Top 5 Reasons to Automate Functional Tests Using Selenium

During the course of software development, a number of tests have to be conducted to assess the functionality, user experience and other aspects of the software. Manual tests can be time-consuming and expensive in terms of man hours and expenses. This is where automated testing can help. Along with the inherent advantages of automated testing, Selenium has certain distinct advantages that give it an edge over the competition.

Platform Portability

Testing is a repetitive process. The slightest modification in code must be tested to ensure that the software is providing the desired functionality and result. Repeating tests manually is a time consuming and costly process. Automated tests can be run repetitively at no additional costs. Selenium is a highly portable tool that runs on multiple platforms as well as browsers. It therefore allows automation engineers the ease of writing code without worrying about the platform on which it will run.

Language Support

Software is written in a number of languages. One of the challenges faced by automated testers is integrating the automation tools with the development environment for CI. With Selenium bindings for Java, .NET, Ruby, Perl, Python, PHP, Groovy and JavaScript, it is very easy to integrate with the development environment.

Remote Control/Selenium Grid

The remote control server of Selenium allows automation testers to create a test infrastructure that is spread across multiple locations (including cloud) to drive the scripts on a large set of browsers.

Flexibility

Programmers often prefer to keep the testing self-contained within the program itself. These tests can be regrouped and refactored as desired. This in turn allows quick changes to code, reducing duplication and improving maintainability. The flexibility of Selenium allows programmers to manage tests better.

Open Source Advantage

Being an open source software, Selenium allows users to share, extend, and modify the available code. This can save programmers a great deal of time and effort and ultimately increase ROI. Using custom functions allows for better readability and manageability of test code.

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