A web application must function properly in a variety of OS environments and browsers. It is very important that all the developed web applications are tested for their functionality and compatibility with all the platforms, be it devices, browsers, or OS. Recent developments have made automation testing a top-notch framework for automating manual testing. One such tool that works well in this situation is selenium. Selenium is a widely adopted automation testing framework primarily utilized for cross-browser testing.
Cross-browser testing using Selenium ensures consistent appearance and functionality of web applications across various web browsers. Selenium allows you to develop test scripts in multiple programming languages, such as Java, Python, PHP, and more. It enables testing of web applications on a wide range of browsers, including Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer (IE), Microsoft Edge, Opera, and more.
In this blog post, let’s learn how to use Selenium WebDriver to conduct cross-browser testing.
Overview of Cross Browser Testing using Selenium
Asking people to use a particular browser to access your application is unfair. You must support all of the platforms and devices users use to reach the largest possible audience. Since many different web browsers are available, it should be up to the user to decide which one to use. Depending on their comfort level, different people utilize various browsers. The test engineer’s responsibility is to guarantee that the application functions properly across all commonly used browsers. This highlights the necessity of platform testing for the application code. Cross-browser testing enters the picture in this situation.
Cross-browser testing is the process that ensures a website operates correctly across all browsers. Verifying that the website you’re constructing functions flawlessly across all targeted browsers and operating systems is the main objective. Both manual and automated testing methods, such as Selenium WebDriver, are available to testers. You can save time by not having to install your browsers repeatedly.
What is the Significance of Cross Browser Testing?
Imagine that you are attempting to enter an e-commerce website. Assume you’re using your MacBook to complete it for the first time. The next step is to launch Safari, type the URL, press Enter, and wait for it to load. However, the webpage is not visible. You reload and check your connectivity only to see the same screen.
Finally, you start looking for an alternative since you think the website has a glitch or is broken.
Although they have their own interpretations of the Open Web Standards, browser vendors typically adhere to them. Thoroughly debugging the source code of your website does not guarantee that it will function as intended across a range of browsers because each one renders HTML, CSS, and JavaScript differently.
Web developers are, therefore, responsible for abstracting browser differences. Cross-browser testing assists in identifying browser-specific compatibility issues so you can rapidly troubleshoot them. It ensures that you aren’t turning off a big portion of your target market since your website doesn’t function properly on their browser-OS configuration.
Why Perform Cross-Browser Testing Using Selenium?
A popular framework for automated cross-browser testing is Selenium. Developers can test web apps on various operating systems and browser settings by automating web app tests with Selenium. No matter what OS or browser they use, this guarantees every user the same experience. When performing cross-browser testing with Selenium, you may automate your tests and utilize a variety of tools and options. It can replicate different test scenarios and application cases because of its versatility.
Selenium is a suitable alternative for cross-browser testing because it is available as a software package with several features, such as:
- Selenium WebDriver is a collection of bindings for several languages that operate browsers. It provides a method declaration and application interface that allows for end-to-end testing.
- The add-on Selenium IDE makes recording and playback script interactions with browsers simple.
- Selenium Grid is a software program suite created to execute numerous test cases simultaneously against a variety of browsers, operating systems, and hardware. This makes testing easier and helps test suites scale as they grow.
How Should Testing Be Done?
Application testing encompasses cross-browser testing, which demands slightly more effort than conventional testing. Cross-browser tests can indeed be performed manually, but this approach is time-consuming. Introducing cross-browser testing inevitably extends the testing timeline due to the manual effort required to validate the application across diverse operating systems and web browsers.
Even if you were to write the requisite code, you’d still have to add code for numerous browser combinations. Additionally, ensuring confidence in your test results would entail the installation of all the relevant browsers and browser drivers to execute the code across various operating systems. This process can be quite cumbersome. Fortunately, cross-browser testing in a cloud-based platform like LambdaTest simplifies this task.
Consequently, this approach ensures a reliable and exceptional user experience across all client devices and web browsers.
Cross-Browser Testing in Selenium in Cloud
The true potential of leveraging Selenium for cross-browser testing becomes evident when executing tests on a Selenium Grid. The Selenium Grid adopts a Hub-Node (or Client-Server) architecture, enabling parallel cross-browser testing across diverse browser and operating system combinations. Depending on the specific test criteria, the Selenium Grid’s Hub efficiently delegates test execution to the most suitable Node.
While an in-house Selenium Grid infrastructure can expedite test execution, it often involves higher maintenance overhead and reduced reliability. To address common challenges like test flakiness, extended test execution times, decreased test reliability, and rising infrastructure costs during major releases, consider migrating your cross-browser tests to a secure, reliable, and scalable cloud Grid like LambdaTest. LambdaTest is AI-powered test orchestration and execution platform that offers browser testing to over 3000+ real browsers and browser versions running on different operating systems, ensuring consistent website or web page delivery to your users. With LambdaTest, you can seamlessly perform both cross-browser testing and responsive testing for mobile websites.
The combination of a cloud-based grid, parallel cross-browser testing via Selenium, and seamless integration with leading CI/CD tools can play a pivotal role in elevating product quality and expediting time-to-market.
Conducting Cross-Browser Testing with LambdaTest LambdaTest provides an intuitive user interface for both manual and automated cross-browser testing using the Selenium Grid.
Cross-Browser Testing Best Practices for Selenium
The following are best practices that should be followed while using Selenium to carry out cross-browser testing.
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Be careful when selecting libraries and frameworks.
Frameworks and libraries are necessary for web app testing. The most recent CSS frameworks can aid in producing the most vibrant and dynamic user experience, but keep in mind that since each browser has a unique rendering engine, they might not be compatible with all browsers before starting development. Read browser guidelines to find out if they support the most recent CSS and JS libraries and frameworks before utilizing them.
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Use appropriate Javascript task runners and libraries.
It is necessary to use the appropriate JavaScript resources that adhere to site standards and provide suitable browser support because JavaScript plays a significant part in the development of web apps.
There are numerous solutions available for task runners. Grunt and Gulp stand out because they can be automated to meet needs. By offering capabilities like compilation, linting, minification, and others that improve code quality after compilation, they also increase the efficiency of the entire application.
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Analyze and carefully determine the Browser-OS setup.
Which operating systems and browsers should be used to test a website are decisions that QAs must make. Every browser has several different iterations; some even update frequently—at least once a month. To perform cross-browser testing using Selenium, it is vital to confirm which browser, browser versions, and OS are needed. Prioritize combinations that the target audience’s largest segments are most likely to use.
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Make Internet Explorer better.
Internet Explorer does not support sophisticated CSS foundations and styles. Even if a website has the highest level of visual attractiveness, there is a good likelihood that many of its design elements may be misaligned when accessed with IE. Make a special stylesheet for IE and apply a doctype hack to fix this.
Conclusion
Cross-browser testing is essential to ensuring that your online application functions as intended across all browsers. These detailed strategies will give you the tools you need to deal with browser compatibility problems.
It is more crucial than ever due to the wide range of browsers and devices users use to access the internet nowadays. Your business may benefit greatly if you’re dedicated to offering a consistent and satisfying consumer experience on all platforms.
Make use of all available resources, including careful research and code optimization. Keep in mind that maintaining a constant online presence is a measure of your commitment to development and excellence in the digital sphere as you negotiate the confusing world of cross-browser compatibility.
