Selenium Manager: Automated Testing with Streamlined WebDriver Management

In the fast-paced world of software development, ensuring the quality of your applications is paramount. Automated testing has emerged as a cornerstone of quality assurance, and Selenium has long been a favored tool for automating web application testing.

With the introduction of Selenium Manager in version 4.6.0, there is a commitment to streamline and improve the automation process. In this blog, we'll delve into what Selenium Manager is, its purpose, how it addresses challenges faced by its predecessor WebDriverManager, and even provide a practical demonstration.

What is Selenium Manager?

Selenium Manager is a robust automation tool designed to facilitate the process of automated testing of web applications. It provides a centralized platform to manage WebDriver binaries, making it easier to set up and manage browser drivers for Selenium automation.

This tool takes a step beyond WebDriverManager and aims to streamline the configuration and execution of tests, ultimately leading to more efficient and effective testing practices.

The Purpose of Selenium Manager: Why was it Introduced?

Automated testing is pivotal for maintaining software quality, but setting up and managing browser drivers for Selenium-based testing was not without challenges. WebDriverManager, though helpful, left room for improvement.

Selenium Manager was introduced to address these shortcomings, aiming to provide a more centralized, streamlined, and user-friendly experience. It simplifies the process of managing WebDriver binaries and ensures that the correct driver versions are used across different environments.

Problem / Challenge faced before Selenium Manager

Prior to Selenium Manager, managing WebDriver binaries was often a manual and error-prone process. Teams had to juggle between different browser versions and their corresponding drivers, leading to compatibility issues and wasted time.

WebDriverManager alleviated some of these concerns, but it still required manual configuration and lacked a unified platform for managing drivers across projects.

How does it replace WebDriverManager?

Selenium Manager improves upon WebDriverManager by offering a centralized management solution. It automates the process of downloading and setting up WebDriver binaries for various browsers, saving developers the hassle of manually managing driver versions.

Additionally, it provides integration with popular testing frameworks, making it seamless to incorporate into existing testing workflows.

Demonstration using code example

Let's take a quick look at how Selenium Manager can be integrated into an automated testing script using Java and TestNG:

WebDriverManager	Selenium Manager
@Test public void test() { WebDriverManager.chromedriver().setup(); WebDriver driver=new ChromeDriver(); driver.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait(Duration.ofSeconds(10)); driver.manage().timeouts().pageLoadTimeout(Duration.ofSeconds(10)); driver.manage().window().maximize(); driver.get("https://www.google.com/"); System.out.println(driver.getTitle()); driver.quit(); }	@Test public void test() { WebDriver driver=new ChromeDriver(); driver.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait(Duration.ofSeconds(10)); driver.manage().timeouts().pageLoadTimeout(Duration.ofSeconds(10)); driver.manage().window().maximize(); driver.get("www.google.com/"); System.out.println(driver.getTitle()); driver.quit(); }

Conclusion

Selenium Manager is a significant advancement in the world of automated testing. It addresses the challenges faced by its predecessor, WebDriverManager, and streamlines the management of WebDriver binaries.

Embracing Selenium Manager can greatly enhance the automated testing process. Its centralized management of WebDriver binaries, along with its integration with testing frameworks, makes it a valuable tool for any testing team.