Basics of Selenium :

Selenium is an open-source automation framework used for testing web-based applications across different browsers and platforms

Components of Selenium:

• Selenium IDE

• Selenium Remote Control

• Selenium WebDriver

• Selenium Grid

Selenium IDE: It is a Chrome and Firefox add-on that can automate the browser by record-and-playback feature.

Selenium Remote Control: It interacts with browsers using a server. Here server acted as intermediary between scripts and browsers

Selenium WebDriver: It interacts directly with web browsers using programming interface

Selenium Grid: It is used for parallel execution of tests in multiple machines and different browser

Features of Selenium:

• Cross-Browser Testing: Selenium supports multiple browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge, ensuring your website works seamlessly across different platforms.

• Multi-Language Support: It allows you to write test scripts in various programming languages, including Python, Java, C#, Ruby, and JavaScript.

• Automated Testing: Selenium WebDriver enables you to automate user interactions with your website, such as clicking buttons, filling forms, and navigating pages.

• Integration with CI/CD Tools: Selenium integrates well with tools like Jenkins, Maven, and Docker, making it ideal for continuous integration and deployment pipelines.

• Parallel Test Execution: With Selenium Grid, you can run tests simultaneously on multiple machines and browsers, saving time and resources.

• Support for Mobile Testing: Selenium can be used with Appium to test mobile web applications on Android and iOS devices.

Limitations of Selenium:

• Dynamic Content Management: Selenium struggles to handle dynamic content or elements that change frequently. You might face challenges maintaining test stability for such scenarios.

• Resource Intensive: Running extensive Selenium tests could lead to higher CPU and memory usage, potentially affecting your website's performance during testing.

• Handling Pop-ups: Certain pop-ups or alerts (like Captchas or system-level dialogs) are difficult for Selenium to interact with automatically, requiring manual intervention.

• Cross-Browser Differences: While Selenium supports multiple browsers, rendering differences between browsers might require additional custom scripts or testing efforts.

• No Support for Visual Testing: Selenium cannot verify graphical elements like layouts or images, so you'll need separate tools (e.g., Applitools) for pixel-perfect design validations.

• Limited Parallel Execution Setup: Although Selenium Grid allows parallel test execution, its setup and management can be complex, particularly for distributed environments.

• No Native Reporting Features: Selenium does not include built-in reporting capabilities, which makes it necessary to integrate external libraries or frameworks for detailed test reports.