Introduction:
Software Testing is a key domain in the whole IT industry. As every software developed undergoes testing to prevent any malfunctions, errors, or discrepancies creeping in, to obstruct the full-functionality of the software. And the professional who performs testing is called a Software Tester. There are numerous tools out there that can get the job done, but why are we focusing on Selenium? is the pressing subject in this article. Read on to find out!
Here is a quick snippet for you outlining top reasons why it is important to learn Selenium for a Software Tester:
- Selenium Testers are highly in demand.
- Open Source, Freeware, No License required.
- Easy integration with other tools.
- It supports all browsers and Operating Systems.
- Supports various Programming Languages.
- Has a strong foothold in DevOps lifecycle.
- Good availability of frameworks.
- Supports Distributed and Parallel testing.
- Does not work with any Graphical User Interface (GUI) based system.
- Test cases can be designed flexibly.
Now, let’s discuss these reasons one by one in-depth to understand the rise of Selenium as the top tool for Software Testing.
Selenium Testers are highly in demand
Selenium leads the rise of Automation testing in the Software Testing domain. Earlier Tester used to perform Manual Testing, but with the convenience of Automated Testing, bearing fruit. Companies and corporations have shifted their perspectives and are going forward with Automated Testing. And for them, the best tool out there is Selenium, which boasts many features that help them bring down their costs and man-hour. In the past three years, according to an industry report, Selenium has reported a nearly 300% jump in usage, and a subsequent increase in demand for the Selenium Testing skill set. According to famous job portals, like PayScale, Glassdoor, etc. The Average Salary for Software Testers is around INR 4-5 Lakhs per annum, and INR 8 LPA and above for professionals with Selenium Testing skills, which clearly shows the high demand for Selenium testers.
Open Source, Freeware, No License required
Selenium is a very famous Automation testing tool that is open-sourced. That means anyone can install, use and modify its source code to meet their requirements. This offers the companies flexibility in their testing procedures all without any expense. And this makes Learning Selenium easy.
This is a major blow for Selenium competitors like, IBM’s RFT, HP’s QTP, Ranorex, etc. as they all are licensed tools, and do not offer the same level of functionality that Selenium offers.
Easy integration with other tools
Selenium is an open-source tool, offering a high level of functionality, facilitates easy integration with other tools like Jenkins, TestNG, Maven, Cucumber, Sikuli, etc. These tools are used to integrate with Selenium and achieve Continuous Testing or Automated testing. Factors like these are the USP (Unique Selling Point) of Selenium for Software Testing.
It supports all browsers and Operating Systems
Another bigger feature of Selenium is that it offers huge support to all the browsers, and OS, without any restrictions or constraints nor even in performance terms. You can use Selenium in Windows, macOS, Linux, and in all types of browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.
Supports various Programming Languages
One of the most exciting factors or reason why Learning Selenium is important for a Software Tester is a very fact that Selenium supports many Programming Languages, PHP, Perl, Java, Python, C#, .NET, Ruby, etc. Even if you have sound knowledge in any one of these, you can learn Selenium, and become a Selenium Tester. Which the other Software Testing tool does not offer and they require you to be proficient in any one of the languages.
Has a strong foothold in DevOps lifecycle
DevOps is the most prized methodology right now for Software Development Lifecycle substituting Agile and Waterfall methods. The majority of the businesses are shifting or have shifted to DevOps, citing much better efficiency, and Selenium is playing a major role in the Continuous Testing aspect of DevOps. With easy integration of other tools, professionals find Selenium quite easy to work with within testing the applications.
Good availability of frameworks
There are various frameworks, that are available to help reduce the effort in writing the scripts for test cases. Frameworks, as you might be knowing, is similar to the concept of templates, which offers you the base structure, upon which you make slight changes thereby saving a huge chunk of time in developing test cases from scratch. Some of the available frameworks are:
- Keyword-driven testing
- Hybrid testing
- Data-driven testing
- Module-driven testing, etc.
Supports Distributed and Parallel testing
There is a cracker solution in saving time if you have to execute multiple test cases (Parallel Testing) or execute in a remote machine (Distributed Testing), that is to use Selenium Grid. Using this, Testers can use Selenium to perform Parallel and Distributed testing, without the need for using extra machine power and can be executed on different web servers without facing any performance issues and thus run tests, and execute tests in a single machine or web server.
Does not work with any Graphical User Interface (GUI) based system
Selenium does not need a GUI or Graphical User Interface to work with, the test cases can be executed in Web Servers, and you can schedule the test cases to achieve automation. With no or zero dependency on GUI, performance becomes exponentially faster, also because of no system overheads. But this is not the case with other Testing tools, as they require GUI for scripting and execution of tests.
Test cases can be designed flexibly
Unlike other testing tools, Selenium offers you the option of designing your test cases, either programmatically or by record and playback approach. You can use Selenium WebDriver to write scripts through logic and Selenium IDE for recording your tests, and exporting the logic to a Programming Language that you choose.
Here we have reached the end of the blog, describing the top reasons why learning Selenium is important for a Software Tester. Now, if you are willing to upskill yourself with Selenium testing, I recommend you check out the industry-grade Selenium certification course from Intellipaat. This Software Testing course is taught by industry experts, and offer you several guided projects in enhancing your hands-on experience, and aids in conceptual building and clarity through 1:1 doubt clearing session, and Lifetime 24*7 technical support and access. These are only some of the features of this course, enroll today, and earn a certification that is well recognized in major organizations across the globe like Ericsson, Sony, TCS, Standard Chartered, etc.
