Today, many applications are web-based and accessed through browsers. Browser testing is essential to ensure their optimal efficiency. But that testing is tedious to conduct manually. Welcome to the world of automation testing. Welcome, that is, to Selenium.
Products like Selenium make software quality testing easier. This guide will point the way toward how you can learn Selenium for a career in the quality assurance industry. Down below you will find a variety of Selenium training options, including courses, books, and other resources.
What Is Selenium?
Selenium is a free, automated testing tool for web applications. It works across many operating systems, using programming languages to conduct tests. It uses a domain-specific language called Selenese. The software also provides tools to automate actions like entering text, selecting a value from a dropdown, and testing the user interface.
What Is Selenium Used For?
Selenium is a collection of open-source application programming interfaces (APIs) used to automate testing across browsers. It was introduced to make manual testing easier and increase the efficiency of browsers and operating systems. If you’re a manual tester looking to make the leap to automation testing, Selenium can smooth your transition.
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Selenium can also interact with different elements on a webpage. Using Selenium, you can input text, extract text, and click on a site.
Types of Selenium Software
Selenium has many software components made for different roles in the web automation test process. Some of these are explained below.
Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
The IDE records and edits functional tests. It can be used as a Chrome or Firefox extension. The Selenium IDE, previously known as the recorder, is a great tool to automatically debug commands and tests.
Remote Control (RC)
The Remote Control server is written in Java and accepts commands via HTTP. It is responsible for automated tests’ programming languages including JavaScript, Ruby, .NET, PHP, and Perl.
Client API
The Client API communicates with Selenium and allows you to code in languages other than Selenese for tests.
WebDriver
The WebDriver came after the RC and is used to accept commands from the Client API. Those commands are then sent to the browser. The updated WebDriver doesn’t need a special server to conduct tests and is fully supported by programming languages such as Python, C#, and Ruby.
Grid
The Grid acts as the central hub to test browsers. It also allows tests on parallel machines and can manage different versions of browsers.
Learning Selenium
Learning Selenium requires a well-rounded set of IT skills. Knowledge of browsers and operating systems is expected.
For a career in quality assurance testing, this web automation tool is essential.
How Long Does It Take to Learn Selenium?
With some background in technology, it takes around three days to gain a basic understanding of Selenium. But it depends on the course you take. There are classes that last a couple of days, while others go for a couple of weeks. The course you choose depends on your learning preferences.
It could take months to learn Selenium if you don’t have a background in computer programming. Selenium uses Java, HTML, and other web-testing software. These technical skills are key to succeeding in using the program.
How to Learn Selenium: Step-By-Step
Before jumping into a list of helpful courses, we want to provide you with an outline of how to start learning Selenium.
- Download the necessary software. First, download and install Java 8, IDE, and WebDriver.
- Enroll in beginner programming courses. If you don’t have a background in programming, then you can enroll in C# bootcamps or learn how to code in Java and HTML.
- Enroll in Selenium courses. Enroll in Selenium-specific courses and read resources on the program.
- Practice. This is a very crucial step in learning any software. If you learned via a book, then practice on the Internet.
- Take the certification exam. Take a course that offers Selenium certification and add that to your resume.
The Best Selenium Courses and Training
Web automation is a skill in very high demand. We have included our top picks for courses to get you learning Selenium today.
Online Selenium Courses and Online Training
Online learning is a great way to acquire new skills. You can learn from the comfort of your home and on your schedule. Below are the best online courses to learn Selenium.
PluralSight
- Course: Automated Web Testing with Selenium and WebDriver Using Java
- Duration: 3 hours
- Prerequisites: Basic Java and Selenium knowledge
- Cost: Monthly $29.99, annually $299
PluralSight offers this detailed course on how to test web applications using Selenium and WebDriver. You will learn about automated web testing using Java with a record and playback approach.
This course offers a step-by-step guide to learning how to create suites of tests, how to test standard HTML elements, and how to get the most out of AJAX functionality. By the end, you will be able to create your own quality assurance framework. A certificate of completion is also offered upon completion of the course.
