Parallel Execution of Selenium Test Suites for Faster Feedback
Are you tired of waiting for your Selenium test suites to complete? Do you ever feel like you're stuck in a never-ending loop of tests? Well, fear not! It's time to parallelize those test suites and get faster feedback, just like how Neo and Trinity made use of parallel processing to defeat the Matrix.But before we delve deeper into the world of parallel execution, let's talk about Appium.
Just like how Neo and Trinity needed the right weapons to take on the agents of the Matrix, Appium is the tool that enables you to automate your mobile applications. It provides a bridge between your app and the test code, allowing you to run automated tests on real devices or emulators.
Now, back to parallel execution. Imagine if Neo had to fight every agent of the Matrix one by one. It would have taken him ages to reach the end. But by fighting them in parallel, he was able to defeat them faster and move on to the next challenge. Similarly, by running your Selenium test suites in parallel, you can speed up the testing process and get faster feedback.
But that's not all. Parallel execution also allows you to identify and isolate issues more quickly. In this article, we will explore the benefits of parallel execution of Selenium test suites and how it can help you achieve faster feedback in your testing process.
So, don't let your Selenium test suites slow you down. Harness the power of parallel execution and get faster feedback.
What is Parallel Testing or Parallel Execution, and why is it important?
Parallel testing, also known as parallel test execution, is a technique that enables testers to run multiple tests simultaneously instead of executing them one by one. For example, if you have a suite of tests to run on different browsers, you can distribute the tests across multiple machines or virtual environments, and each machine can run its set of tests.
This approach is different from sequential testing, where you execute one test after the other. In sequential testing, even when you're testing applications on multiple browsers, the tests are performed sequentially on each browser, which can be time-consuming and inefficient.
Parallel testing is particularly useful when performing cross-browser testing, compatibility testing, localization, and internationalization testing. For instance, if you want to test your website's compatibility with different browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, and Safari, you can run the tests simultaneously on all three browsers. This saves you time and effort and helps you identify issues much faster.
Moreover, parallel testing is also helpful when testing two versions of the same software simultaneously. For example, you can run tests for both versions side by side and identify any compatibility issues between them. This technique can significantly reduce the time it takes to test software and accelerate the delivery process.
In conclusion, parallel testing is a powerful technique that can help you streamline your testing process and deliver better software faster. Whether you're testing on different browsers, versions, or functionalities, parallel testing can help you save time and resources while improving the quality of your product.
Exploring Areas for Parallel Test Execution in TestNG using Selenium
When it comes to TestNG, there are four areas where you can apply parallel testing: methods, tests, classes, and instances.
- Methods: Using the "methods" keyword in TestNG, you can run the parallel tests on all @Test methods in your TestNG file. This means that you can execute each test case in parallel, reducing the overall execution time. For example, let's say you have a TestNG file with ten @Test methods. By using the "methods" keyword, you can run all these methods in parallel, significantly reducing the execution time.
- Tests: The "tests" keyword in TestNG allows you to run all the test cases present inside the <test> tag in parallel. This means that you can execute all the test cases in a specific test suite simultaneously, improving the efficiency of your testing process.
- Classes: With the "classes" keyword in TestNG, you can run all the test cases present inside the classes that exist in the XML file in parallel. This can help you execute test cases in multiple classes simultaneously, allowing for faster testing.
- Instances: The "instances" keyword in TestNG allows you to run all the test cases inside the same instance parallelly. This can be useful when developers want to execute test cases within the same instance simultaneously.
How to perform Parallel Execution in TestNG?
