Selenium Vs. Cypress: Which Is Better?

Selenium Vs. Cypress -Testing is essential for the software development process to assure excellent code quality and functionality.

It can be performed in two ways; manually or automated. Automation testing is more efficient and requires less time to execute.

This is the reason why it is a good idea to opt for automation testing to run test cases repetitively.

In today’s digital era, a lot of automation testing tools are there to choose from. That is why it is crucial to select the righteous automation testing framework as per the requirements of the project.

The two of the most widely used automation testing frameworks are Selenium and Cypress.

Each offers its own unique features and benefits, and deciding which tool is the most appropriate for each project is an important decision for developers.

In the blog post “Selenium vs. Cypress: Which is better?”, we will compare the two tools and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each.

We will also discuss how each tool functions and the scenarios in which each is best suited.

By the end of this post, you will have a better understanding of the differences between Selenium and Cypress and be able to make an informed decision about which test automation framework is right for you.

So, let us begin now.

Introduction to Selenium and Cypress

Selenium

The software development industry is ever-evolving and with it, the demand for automated testing.

Launched in 2004, Selenium is one of the most popular test automation frameworks. It offers a variety of advantages to help software developers and testers increase test coverage and reduce manual testing efforts.

Selenium is an open-source automation framework that makes web application testing and cross-browser testing easier than ever.

It comprises a range of software programs that let developers create, run, and debug automated tests quickly and reliably.

This automation testing tool is compatible with a range of browsers and operating systems. It supports diverse programming languages like Ruby, C#, Python, and others.

You can use Selenium Grid on cloud-based Selenium Grid like LambdaTest. It allows you to run browser automation testing scripts on cloud infrastructure comprising 3000+ mobile browsers and desktop environments.

Selenium is highly preferred by testers and developers as it supports several test automation frameworks like Behave, JUnit, SpecFlow, and others.

Cypress

Cypress is a powerful automation and end-to-end testing platform. It provides the tools and features necessary to create robust and comprehensive tests for web applications.

Development teams have made Cypress their go-to choice. This is because it provides a reliable and versatile testing solution that handles a variety of use cases.

Like the Selenium framework, Cypress is an open-source testing framework. However, unlike Selenium WebDriver which supports many programming, and languages, Cypress is based on JavaScript language only.

It is specifically designed for modern web automation testing. It enables developers to write, run, and debug tests in a simple and consistent manner.

This developer-friendly framework operates directly in the browser, employing a DOM (Document Object Model) manipulation technique.

Further, unlike Selenium which supports multiple test automation frameworks, Cypress only supports the Mocha JS framework.

This further facilitates QA engineers and front-end developers to write automated web tests in JavaScript on the notch of the Mocha JS framework.

With Cypress, you can quickly create end-to-end tests that span multiple layers of your application, from the UI to the database and everything in between.

LambdaTest is one of the most used cloud-based automation testing platforms which offers Cypress testing across 40+ browser versions. You can automate the Cypress test and execute browser automation testing with LambdaTest.

Market trends of Selenium and Cypress

Selenium is highly popular in the software development life cycle; however, Cypress being in the race gained huge popularity in a short time span.

Comparing the data from GitHub, the popularity between the two can be easily witnessed. The below table shows that Selenium is preferred over Cypress.

Aspects	Selenium	Cypress
Forks	7.4k	2.7k
Stars	25.8k	42.6K
Watch	1.3k	617
Releases	80	297

Further, a comparison of six-month download trends of Cypress and Selenium shows that the battle between the two will be exaggerated in coming times. It is evident from the npm trends as shown below.

Cypress is racing with Selenium and this trend drives curiosity about the significance of these test automation frameworks.

Source: npm

Advantages of using Selenium and Cypress

Selenium is a great tool for enhancing automation testing in web applications. It is an ideal testing tool for developers who are looking for a powerful and effective solution for automating their testing process. Here are a few advantages of Selenium:

• Supports numerous programming languages such as JavaScript, Java, C#, Python, Ruby, etc., allowing developers and programmers to create test cases in their preferred language.
• Compatible with multiple OS such as Windows, Unix, Linux, Mac, etc.
• Has well-established documentation and robust community support from users around the world.
• Provides concise APIs.
• A lot of OS can be used to process test cases.
• Compatible with modern browsers such as Safari, Firefox, Chrome, etc.
• Robust feature set with elements such as Grid, WebDriver, and IDE.
• Offers a comprehensive toolset for any test automation, from advanced user input imitation to workload distribution.
• Has a massive user base because of the maturity of the platform.
• Support all major mobile platforms and operating systems.
• Can be incorporated with an enormous number of third-party platforms and tools to enhance or expand automation functionality.

