Robot Framework and Selenium are similar, so why do you need two testing tools? Both are used to validate and ensure your application or website works as expected, but with subtle differences that set them apart.
While it’s true that these two frameworks can be used for the same task, they ultimately serve different purposes, which means your experience will differ when using them. If you’re looking to find the right tool to help with your website or application testing needs, check out the different features and functionality of Robot Framework and Selenium below to determine which would best suit your needs.
Main Difference
Robot Framework is a Python-based, generic open source automation framework for acceptance testing, acceptance test-driven development (ATDD), and robotic process automation (RPA). Selenium is a portable framework for testing web applications.
Selenium provides a record/playback tool for authoring tests without learning a test scripting language (Selenium IDE). It also provides a test domain-specific language (Selenese) to write tests in several popular programming languages, including Java, C#, Groovy, Perl, PHP, Python, and Ruby. The tests can then be run against most modern web browsers. Selenium runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS.
What is the Robot Framework?
The Robot Framework (RF) is a free, open-source automation tool written in Python. RF provides a framework for defining test suites and executing them using any kind of programming language. RF supports both keyword-driven and event-based testing.
What is the Selenium?
Selenium is a cross-browser web driver that automates browser interactions and tests web applications. It uses the same technology behind popular browsers such as Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera, etc.
The downside of this tool is that it requires extra installation on your computer and costs money to use. Robot Framework: A robot framework can be used to automate tasks in any programming language that can execute on a command line interface (terminal).
Key Differences Between Robot and Selenium Frameworks
Robot framework is a tool for automating web applications using test-driven development (TDD). It supports both Java and Python programming languages. It provides a set of tools to develop tests and run them automatically.
- Selenium is a tool for automatizing browser-based applications. It uses JavaScript and HTML/CSS language to write automated tests.
- Robot framework is a testing framework. Selenium is a tool for testing web applications.
- Robot framework is a free, open-source project. Selenium is a commercial product.
- Robot framework is written in python. Selenium is written in java.
- Robot framework is a framework. Selenium is an automation tool.
- Robot framework is a test runner. Selenium is a test automation tool.
- Robot framework is a library. Selenium is a standalone application.
- Robot framework is a web application testing framework. Selenium WebDriver is a tool for automating web browsers.
- Robot framework is a unit testing framework. Selenium IDE is a tool for writing scripts.
- Robot framework is a regression testing framework. Selenium RC is a tool for running tests in real browsers.
- Robot framework is a continuous integration tool. Selenium Grid is a tool for running distributed tests.
- Robot framework is a cloud-based solution. Selenium Grid is not a cloud-based solution.
- Robot framework is a cross-platform tool. Selenium IDE is not a cross-platform tool.
The Basics
Both frameworks can be used for automating tasks, but they have different strengths and weaknesses. Here’s a quick overview of the differences between Robot Framework and Selenium.
- First, Robot Framework has built-in support for keyword logging and assertions.
- Second, Robot Framework is a general-purpose programming language with looping constructs unavailable in Selenium IDE or WebDriverJS.
- Third, because it is programmed using Python, the syntax is easier to understand than in other languages like JavaScript.
- Fourth, it has more features than either IDE or WebDriverJS alone, including generating reports automatically at the end of each test run, so you don’t need to write your code to do this.
Creating and Running Tests
When it comes to testing, there are two main tools: Robot Framework and Selenium. Both have pros and cons, but which is right for you? Here’s a quick rundown of the differences between these two popular testing tools.
First off, Robot Framework is open source and written in Python. It has a large community of contributors and an active development team. Plus, it’s relatively easy to learn if you’re already familiar with Python or any other programming language because most people know at least one language. Meanwhile, Selenium WebDriver uses Java as its base programming language. Java developers will find it much easier to work with Selenium than those without experience in that particular language. If you need help getting started, I recommend reading this guide by ExpertRating on how to set up your environment using Eclipse IDE, Android Studio, IntelliJ IDEA, or NetBeans.
Recording Tests
Regarding recording tests, Robot Framework has a few advantages over Selenium. For one, it can record tests in a more readable format. Additionally, it can record tests in multiple languages, making it easier to share tests with others on your team. Finally, Robot Framework supports a variety of test data formats, making it easy to integrate with your existing tools and workflows.
Exporting and Generating Reports
When choosing a tool for your automated testing needs, two of the most popular options are Robot Framework and Selenium. Selenium is an open-source browser automation suite that allows you to record interactions with a website, playback them in real-time on any browser that supports HTML5, and automatically simulate user actions like filling out forms or clicking buttons. Jason Huggins originally developed the product in 2004 at eBay. Since then it has grown into an open-source project with more than 1 million downloads per month.
Continuous Integration Support
If you’re looking for a tool to help with continuous integration, you may wonder about the differences between Robot Framework and Selenium. Both tools can be used for automated testing, but they have different strengths and weaknesses. Here’s a quick overview of the two tools to help you decide which one is right for your needs.
Integration with Other Tools/Frameworks
One of the critical differences between Robot Framework and Selenium is that Robot Framework is designed to be integrated with other tools and frameworks. This means that it can be used with a wide variety of tools and frameworks, making it more versatile than Selenium. The website for Robot Framework even says that integration was one of the original design goals.
In contrast, Selenium can only be integrated with other tools through WebDriver extensions. Additionally, while WebDriver extensions allow you to integrate Selenium into your code and scripts, this has drawbacks because extensions need to be configured separately for each system they use.
Conclusion
Both are great tools for automation testing, but they have different strengths and weaknesses. Robot Framework is easier to use and learn, but it doesn’t have as many features as Selenium. Selenium is more powerful and has more features, but it can be harder to use and learn. Ultimately, the decision of which tool to use depends on your specific needs and preferences.