How LambdaTest Automates Cross-Browser Testing from the Cloud – InApps Technology 2022

Cross-browser testing is one of the essential components to run a web application consistently on multiple browsers. It is a testing technique that allows you to check the web application functionality and other dependencies across various browsers over the internet.

Now, you must be thinking is it really necessary to perform cross-browser testing for a web application.

Well, as you might know, that there are a variety of web browsers available in the market, and end-users use different browsers to visit a web application according to their convenience. Hence, it is necessary that the web application or website works on all the browsers effectively.

A web app often has multiple client-side components like Flex, JavaScript, Flash, Applets, and many more. All of these components can behave differently across different web browsers according to their rendering engines. Cross-browser testing ensures that your web app works unfailingly across all browsers without compromising with its quality. It allows developers and testers to identify whether the rendition or appearance of web pages in different browsers and devices is same or not.

How Cross-Browser Testing Is Performed?

There are generally two approaches available to perform cross-browser testing — manual and automated. Let’s have a clear look at both these approaches.

• Manual Cross-Browser Testing

The manual approach involves using multiple machines, multiple operating systems, various browsers, and running the same test cases on different browsers again and again. In the manual method, developers and testers first identify the browsers that they want the application to support properly. Then they re-run same test cases across different browsers to observe the behavior of web application and find any bugs in it.

With the manual approach, it’s not easy to perform cross browser testing across every browser because it requires a considerable amount of time. Also, there is no guarantee that the application can be tested on major browser versions with manual technique. The major challenge here is to cover all the browsers and devices on which you want your website or web application to be tested upon. However, with the help of a proper cross browser testing strategy and by selecting the best cross browser testing tool you can cover the maximum browsers.

Even the challenge that this is a bit time consuming still stands. Well, automating cross browser testing comes to help here.

• Automated Cross-Browser Testing

Automated testing is almost similar to manual testing; it also involves running the same test cases multiple times across various browsers. However, the only difference is that it uses an automation tool to make the overall cross browser testing process more manageable.

In automation testing, testers write test scripts on their own and use suitable software to test web application. It increases the efficiency and effectiveness of cross browser testing process.

In short, automated cross browser testing is less challenging, less time-consuming, and less expensive.

However, the most challenging thing in automated cross browser testing is choosing the right automation tool that meets all your basic requirements. There are plenty of tools available in the market like TestComplete, Ranorex, SoapUI, and many more. Some of these tools are expensive, while others have a complicated testing process.

However, Selenium is considered to be the best testing frameworks for automation testing, as it supports almost every programming language. Also, it’s not a single tool, it consists of four major tools – Selenium IDE, RC, WebDriver, and Selenium Grid. I’d argue that, out of these four tools, Selenium Grid is the best tool to choose from.

Selenium Grid allows you to run tests on different machines against different browsers and browser versions in parallel. But the major challenge here is installing and maintaining these browsers in your local system. However, if you have a version of a browser already installed, it becomes really difficult to test on other versions of the same browser (higher or lower).

In this case, an online Selenium Grid will help. LambdaTest is one such online Selenium Grid, which provides all the browsers and operating systems in the cloud. Hence, there is no need to download or install browsers in your local system. With LambdaTest selenium grid, you can test for cross browser compatibility in the browser on cloud.

Let’s have a more detailed look into LambdaTest and how it can help you!

What Is LambdaTest?

LambdaTest is a cloud-based cross browser testing tool that allows you to perform cross browser testing for web applications across more than 2000 browsers, operating systems, and devices. You can perform both manual and automated cross browser testing using LambdaTest.

For example, you can test your web application across the most recognized web browsers, such as Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, Internet Explorer, Opera, and Yandex.

It is a scalable testing platform that will assist your team by bringing your software assessment needs to the cloud infrastructure. By performing real-time cross browser compatibility testing using LambdaTest, you can ensure that your web application or website is compatible with almost every browser and device available in the market. It enables organizations to test their web application for responsiveness and take full screenshots while performing the testing.

Features of LambdaTest

LambdaTest is embedded with some great features that make it stand out from other cross browser testing tools. Here we have mentioned some of the extensive features of this tool.

