Using LambdaTest’s Cloud-Based Selenium Grid

Real device testing is one of the most important components of the modern application development life cycle. This is because, with proper implementation of real device testing, app developers can analyze the impact of various physical parameters on the functioning of an app. Moreover, with the integration of automated testing with real device testing, developers can improve the quality and efficiency of the testing cycle. Advanced apps have thousands of different components that need to be checked individually. Relying on the conventional manual test cases, the app developers would take several months to complete all of these processes. However advanced techniques like parallel testing and automation testing can massively benefit this cause.

So, with this article, we are going to understand how application developers can execute automation test cases on LambdaTest’s AI-powered test orchestration and execution Selenium Grid. We will also understand some of the best practices, steps, and parameters that can influence this testing cycle.

Understanding Automated Testing

Automated testing is the process of removing human involvement in the application development life cycle. With the help of automated testing practices, the system will utilize a text file consisting of multiple parameters for emulating human interactions. Based on these communications, the system will analyze the application and generate a detailed test report showing its usability and stability when subjected to real-world parameters.

While using automated testing, the application developers can make significant changes in the test file to make it customized according to the requirements of the app project. However, automation testing has a significantly high initial investment cost for integrating various plugins, libraries, and tools. Now let us understand the benefit of using automated testing in a modern application development life cycle:

• With the help of automated testing, app developers can automatically conduct repetitive test cases. So, they can instead focus on other creative areas of the application development project.
• Automation testing should be considered a long-term investment as it will benefit the company by eliminating the manual test bench.
• With the help of test automation, the application developers can integrate Agile methodologies like continuous development and continuous integration. This process will help in improving the coordination between the development and testing teams of an app company.
• With the help of test automation, the application developers can improve the test coverage and thus benefit the overall target audience base for the company.
• Automation testing also helps to improve the quality of the application by removing errors that can rise due to human involvement.

Also Read: 10 Essential Appium Automation Tips for Beginners

Exploring Selenium and the Selenium Grid

Selenium is an umbrella project which provides open-source tools for initiating automation testing on web applications. The core infrastructure of Selenium works on the popular programming language JavaScript. It is very important to remember that all the tools present in the Selenium architecture will assist the application developers at different stages of the app testing life cycle. However, Selenium is only useful when app developers are working with web apps. So, an alternative will be mandatory for other apps like native apps, hybrid apps, and cross-platform apps.

Now let us understand the role of all the tools present under the Selenium suit:

The Selenium Grid:

Using the Selenium Grid, the application developers can initiate the automation test cases in a parallel configuration. The major benefit of this step is that it allows the app developers to initiate multiple instances of the test cases with different configurations and on different machines at the same time. For this purpose, the Selenium Grid will act as a hub that is communicating with all the notes which represent the various elements present in a web application. Whenever the Grid receives a test case, it reads the parameters and automatically forwards it to the target element of the web application.

The Selenium WebDriver:

Using the Selenium WebDriver, the application developers can initiate and execute the automation test cases on the target elements of a web app. The Selenium WebDriver also allows app developers to execute the test cases in the native environment of a web browser without the involvement of a dedicated test engine.

The Selenium Integrated Developing Environment:

For initiating and executing codeless automation testing, the application developers can utilize the Selenium IDE. With this tool, it is possible to automatically generate test cases in real-time based on User Interactions. So, the application developers only have to use the app like a normal user and the system will automatically continue to generate the automation test cases.

The Selenium Client API

Using the Selenium client API, the application developers can manually generate the automation test cases in case it is required by the app development project. While using this tool, it is possible to use multiple popular programming languages like JavaScript, Python, Ruby, and many others.

Exploring LambdaTest and the Influence of LambdaTest Cloud

LambdaTest is an AI-powered test orchestration and test execution platform for executing automated testing on web applications. With the help of LambdaTest, the application developers can integrate the Selenium Grid and run the Selenium test cases on more than 3000 browsers at the same time. The LambdaTest cloud platform also provides access to thousands of real devices to improve the accuracy and dependability of the test reports. It is also possible for the app developers to initiate parallel testing while using the LambdaTest actual device cloud. Finally, the integration of real devices with thousands of emulation software massively boosts the accuracy of the test cases.

