Selenium Automation Testing: Step-by-Step Guide for 2025

Selenium is an accessible-source web browser automation foundation. This framework is a unification of different tools. Tools including the Selenium IDE, Selenium WebDriver, Selenium RC, and Selenium Grid.

These tools altogether offer their users a single interface for inputting test scripts in several famous coding languages. Coding languages like Ruby, Java, Python, JavaScript, C#, Perl, plus its own Selenese language. The ability to develop automated tests from these scripts and run them locally or remotely on a scale of browsers. This blog will give you a guide for Selenium Automation Testing, what its tools include, ‘what is Selenium WebDriver?’, and more.

Introduction to Selenium Automation Testing

Selenium automation uses the Selenium toolbox to run tests over several browser instances. Selenium Grid allows you to test over many instances and machines at the same time. There are many types of testing which can be used for: 

• System testing

• End-to-end testing

• Regression testing

• Compatibility testing

• Integration testing 

• Performance testing

Basically, any test one can think of that can be done in a browser can be run in Selenium. It can easily be done if you have the knowledge and training to set it up. 

Whereas Selenium Testing is most likely to have a place in developer’s toolkits in the coming time. There are many things that make it less practical for today’s complicated testing needs: 

• It’s complicated with a sharp learning curve.

• It takes multiple manual coding to develop the testing solution you need.

• A lot of training is needed to get the most out of it.

• It needs additional software to do things. Things like test native, hybrid, and web mobile apps, and more.

What Tools Does Selenium Software Include?

Selenium browser testing chain uses a combo of various tools to accomplish its goals. This platform has 3 tools: 

1. Selenium 3

This tool is an updated version of Selenium 2 combined with Selenium RC.

2. Selenium IDE

This tool is a browser plug-in that is amazing for simple testing.

3. Selenium Grid

This tool is used to run various instances of tests over several browsers.

This is evolutionary from the original framework, with Selenium Remote Control (RC) as a different tool.  

What do the different Selenium Testing Components actually do?

Various tools that make the Selenium Automation Framework have very different functions. As this framework has transformed, these tools have evolved and combined sometimes. Let us look at what the different Selenium Testing Components actually do: 

Selenium Tool	Functions & Uses
Selenium RC (Remote Control) also called Selenium1	This was the first Selenium tool developed, Selenium RC was limited. It was written in Java, and it limits its users to JavaScript as an input language. It needs a “real” browser to run in, as it is a browser extension.
Selenium 2 CONTAINS WEBDRIVER	Including WebDriver to Selenium intended to enlarge the ability of Selenium 1 to make testing easier and faster.
Previously a rival of Selenium, Selenium 1/ Selenium RC	WebDriver lives for each important browser, and languages like Perl, Ruby, Python, Java, C#, PHP, and Net can also be utilized.
Selenium 3	Selenium 2 with a chain of bug fixes and updated WebDriver integrations.  The WebDrivers are created more attentively with the single browser developers.
Selenium 4  Alpha Version Only	It has an improved add-ons framework and complete W3C compatibility vs Selenium 3.
Selenium Grid  (Selenium Server)	This lets developers run tests distantly on many browser instances.  Thus it makes large-scale automated Selenium testing more real.
Selenium IDE Integrated Development Environment	This is a browser extension for FireFox and Google Chrome. It provides an accessible-source test recording and playback solution web application testing.  It is still famous today for running simple tests.

What is Selenium WebDriver?

Selenium and WebDriver joined hands to develop a real cross-platform testing experience in 2006. If you are going to try Selenium automation, you will need to have more knowledge about this key tool before Selenium testing. Firstly, you need to be fluent in more than one of the following coding languages: 

• Ruby

• Java

• C#

• JavaScript

• Python

• Perl

Second, you need to plan out your testing framework and hand-code every test, feeding it in the Selenium interface. If you need more reporting and cipher code for every test function. Then you need a third-party extra software of some kind, and need to know how to use it.

As soon as you have put in your test scripts, at an average rate of 7 per developer per day. Then, you can start organizing your tests. You can also use Selenium Grid to test on many browser instances at the same time.

Even though this all is complicated, and takes a lot of learning and is time consuming as well. But once everything is done, you need to have everything fully documented for testing set-up. Once the test setting evolves, you can change the Selenium scripts to accomplish your latest goals easily.

Final Words

If you’re looking for a strong and flexible tool for automating your web application, testing this tool is the right choice. With Selenium automation testing, one can easily find bugs in your web application. And can also perform organized and accurate testing on many browsers and operating systems. So why delay? Start using Selenium Testing today! Selenium certification training provides instruction in automated testing, including practical examples and tool usage.