• Online Browser Compatibility Testing

With LambdaTest, you can perform live cross browser compatibility testing across multiple browsers, browser versions, operating systems, and resolution. Apart from live testing, it also provides screen recording and screenshot facility, which means you can record the real-time browser compatibility testing with LambdaTest.

• Testing across Latest Desktop Browsers

There is a huge list of browsers on both Windows and Mac operating system. LambdaTest provides access for testing your web application even on latest desktop browsers, such as Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Opera, and many more. It also supports the latest versions of operating systems like Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, etc.

• Test Responsiveness on all Screen Sizes

You can test the responsiveness of your web application across various screen sizes with just a single click. Also, you can test the responsiveness of locally hosted websites with LambdaTest Secure Shell tunnel.

• Continuous Collaboration during Testing

It often happens with testers that they are unable to collaborate with their team members while performing cross browser testing. But, being a cloud-based testing tool, LambdaTest allows you to log issues during web application testing, and share the issues via slack, email, or you can directly log it in different tracking tools. LambdaTest provides integrations with almost 13 bug management tools as of now.

LambdaTest also provides a Chrome Extension which enables testers to take full page screenshots of the web pages on multiple desktops and mobile browsers with just one click. These screenshots help in fast-tracking cross browser compatibility testing of web pages and web applications.

Developers often face problems while solving issues related to icon size, layout, padding, text, element’s position, etc. Using LambdaTest, you can easily analyze the visual appeal of your web application. Visual testing involves checking the responsiveness of different screen sizes without compromising with the quality of website appearance. Also, it allows you to perform an automated visual regression testing to ensure that the web page layouts are perfect and identify any bugs that can affect the website performance.

With LambdaTest, you don’t have to buy a third-party management tool to detect bugs in web applications. The inbuilt issue tracker of LambdaTest tool allows you to manage the identified bugs efficiently. The bugs can easily be managed from the LambdaTest Console. The inbuilt issue tracker provides full control over bugs, such as assignment, tracking, exporting to pdf, or sharing with other users. Also, it is very flexible and easy to use.

Continuous support from tech experts is one thing that every user look for. LambdaTest provides 24×7 support to its customers for any queries related to the tool as well as cross browser testing.

The advanced features of LambdaTest make it easier for testers and developers to perform cross browser testing for web applications.

How LambdaTest Can Help You Test More Browsers?

Currently, there are only a few browsers like Chrome, Firefox, IE, and Safari that holds the maximum percentage of browser usage share in the market. But, there are many other browsers available in the market for different devices like desktop, mobile, tablets and operating systems like Android, Mac, iOS, and Windows. A user can access your website on any browser, any operating system, or any device. So, it’s necessary to perform cross-browser compatibility testing across almost every device, OS, and browser. With LambdaTest, you can perform cross browser compatibility testing on almost every browser, device, and OS.

It is a cloud based online selenium grid that allows you to perform cross browser compatibility testing across more than 2000 browsers, OS, and devices, some of which includes:

• Windows XP/7/8/8.1 and Windows 10, including every version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Internet Explorer, and Opera browsers.
• Mac Mojave/High Sierra/Sierra/EL Capitan/Mavericks and Lion, including every version of Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Safari browsers.
• Multiple Android devices like Samsung, Google, LG, One Plus, Vivo, HTC, Oppo, Gionee, Huawei, Xiaomi, Amazon, Motorola, and many more.
• It provides support across various iOS devices like iPhone and iPad, including their latest and earlier variants.

Apart from these features and benefits, it also allows you to debug your web applications for both mobile and desktop devices. With cross-browser compatibility testing, LambdaTest also offers debugging tools for any browser and browser version that is required.

Conclusion

Let’s face it — cross-browser testing is crucial for every business website or web application to maintain its consistency and flexibility across multiple platforms. But, the main concern of organizations is how to perform cross-browser testing. The manual approach is time-consuming as well as expensive. Therefore, automated cross-browser testing is a suitable option for every business need, and LambdaTest proved to be the best tool with real-time cross-browser testing.