The origin of Selenium
Unlike Puppeteer, Selenium was not developed by a large technology company. Selenium is a collection of open source tools that support the testing of browser applications. It was developed by the company Thoughtworks and launched in 2004. Selenium consists of three main components: Selenium WebDriver, Selenium IDE and Selenium Grid. It supports application testing in various browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, Edge and Opera. In addition, Selenium scripts support multiple languages, including JavaScript, Java, Ruby, C# und Python.
The name "Selenium" is a humorous reference to the then dominant software testing company Mercury Interactive. Jason Huggins, the inventor of the first Selenium product "Selenium Core", joked in an email to his colleagues that "mercury poisoning can be cured by taking Selenium Supplement". The name stuck.
Since its release in 2004, Selenium has undergone constant development and improvement.
Selenium is used for web application testing, web performance testing and data collection. It is particularly valuable for applications that need to be tested on multiple browsers and platforms.
The main components of Selenium include the Selenium WebDriver, an interface that allows the user to write instructions that are interchangeable across different browsers; the Selenium IDE, an integrated development environment available as an add-on for Chrome or Firefox; and the Selenium Grid, which enables the execution of WebDriver scripts on remote machines by forwarding commands to remote browser instances.
In the next chapter, we will take a closer look at the main features and functions of these two tools and then analyze their usability.
Puppeteer vs Selenium: main features and functions
Both tools, Puppeteer and Selenium, offer unique functions and features that make them suitable for specific use cases. Let's take a closer look at them.
Puppeteer: A focus on Chrome automation
Puppeteer is a complete solution for automating Chrome. A big advantage of using Puppeteer is its access to the DevTools protocol and the ability to control Chrome. As a Node.js library, Puppeteer is easy to install, requiring only npm or Yarn. This is a significant advantage over Selenium, which requires a more complex installation to accommodate all its modules as well as the specific browsers and languages you use. In addition, Puppeteer works very quickly, whereas Selenium requires WebDriver to send script commands to the browsers.
Puppeteer also offers extensive performance monitoring features, including recording runtime and load performance, taking screenshots, and even throttling CPU power to simulate performance on mobile devices. These features are not available in Selenium.
Selenium: A multi-browser testing tool
Unlike Puppeteer, Selenium is a tool for testing applications that run in multiple browsers (such as Chrome, Firefox and Safari) on different operating systems (Windows, Linux and Mac OS). Since many web applications cannot dictate which browser a user must use, developers must test their applications for compatibility with different browsers.
The Selenium IDE is used to write Selenium test scripts and suites. It supports the recording of test scripts, which significantly increases the tester's productivity. Although Puppeteer's Node.js packaging approach offers certain advantages, the Selenium IDE and Selenese represent an additional set of tools and languages that developers need to learn.
Another key component of Selenium is Selenium Grid. It enables the execution of Selenium tests on multiple machines or browsers and the parallel execution of test suites. This significantly reduces the time needed to test applications.
Overall, both Puppeteer and Selenium offer a variety of features to their users, with the choice of tool ultimately depending on the specific requirements and preferences of the developer. In the next chapter, we will examine and compare the usability of these two tools.
Puppeteer compared to Selenium: user-friendliness
Ease of use can be crucial when choosing a tool for automated testing. Both tools, Puppeteer and Selenium, have their own approach and offer unique advantages.
Puppeteer: Familiar and code-intensive
Puppeteer, as a Node.js package, behaves like other well-known Node.js packages. It is therefore relatively easy to use for experienced JavaScript developers. However, it should be noted that Puppeteer takes a code-intensive approach. Although it facilitates the control of Chrome browsers, Puppeteer lacks the extensive test automation features of Selenium, which can significantly increase quality assurance (QA) productivity.
Puppeteer is not designed as a dedicated testing solution and therefore does not offer an integrated development environment (IDE) like Selenium. It also does not provide a tool for managing parallel and distributed testing. Puppeteer focuses heavily on performance management features.
Selenium: Flexible but complex
In contrast, Selenium is a far more complex solution due to its support for many browsers, languages and platforms. The installation and configuration of Selenium WebDriver and Selenium Grid are more complicated than simply setting up Puppeteer with npm or Yarn.
The language used for Selenium test scripts, Selenese, can be considered complex. Developers need to learn this language in order to work with Selenium. Puppeteer, on the other hand, uses JavaScript, which is already familiar to most web developers.
The right choice for you
Web application testing is a crucial aspect of the development process. QA can take up to 30-40% of the time spent in a typical release cycle. QA automation tools such as Puppeteer and Selenium can significantly increase the effectiveness and productivity of development teams. After Selenium or Puppeteer has found you a bug and you have recreated it, you can then capture it with all the details in our BugShot.
While Puppeteer provides a high-level API for controlling headless Chrome, Selenium is a comprehensive suite of tools that supports testing for a variety of browsers, languages and operating systems. Both tools can be extended to provide additional functionality and support data scraping.
The choice between Puppeteer and Selenium depends heavily on the specific requirements of your project. If your requirements call for extensive compatibility testing across different browsers and platforms, Selenium might be the better choice. However, if you are looking for powerful, browser-based automation with a focus on performance management and are already familiar with JavaScript and Node.js, Puppeteer might be a better fit for your needs. Ultimately, the right choice depends on your specific use case and personal preferences.
We also use technologies from Selenium and Puppeteer in the background, as well as the following tools that save us a lot of work:
• BrowserStack
• Uptrends
Conclusion
The choice between Puppeteer and Selenium ultimately depends on the specific requirements of your project and your preferences.
Puppeteer impresses with its ease of use and the high speed at which it operates. Its ability to automate a wide range of tasks, from performance management to screenshot creation, makes it an excellent choice for projects that are specific to Chrome or that require deep interaction with the Chrome DevTools protocol. In addition, it is particularly appealing to JavaScript developers as it provides a familiar environment as a Node.js package.
On the other hand, Selenium is an extremely powerful tool for testing web applications on different platforms and browsers. Despite its more complex installation and learning curve for Selenese, it offers a comprehensive and flexible testing environment. With features such as the Selenium IDE and Selenium Grid, it is ideal for complex testing requirements and enables increased QA productivity through test automation.
Both tools can be extended to provide additional functionality and also support data scraping, making them useful tools in a variety of use cases.
Overall, it is important to consider the requirements and constraints of your project and choose the tool that best suits your needs. Both Puppeteer and Selenium are powerful tools, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, and choosing the right tool can make all the difference in the productivity and efficiency of your development process.