Programming is the backbone of the modern web application Development Industry. Whenever we are discussing programming, the first thing that comes to our mind is Java. It is one of the most popular programming languages in the present time. The versatility of this programming language is the major reason behind its popularity. If we look back in the past, we will realize that Java has always retained its position in the hearts of back-end developers. The developers mostly prefer this programming language due to its platform-independent nature.
It also provides various accessible resources and ease of use. A recent survey also verifies the immense popularity of this programming language. According to this survey, there are more than 7 million developers who are currently using Java for programming.
The popularity of Java has played a key role in the increasing use of Java automation testing frameworks. It is often considered in the list of the top 5 most popular programming languages of all time. In 2020, Java was the second most popular programming language all over the world. A year earlier, it was in the top position on this list. So, with this article, we’ll discover the best web automation frameworks for testing with Java.
Java Testing Frameworks
Before we discuss the best frameworks for testing web applications with Java, we need to understand the basic infrastructure of this framework. The primary objective of these frameworks is to provide a sophisticated, extensible and standardized means to build a web application or any other type of software. It consists of a collection of huge packages containing prewritten codes. These codes can help with any type of web application test case. Java testing frameworks can be used to automate the testing of web application development in Java. The developers can also customize the codes according to the requirements of the specific developing environment. Depending on the choice of the developers, these codes can also incorporate various compilers, tools, APIs and libraries.
There are also various benefits of performing extensive test cases. For instance, this process helps you to verify the proper functioning and stability of your web application. This means that if there is any form of a security gap in the web application, you can easily solve it within the test framework. These Frameworks also come with multiple functions and models to improve the efficiency and speed of a tester. Various platforms also use these frameworks to improve the testing process. For this purpose, we can use the example of LambdaTest:
LambdaTest is a platform to verify the cross-browser compatibility of multiple web applications. Using this platform, the developers can perform automated browser testing across 3000 different types of browsers. LambdaTest generates highly accurate test results. It achieves this goal by compiling the test reports from different virtual machines, emulators and even real devices.
Using LambdaTest, the developers can also test the functionality of Java-based Web Applications. For this purpose, the developers have to integrate the LambdaTest Selenium grid with the Java and TestNG Frameworks. Using LambdaTest, the developers can also verify the proper functioning of all local web pages. There are countless frameworks developers can use for testing with Java. LambdaTest Supports almost all of these frameworks.
Best Web Automation Frameworks for Java
Currently, there are various frameworks that developers can use to conduct web Automation Testing with Java. Multiple choices can often lead to confusion during the selection of the perfect option. We have tried to simplify this process with the help of extensive market research. Let us analyze the most popular Web Automation Frameworks for Java:
1. JBehave
JBehave is considered to be among the best Frameworks for Web Automation Testing with Java. BDD is one of the Advanced technologies that this framework supports. BDD stands for Behaviour-Driven Development. It is the evolved version of TDD or Test-Driven Development. It is also the advanced version of ATDD or Advanced Test-Driven Development. The main Distributions of this framework are its Core and Web. It helps to make the testing practices more accessible and easier to use for beginners. JBehave is one of the best frameworks to implement the automation of visual test cases. It features reasoning and intuitiveness in a detailed manner.
2. JUnit
JUnit is an open-source Framework to perform Regression testing with test automation frameworks. The web developers mainly use this framework to perform unit testing with Java. It is also popular for its capabilities to speed up the programming process and improve the overall quality of the application. The Java developers can use this framework to script and implement repetitive test cases. This process also helps to save a lot of time during the testing phase of the web application. As it is open-source, there is a massive community of enthusiasts always ready to help beginners.
3. TestNG
TestNG also comes under the category of the most powerful and popular Java testing frameworks. The developers mainly used this framework to perform functional, integration and unit testing on their web applications. It was initially released in the year 2004. Currently, it is on its 7th Version. This framework gives direct competition to other frameworks such as JUnit. The advantages of this Framework are its extraordinary annotations and availability of Superior functionalities. Another amazing fact is that the ‘NG” in TestNG stands for Next Generation. Using this framework, the developers can perform almost any type of test case.
