Comparing Selenium Vs Protractor in the software industry

The past 20 years have seen significant growth in the software industry. Software is used in one form or another by almost all digital goods and services that you see. These software packages are not sent to you straight out of development; rather, they undergo extensive testing to ensure that they are error-free and compatible with your goods and services.

Software testing teams often use two methods for testing: automated testing and manual testing. As the titles imply, manual testing involves having someone examine the complete application to look for defects and assess whether everything is functioning as it should. Several tools are used in automated testing to test the software.

Protractor and Selenium are the two automated testing frameworks/tools that will be the subject of this article. You should be able to determine which is ideal for you by the end of the article. Check out our Selenium online training to learn more about Selenium.

What Is Selenium?

Software firms utilise Selenium, an open-source set of tools, to test their web applications across many platforms and browsers (such as Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Safari, etc.). Included in this software set are Selenium Grid, WebDriver, IDE, and RC.

Selenium is well-known for offering a large range of languages for testing. Languages like Java, Python, C#, PHP, Ruby, Perl, and .Net are supported by it. For handling test cases and continuous testing, it may also be connected with well-known programs and platforms like TestNG, JUnit, Maven, Jenkins, and Docker.

What Is Protractor?

Selenium and its web application testing features may already be familiar to you. However, Protractor is an additional tool that is frequently used for testing websites built using AngularJS.

Protractor is the recommended tool for web app testing since it combines the capabilities of NodeJS, Selenium WebDriver, Jasmine, Cucumber, and Moch. Constructed upon the foundation of WebDriverJS, Protractor API serves as a wrapper around the most feature-rich Selenium WebDriver API, utilising browser-specific drivers and native events to facilitate user interaction with web-based applications.

Protractor was released as open source when it was still owned by Google.

Protractor Vs. Selenium

Let’s talk about both tools in more detail now that you’ve been introduced to them. You will notice several characteristics along with their advantages and disadvantages in this section. 

Selenium Testing Tool

Let’s start by talking about some of the Selenium tool’s greatest features that contribute to its widespread use in the automated testing industry.

• Open source: Selenium is available for free download and is covered by the MIT licence. Unlike most testing solutions, users can use it for automated testing without incurring any fees.
• Replicate user actions: Selenium allows for the automation of user actions, including keystrokes, mouse clicks, drag and drop, click and hold, and selecting. This makes the testing process more robust.
• Multiple language support: The fact that Selenium works with many languages is one of the main factors contributing to its popularity. Programming languages such as Java, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, C#, Perl,.Net, and PHP allow developers to create web applications in the language of their choice.
• Reusability: Code written in any language and with Selenium can run on any kind of operating system or web browser. It is not necessary for testers to build distinct test cases for various browser and OS combinations.
• Support from the community: Due to Selenium’s lengthy history, there is a sizable, vibrant community. Because of this, using and learning Selenium is quite simple.

Now you know which features make Selenium popular, and you are also aware of the pros and cons of previous articles.

Protractor Testing Tool

Protractor is a popular tool for testing applications built using AngularJS. With several features for testing automation, it’s an open-source testing tool. Here are some features that are used by testers to evaluate Angular applications.

• Advanced HTML attributes to recognize web elements: It can be challenging to test the advanced HTML attributes of web elements in Angular web apps. ng-repeater, ng-controller, ng-model, and other sophisticated HTML properties may be found and tested with Protractor.
• End-to-end testing’s capability to perform Protractor gives consumers the ability to test every application layer, guaranteeing reliable software and strong functioning.
• Cross-browser Testing: Protractor automates browsers to facilitate user interaction with them. It can mimic several browsers, such as IE, Yandex, Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and Opera. It simulates user interactions with browser drivers and allows cross-browser testing with more coverage.
• Real device support on the cloud: While testing on a remote server, users can check the cross-browser compatibility for different devices on an actual device cloud.
• Supports the construction of APIs in a number of programming languages: Compatibility with APIs written in Python, Java, Ruby, JavaScript, PHP, and other languages is offered by Protractor.
• Asynchronous test performance support: Protractor offers callbacks, promises, and async/await for asynchronous execution, which speeds up and reduces latency. This makes it possible to swiftly finish comprehensive end-to-end testing on Angular web projects.

Pros of Protractor

• Protractor’s built-in support allows it to recognize the AngularJS elements.
• The protractor allows for simple switching between testing angular and non angular applications.
• Its same-browser or cross-browser functionality can be used for concurrent testing.
• Both headless and native browsers can execute Protractor.
• Its support for NodeJS makes it possible for the asynchronous process, which expedites execution.
• Additionally, it offers compatibility for continuous integration.

Cons of Protractor

• Since only the WebDriverJS team is able to fix these problems, the Protractor team will have to wait to see if any WebDriverJS issues arise.
• In Internet Explorer, it operates quite slowly.
• The protractor does not allow for the simulation of real users.
• Debugging a protractor can be quite difficult.
• The Protractor learning curve is challenging because it takes time to become proficient in all APIs and technical elements.
• It does not automate mobile app testing.
• The protractor’s value return function is likewise somewhat challenging.

Protractor Vs. Selenium: Which Is Best for You?

Prioritise your testing requirements and be clear about them first. After that, you’ll be in a better position to match these products’ capabilities to your needs.

Selenium is a well-liked option for generic web application testing that many quality assurance specialists employ. That being said, we would recommend Protractor over Selenium for AngularJS applications.

Conclusion

The features, benefits, and drawbacks of the testing tools Protractor and Selenium are covered in this article. To learn more about Selenium, check out the Selenium course online.