On the other hand, Cypress is one of the most powerful tools available for development teams to ensure the highest quality of software products.

It provides an intuitive and powerful way for developers to automate the testing of their applications. Cypress offers a wide range of features, such as:

• Has a robust framework in nature.
• No need to configure or set up browser-specific drivers.
• Automatic parallelization and load balancing support.
• Captures images at the time of test execution allowing developers or QA to hover over a precise command in the Command Log to notice what exactly happened at that particular step.
• Has innovative component testing capabilities.
• Has mocking and stubbing abilities.
• QAs or Developers can use Stubs, Clocks, and Spies to verify and manage the behavior of server functions, responses, or timers.
• Carries excellent documentation.
• Executes commands in real-time, providing visual feedback as the commands run.
• Does not need to add implicit or explicit wait commands in test scripts.
• Built-in support for integration with slack, CI tools, and Github.
• Provides support for Edge and Firefox browsers.
• Outstanding support for modern JavaScript frameworks such as Angular, React, Vue, etc.
• Has a rich set of plugins to advance automation testing coverage, such as test coverage measurements (Istanbul), AXE for accessibility, visual testing, and more.
• Debugging ability is very strong.

Limitations of Selenium and Cypress

It is important to understand the limitations of any tool you are working with so that you can be prepared to address them and choose the best solution for your use case. The same goes for both Selenium And Cypress.

Along with the numerous benefits of the Selenium automotive testing framework come a few limitations, such as

• Limited support for testing images.
• No built-in command for the automatic generation of test results.
• Creating test cases is sluggish.
• Managing element load or page load is difficult.
• Complex to set up the test environment.
• Installation is more complicated and time-consuming.

Cypress is a great tool for functional testing, accessibility testing, and end-to-end testing, but like all frameworks, there are certain limitations that should be taken into consideration, such as:

• It does not provide support for multi-tabs.
• Limited support for iFrames.
• Only supports JavaScript for developing test cases.
• One cannot use this tool to drive two browsers at the same time.
• Does not provide support for browsers such as IE and Safari at the moment.
• Supports only Mocha JS.

Selenium vs. Cypress: The Best Automation Testing Tool

Based on the above comparison, it is evident that Selenium and Cypress hold different purposes.

Both Selenium and Cypress are designed to automate browsers for testing purposes, but they differ greatly in terms of performance and architecture.

A key difference between Selenium and Cypress is that Cypress is ideal for introducing web developers to automation testing rather than just a substitute for Selenium.

This is the reason why Cypress is among the fastest-growing automation testing tools in the world, and Selenium is a one-size-fits-all testing tool targeted at a broader audience.

Cypress is considered to have an easier learning curve and is more user-friendly, while Selenium is more powerful and can be used to test a wider range of applications.

Cypress is noted for better debugging capabilities, while Selenium offers more language support.

For example, if you are proficient in JavaScript and looking for a tool to perform automation testing, Cypress can be a good option.

However, if the goal is that code should be functional on different browsers and OS, then Selenium can be the best fit.

Selenium’s advantage of supporting a wide range of browsers and multiple programming languages is prominent.

You can leverage its significance offered by a cloud-based platform like LambdaTest. Additionally, its scalability allows for large test suites.

Ultimately, the decision between Cypress and Selenium depends on the specific needs of the project.

For simple applications, Cypress may be the better choice, while for more complex applications, Selenium may be a better option.

Conclusion

Cypress and Selenium are both great automation testing tools that enable developers to create robust, reliable, and maintainable web applications.

While Cypress is a newer tool and has a more intuitive UI, Selenium has been around for longer and it offers more flexibility in terms of programming language and cross-browser testing.

Ultimately, the best automation testing tool for you depends on your individual needs and preferences.

You need to think carefully while keeping in mind the required testing features needed before choosing the right tool.

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