finally, it is also very important to choose an automation testing framework that can complement the requirements of the developers and their projects.
