An Overview of Selenium Components
Selenium remains the most widely used test automation tool even after the invention of many other software testing tools. Selenium is a free and open source tool and there is no need to pay either for the license or for maintaining the product. Another special feature that made Selenium the numero uno among test automation tools is its user-friendliness. It is very easy to learn and to work with. Selenium is compatible with multiple browsers and Operating Systems, besides it supports multiple programming languages also.
Selenium is actually a test automation suite comprising of many components. Each component has its own significance and works independently. Major components of Selenium are;
- Selenium IDE or Integrated Development Environment
- Selenium RC or Remote Control
- Selenium Webdriver
- Selenium Grid
What is Selenium IDE
Selenium IDE is a complete Integrated Development Environment, specially designed to execute all Selenium tests. Recording, editing and debugging can be performed in Selenium IDE. Scripts can be recorded automatically and can be edited manually. The tests will be recorded in Selenese, a programming language specially developed for Selenium.
What is Selenium RC
Selenium RC or Remote Control is a server that receives commands for the browser through HTTP. It helps to automate all tests on web-based applications. It supports different programming languages and hence there is no need to learn any special programming language to work with Selenium RC.
What is Selenium Webdriver
Selenium web driver is the latest addition to the selenium suite and it replaces Selenium RC in Selenium 2.0 version. It receives commands and passes it to the browsers directly. There is no need for a server and hence Selenium Webdriver makes Test automation fast and easier.
What is Selenium Grid
Selenium Grid is a server that supports running parallel test concurrently. A grid will have a hub and one or more modules. The tests will be added in the hub and will run in different modules.
This is an overview of Selenium and its structure. Each component has its own application and all together will help to automate testing of any web-based application easily. Each of the Selenium components will be taught in detail in all Selenium training courses and in most of the cases all the selenium components will be included in the Selenium live project session also.