-
Running test methods parallely in TestNG using Selenium
Here's an example code for running test methods in parallel using TestNG:
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.firefox.FirefoxDriver;
import org.testng.annotations.AfterMethod;
import org.testng.annotations.BeforeMethod;
import org.testng.annotations.Parameters;
import org.testng.annotations.Test;
public class ParallelTestExecution {
WebDriver driver1, driver2;
@BeforeMethod
@Parameters("browser")
public void setUp(String browser) {
if(browser.equalsIgnoreCase("chrome")) {
System.setProperty("webdriver.chrome.driver", "path/to/chromedriver.exe");
driver1 = new ChromeDriver();
}
else if(browser.equalsIgnoreCase("firefox")) {
System.setProperty("webdriver.gecko.driver", "path/to/geckodriver.exe");
driver1 = new FirefoxDriver();
}
}
@Test
public void testMethod1() {
// Test method 1 code goes here
driver1.get("https://example.com");
// Add more code to test functionality
}
@Test
public void testMethod2() {
// Test method 2 code goes here
driver2.get("https://example.com");
// Add more code to test functionality
}
@AfterMethod
public void tearDown() {
driver1.quit();
driver2.quit();
}
}
In the above code, we have initialized two different browsers (Chrome and Firefox) in the setUp method. The @Parameters annotation is used to specify the browser to be used for each test method. The @Test annotation is used to specify the test methods that need to be executed in parallel. Finally, the @AfterMethod annotation is used to close the drivers after the execution of all the test methods.
To execute the above code in parallel, we need to add the following line to the testng.xml file:
<suite name="Test Suite" parallel="methods">
The parallel attribute with a value of methods indicates that the test methods need to be executed in parallel. We can also use other values like tests, classes, and instances depending on our requirement.
-
Running test classes Parallelly in TestNG using Selenium
To run test classes parallelly in TestNG using Selenium, we need to use the parallel attribute in the TestNG suite XML file with the value classes. Here's an example of how we can do it:
First, create a TestNG suite XML file (e.g., testng.xml) with the following content:
<!DOCTYPE suite SYSTEM "https://testng.org/testng-1.0.dtd" >
<suite name="Test Suite" parallel="classes">
<test name="Test">
<classes>
<class name="com.example.TestClass1" />
<class name="com.example.TestClass2" />
</classes>
</test>
</suite>
In the above XML file, we have specified the parallel attribute with the value classes, which means that TestNG will run the test classes in parallel.
Next, we need to create the test classes TestClass1 and TestClass2 in the package com.example. Here's an example of how we can do it:
package com.example;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.firefox.FirefoxDriver;
import org.testng.annotations.AfterClass;
import org.testng.annotations.BeforeClass;
import org.testng.annotations.Test;
public class TestClass1 {
private WebDriver driver;
@BeforeClass
public void setUp() {
// Initialize the Chrome driver
System.setProperty("webdriver.chrome.driver", "/path/to/chromedriver");
driver = new ChromeDriver();
}
@AfterClass
public void tearDown() {
// Quit the driver
driver.quit();
}
@Test
public void test1() {
// Navigate to a web page and perform some actions
driver.get("https://www.example.com");
// ...
}
}
package com.example;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.firefox.FirefoxDriver;
import org.testng.annotations.AfterClass;
import org.testng.annotations.BeforeClass;
import org.testng.annotations.Test;
public class TestClass2 {
private WebDriver driver;
@BeforeClass
public void setUp() {
// Initialize the Firefox driver
System.setProperty("webdriver.gecko.driver", "/path/to/geckodriver");
driver = new FirefoxDriver();
}
@AfterClass
public void tearDown() {
// Quit the driver
driver.quit();
}
@Test
public void test1() {
// Navigate to a web page and perform some actions
driver.get("https://www.example.com");
// ...
}
}
In the above snippet, we have used the @BeforeClass annotation to initialize the drivers for Chrome and Firefox browsers, and the @AfterClass annotation to quit the drivers after the test methods are executed. The @Test annotation is used to specify the test methods.
Once the test classes are created, we can execute them in parallel using the TestNG XML file by running the following command:
java -cp "path/to/testng.jar:path/to/project/bin" org.testng.TestNG testng.xml
In the above command, path/to/testng.jar is the path to the TestNG JAR file, path/to/project/bin is the path to the compiled classes of the project, and testng.xml is the name of the TestNG suite XML file.