4. Serenity
The previous name for this framework was Thucydides. It comes under the category of the most extensively used open-source frameworks for web automation testing with Java. Using the Serenity BDD framework, the developers can perform many operations in the core test bench. For instance, you can use it to write acceptance test cases. These test cases are very clean, manageable and highly structured. Using this feature, the developers can enhance the functioning of both the Selenium WebDriver and JUnit. This enhanced framework helps the developers to create descriptive final test reports. The companies can use these reports for future references.
5. Gauge
Selenium is one of the most popular web automation frameworks. Its creators, ThoughtWorks, launched another framework. It is known as Gauge. Gauge is one of the popular, free to use web automation frameworks that run on Java programming language. It eliminates all the unnecessary stress that is related to performing acceptance testing. This is because it uses minimal code involvement for the entire testing cycle. It is also one of the most popular frameworks to verify the functioning of Java-based mobile web applications. It also provides various features to verify the proper placement of all the visual elements on a web application.
6. Selenite
Selenite is yet another popular Web Automation Framework for JavaScript. It is open-source as well. It is a great tool if you want to write precise, stable and communicated user interface test cases. This framework has various features to improve the functioning of applications that are running on the Java programming language. WebDriver is one of the most popular tools to test the proper functioning of a user interface. The Selenite Framework aims to eliminate all the shortcomings that are present in a conventional WebDriver. The developers will also find it very simple and easy to learn the basic functionality of this framework.
7. Spock
Spock also comes under the category of popular test automation frameworks for Java. It is written with Groovy. The developers can use this framework to conduct Data-Driven Tests on the Java Virtual Machine. It also provides wonderful compatibility to all other programming languages that are supported by the Java Virtual Machine. Experts believe that the UI of Spock is incredible compared to all other Java Test Automation Frameworks available in the market. The code documentation and code reliability are some of the most incredible features of this framework.
8. Geb
Geb is based on the working mechanism of Groovy. It is a testing framework that is targeted for all the browsers that are built on the Selenium WebDriver. Geb can be used to automate the testing of web push notifications, ensuring that they are sent and received correctly. It is also the primary reason that makes it the best way to perform automated test cases. The developers can also use this framework to perform cross-browser compatibility testing of their web applications. Using browser compatibility testing, the developers can verify the stable functioning of the web application on different browsers, devices and operating systems. The developers can use the Geb Java test automation framework to perform various unique test cases. For instance, it can conduct web testing, screen scraping and much more.
9. JWebUnit
JWebUnit is a web automation framework that functions on the Java Programming language. It comes under the family of JUnit Extensions. The developers can use this framework to perform regression, integration and functional testing on web applications. It can wrap the Selenium and HTML Wrap Framework with a simple test interface. This means the developers can use this framework to instantly verify the proper functioning of their applications. It also helps the developing companies to perform screen navigation tests of web applications.
10. HttpUnit
HttpUnit is a popular open-source Java Framework for web application testing. One of the major advantages of this Framework is that the developers can initiate the test cases without installing the browser itself. It is one of the best frameworks to initiate automated compatibility testing of web applications on multiple browsers. Java can be used to create mobile-friendly websites using responsive design techniques and frameworks like Bootstrap. It also provides smart test cases for executing unit testing on the application. As it is written in the JAVA programming language, it permits the test codes. This can process the returned pages of the web app.
The Conclusion
As a developer, you must acknowledge the significance of Java in the world of application development. The web automation testers should also have a proper understanding of this popular programming language. All these factors will help the different teams of the company to work together in the web application development life cycle. The developing companies should also conduct proper training solutions.
With this process, the company can familiarize the developers with this programming language. The automation frameworks that we discussed in this article will help the developer to simplify the test cases. Apart from the choice of the best framework, the developers should also properly choose the test automation platform. This is because only the perfect integration between the framework and platform can help the companies to use the full potential of the developing environment. It is a good idea for the developers to use this article as a guide. They can in turn use this knowledge to understand their requirements and choose the correct framework. You must remember your objective is to utilize all the features and advantages that are offered by Java.
