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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n