Executing the above command will run the TestClass1 and TestClass2 in parallel, which will reduce the execution time of the test suite.
How to Perform Parallel Testing in Selenium with TestNG on LambdaTest?
LambdaTest is an cloud-basedcross browser testing platform, that helps you test the web applications across 3000+ browsers and Operating Systems. Over 2 Million users across 130+ countries are using this platform for their testing needs. Parallel testing can also be used using this platform.
Here is a step-by-step guide to perform parallel testing in Selenium with TestNG on LambdaTest:
Step 1: To use LambdaTest for performing parallel testing in Selenium with TestNG, you will need to sign up for a LambdaTest account. You can visit their website (https://www.lambdatest.com/) and sign up for an account. They offer multiple packages based on your needs, and you can take a look at them to choose the one that suits your requirements.
Step 2: Once you have signed up for a LambdaTest account, you can obtain your username, access key, and URL to connect to from the settings tab under the profile section. The first time you log in to your account, you may need to generate your access keys. Once they are generated, you can copy them and keep them stored to use them in your scripts.
Step 3: To perform parallel testing in Selenium with TestNG on LambdaTest, you will need to set up Selenium jars, TestNG, and the platform you choose to write your tests on. You can choose to write your tests on a platform like Eclipse or IntelliJ IDEA.
To set up TestNG and Selenium jars, download the newest version of Selenium standalone server jar and TestNG library and add them to your project's build path.
Step 4: To run tests in parallel using TestNG on LambdaTest, you will need to create a TestNG XML file and configure it to run tests in parallel. You can create an XML file and add the following code to it:
<!DOCTYPE suite SYSTEM "https://testng.org/testng-1.0.dtd" >
<suite name="Parallel Test Suite" parallel="tests" thread-count="2">
<test name="Test 1">
<classes>
<class name="com.example.TestClass1" />
</classes>
</test>
<test name="Test 2">
<classes>
<class name="com.example.TestClass2" />
</classes>
</test>
</suite>
In the above snippet, we have specified the parallel attribute with the value "tests" and the thread-count attribute with a value of "2", which means that TestNG will run the tests in parallel with a thread count of 2.
Step 5: Once you have created and configured your TestNG XML file, you can execute your tests on LambdaTest. To do this, you can use the LambdaTest automation dashboard, which allows you to execute your tests on a range of browsers and operating systems.
You will need to modify your Selenium script to use the LambdaTest remote URL and to pass in your LambdaTest username and access key. Here is an excellent example of how you can modify your script to use LambdaTest:
DesiredCapabilities capabilities = new DesiredCapabilities();
capabilities.setCapability("browserName", "Chrome");
capabilities.setCapability("version", "87.0");
capabilities.setCapability("platform", "Windows 10");
capabilities.setCapability("build", "TestNG Parallel Test");
capabilities.setCapability("name", "TestNG Parallel Test");
WebDriver driver = new RemoteWebDriver(new URL("https://" + username + ":" + accessKey + "@hub.lambdatest.com/wd/hub"), capabilities);
Once you have modified your script, you can execute it on LambdaTest by uploading your TestNG XML file and selecting the browsers and operating systems you want to test on.
Wrap-up
As a software tester, waiting for your Selenium test suite to finish running can feel like watching paint dry. You know that time is of the essence, and every minute counts. But what if there was a way to speed up the process and get faster feedback on your tests?
Parallel execution of Selenium test suites is like having your own personal time machine that allows you to run your tests simultaneously on multiple machines. It's a game-changer that can save you precious time and resources in your testing process.
In a world where time is money and efficiency are king, parallel execution of Selenium test suites can give us the competitive edge we need to stay ahead of the game. So, why not take advantage of this technology and give yourself the gift of more time and faster feedback? After all, life is too short to be stuck waiting around for test results.