Written By :Appsierra

Thu Sep 14 2023

5 min read

Top 5 JavaScript Test Automation Frameworks

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Test Automation Frameworks

We are progressing towards an era of automation. Every company, be it a startup or a large-scale enterprise, strives for incorporating automation testing in their release cycle as efficiently as they can. Because JavaScript Automation Testing uses the effort involved in evaluating repetitive test scenarios JavaScript is no more concerned with being a developer-only programming language.

With the demand for automation testing, JavaScript testing frameworks have emerged for fulfilling different purposes, some are fit for automated unit testing JavaScript while others are made for end to end testing. it is no wonder that JavaScript Test Automation throughout the globe has become pretty fond of these JavaScript testing frameworks.

The variety of JavaScript testing frameworks made available for automation testers have become a cause of confusion for many. It is only natural the more options you have in front of you the more time it will take for you to decide which JavaScript Automation Testing framework fits the best for you. Here’s a look at the top five such JavaScript Test Automation tools, with tips on the pros and cons of each.

Top 5 JavaScript Test Automation Tools

Below are the Javascript test automation tools:

1. WebdriverIO

WebdriverIO is a test automation framework that supports both browser and native mobile testing. It is not to be confused with Selenium WebDriver, which only supports browser testing. It can automate testing for a wide range of apps running in any popular browser or mobile OS, and it's very extendable. WebdriverIO's ability to handle a wide range of testing demands makes it an excellent framework for those who create a variety of apps and want a single framework to test them all.

WebdriverIO is pre-installed with Puppeteer. It also integrates with Mocha, Jasmine, and Cucumber, and the entire setup takes only a few npm instructions. To summarise, utilize WebdriverIO if you have a lot of testing needs that go beyond standard JavaScript tests.

2. Cypress

Cypress has risen to prominence as one of the most popular JavaScript testing frameworks in recent years, owing to its ease of use, particularly for front-end developers. Cypress also can test both the front-end and (to some extent) the backend. As a result, Cypress is an excellent fit for developers that work with JavaScript (or Node) on both the server and client sides.

Cypress has several drawbacks, including restricted support for testing mobile applications: it can only test apps that run natively in a browser. It also only supports three browsers at the moment: Chrome, Edge, and Firefox. To summarise, Cypress is an excellent choice if you want a basic yet robust JavaScript test automation framework that will fulfil most typical testing demands. However, if you want complete application and browser support, Cypress falls short.

3. TestCafe

TestCafe, like Cypress, is simple to set up and use. It also has the benefit of supporting both JavaScript and TypeScript as scripting languages for testing. Developers that like tightly typed languages may find TypeScript appealing. All of the main desktop browsers, including Chrome, Internet Explorer, Edge, and Safari, are supported by TestCafe. Although it offers some limited support for browser-based mobile apps, it is not meant for mobile app testing in general. 

The fact that TestCafe only supports client-side applications is a disadvantage. It's also primarily intended to be an end-to-end and regression testing framework, and it's not well suited to automated unit testing javascript or integration testing. To summarise, TestCafe is a fantastic solution for testing any client-side JavaScript programs on a desktop or mobile device. Look elsewhere if you want server-side or mobile testing assistance.

 TestCafe
 TestCafe

4. Playwright

Playwright, an open-source JavaScript-based test automation framework released by Microsoft in January 2020, is one of the newest JavaScript-based test automation frameworks available. Playwright offers testing in.NET C#, Java, and Python in addition to JavaScript, making it useful for developers that need to deal with several languages. Playwright supports all major current browsers, except Internet Explorer, and it may be used for both desktop and mobile testing.

Playwright's main disadvantage right now is that, because it's still young, it's continuously growing, and it doesn't have as many integrations as more established frameworks. The absence of compatibility for Internet Explorer, as well as the fact that Playwright requires a special browser that must be downloaded each time you wish to run a test, are also drawbacks. This takes time out of testing and prevents you from testing on the browser that your users are using. Finally, Playwright, like Puppeteer, requires manual integration with test frameworks such as Mocha, Jasmine, or Jest. 

To summarize, Playwright is a compelling option for cross-browser testing that is developer-friendly and supports many languages, including but not limited to JavaScript. You'll need a separate framework if you need to test for Internet Explorer. If you're concerned about having to deal with quickly changing APIs, you might want to wait for Playwright to mature more.

5. Puppeteer

If you enjoy Playwright but wish it was more stable and mature, try Puppeteer, which has been available in a stable version since 2018. Playwright's primary developers used to work on Puppeteer, and the two frameworks have a lot in common: they're both simple-to-use, JavaScript-first browser automation tools that specialize in desktop app testing.

Puppeteer's primary drawback is that it only fully supports Chrome and Chromium, preventing it from becoming a real cross-browser testing solution. However, owing to the collaboration between the Puppeteer team and Mozilla engineers, the Firefox nightly versions are now compatible with Puppeteer as well. 

Support for Puppeteer in stable Firefox versions is in the pipeline. To summarize, Puppeteer is the preferred test automation framework for Chrome and Chromium developers. Frameworks like Playwright give a comparable experience for cross-browser tests.

Conclusion

That's all we have to say from our end. We've included frameworks for testing specific framework-based web applications, as well as general programs for testing any JavaScript Test Automation application. Which one you should choose is dependent on your needs. 

Assess factors such as cross-browser compatibility, development framework, and development process to find the best fit for your needs. Finally, the greatest judgments on application design today are made by combining your expertise and the specifics of your application with generic patterns that are emerging in the highly active developer community.

Also Read: Top 5 JavaScript Testing Frameworks

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