Let us now understand how the LambdaTest’s cloud-based platform can boost the Selenium test cases:

• With the help of the LambdaTest cloud, the application developers can run the test cases on both real devices and emulation softwares at the same time.
• It is possible to maintain a real-time activity log to keep track of all the successful and failed test cases.
• While using the LambdaTest cloud, the application developers can integrate multiple bug-tracking softwares to keep track of all the bugs and errors that might be present in the core framework of the application.
• It is also possible to integrate multiple tools, plugins, and Agile Methodologies to improve the quality of the application while using LambdaTest.
• LambdaTest provides visually appealing test reports consisting of screenshots, videos, and activity logs to quickly pinpoint the faulty elements of the application.

Also Read: Automation Makes Human Labour More Productive

Integrating Selenium Grid with the LambdaTest Cloud

By following a few simple steps, the application developers can easily integrate the Selenium Grid with the LambdaTest cloud. So, for the ease and simplicity of the new automation testers and developers, we have listed all the steps below:

1. The first step in this process is to set up the LambdaTest account by navigating to the official website and signing up for a new account. The application developers will also have to purchase a relevant license as it will provide the access key to the LambdaTest real device cloud.

2. The next step in this process is to configure the LambdaTest API by mentioning all the desired parameters and configurations. Some of the most important parameters include the browser version, browser, and operating systems that the application developers are targeting. Based on these configurations, the system will automatically redirect the test cases to the target elements. The App developers can configure the LambdaTest’s Cloud-Based Selenium Grid with the following Code:

import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;

import org.openqa.selenium.remote.DesiredCapabilities;

import org.openqa.selenium.remote.RemoteWebDriver;

import java.net.URL;

public class LambdaTestExample {
public static void main(String[] args) {
String username = “YOUR_LAMBDATEST_USERNAME”;
String accessKey = “YOUR_LAMBDATEST_ACCESS_KEY”;
String gridURL = “@hub.lambdatest.com/wd/hub”;

DesiredCapabilities capabilities = new DesiredCapabilities();
capabilities.setCapability(“browserName”, “chrome”);
capabilities.setCapability(“version”, “latest”);
capabilities.setCapability(“platform”, “WIN10”);

try {
WebDriver driver = new RemoteWebDriver(new URL(“https://” + username + “:” + accessKey + gridURL), capabilities);
driver.get(“https://www.example.com”);
System.out.println(“Title: ” + driver.getTitle());
driver.quit();
} catch (Exception e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
}

3. Now it is time for the application developers to upload the Selenium test scripts to the LambdaTest environment. App developers need to write test scripts in the programming language that is supported by both Selenium and LambdaTest. Some of the most popular options include Java, Python, and many others. While writing the test scripts, we would advise the app developers to name them according to the target elements. This practice will massively help the app developers to keep track of the ongoing test cases while using thousands of different elements.

4. It is finally time to run the test cases using the LambdaTest API. LambdaTest will launch the test instances on the configured browsers and operating system configurations. For this process, it will use the cloud-based Selenium Grid and execute the test cases. It is very important to implement advanced methods like explicit and implicit waits to avoid errors like false positives and false negatives.

5. After executing the test scripts, LambdaTest will display detailed test reports including multiple screenshots, logs, and any other errors that might have occurred during the test execution process. The application developers have to go through this report and keep track of all the bugs for the debugging and troubleshooting process.

6. The final step in this process is to move on to the debugging step and remove all the bugs and errors that have been detected in the test case execution process. After removing these errors, the app developers have to re-run the test cases to ensure that the application is devoid of all errors and is ready to be forwarded to the production phase. It is very important to run these test cases whenever the app developers are rolling out an update to the application. These steps will help to ensure that the new elements do not harm the functioning of the previously present elements.

The official website of LambdaTest also provides elaborate documentation and visual guides to offer more detailed steps and examples for using this platform effectively. So, we highly recommend that app developers go through the documentation so that they can find certain test cases, methods, or features that might be useful depending on the specific requirements of their app development project.

The Conclusion

In this article, we discussed how application developers can use LambdaTest’s cloud-based Selenium Grid. We also understood the major benefits of integrating advanced technologies like automated testing, Selenium architecture, and LambdaTest. Based on this article, we would like to advise the application developers to continue updating their knowledge regarding all the new additions and investments in this segment. It is also important to thoroughly analyze the market and the requirements of the target audience. This data will help the application developers to accordingly customize the application for a wide range of users. Finally, it is very important to choose the correct tool that can complement the individual requirements of the developers and the project.

Also Read: Visual Regression Testing For Mobile Apps on LambdaTest