Udemy
- Course: Selenium WebDriver + Java: Complete Step-by-Step Course
- Duration: 6.5 hours
- Prerequisites: None
- Cost: $129.99
This course provides a complete guide to Java and Selenium’s WebDriver. You will learn Java from scratch as well as how to implement the language. You will also learn how to automate web applications and tests using the software.
This is a great course for those who lack a programming background. You will get a certificate of completion at the end of the course.
LinkedIn Learning
- Course name: Learning Selenium
- Duration: 1 hour
- Prerequisites: None
- Cost: Monthly $29.99, annually $299.88
LinkedIn Learning offers a beginners’ course on Selenium. You will learn how to set up Selenium WebDriver, distribute a testing load, write clean test code, set up a hub and nodes, and organize a test suite.
You will also learn the test pyramid paradigm, UI testing, and integration. It also offers a certificate.
Free Selenium Online Courses
You can also learn this software using free online resources. We have made a list of the best, free Selenium courses to take.
Udemy
- Course: Selenium WebDriver with C# for Beginners + Live Testing Site
- Duration: 1 hour and 22 minutes
- Prerequisites: Basic coding knowledge and Visual Studio
- Cost: FREE
This course will teach you everything about Selenium WebDriver including how to work with ID, Name, CSSPath, and XPath selectors.
You will also work with checkboxes, radio buttons, input boxes, and alert boxes. There’s a focus on graphic user interface and functionality testing too.
Basic knowledge of C# will help you in this course. It’s aimed at professionals with no Selenium experience, manual testers, and freelancers who want to make bug-free websites. You can choose to buy a certificate at the end of the course.
Udemy
- Course: Selenium with C# and Java Titbits
- Duration: 3 hours and 23 minutes
- Prerequisites: Basic understanding of C# and Java
- Cost: FREE
This is another course offered on Udemy by Selenium. It provides short examples to explain Selenium concepts. By the end, you’ll understand software features like framework development that will help you with future projects.
You’ll also learn how to use Selenium on different browsers, how to use explicit and implicit waits, how to work with controls, how to drag and drop, and a great deal about Java and C#.
Udemy
- Course name: Cucumber with Selenium Java (Basic)
- Duration: 4 hours, 50 minutes
- Prerequisites: Basic understanding of Java, HTML, and Selenium
- Cost: FREE
Here’s yet another course offered by Udemy on this software. In this course, you’ll learn about Cucumber and behavior-driven development.
You will be able to interact with the model and write simple code. The course also covers how to run Cucumber via Maven and TestNG. You can buy a certificate upon completion.
Selenium Books
Books are a great way to learn programming and other software. Use these resources as a guide to master Selenium.
Learn Selenium: Build Data-Driven Test Frameworks for Mobile and Web Applications with Selenium Web Driver 3, by Unmesh Gundecha and Carl Cocchiaro
This book is aimed at quality assurance professionals, developers, software project managers, and anyone else interested in designing and building testing frameworks. Prior programming experience in Java and TestNG are required to follow this text.
You will learn how to use mobile and desktop platforms with Selenium 3, design a driver class, build page objects with the TestNG framework, and build a grid. You will also learn how to develop data-driven test classes. This is a great book that will aid you in designing an automated testing framework.
Absolute Beginner (Part 1) Java 4 Selenium WebDriver: Come Learn How to Program for Automation Testing, by Rex Allen Jones II
Rex Allen Jones provides useful information for testers without a programming background in this book. It aims to help automation testers efficiently use Java in Selenium. You’ll also learn about variables, data types, operators, branch control structures, and loop control structures.
We recommend this book to anyone who doesn’t have experience with Java but is trying to learn Selenium.
Selenium Testing Tools Cookbook, by Unmesh Gundecha
This book shares Selenium automation testing recipes. The book explains how to test mobile web applications with Selenium drivers for iOS and Android. It also shows practical WebDriver solutions and examples using C#, Ruby, and Python.
The book is meant for software quality assurance testing professionals, project managers, and developers. You should have previous experience in Java, Selenium, and testing web-based applications to get the most out of this text.
Online Selenium Resources
Here are even more online resources to master Selenium.
Selenium Blog
The software’s official site offers free access to daily blogs related to web testing. The posts inform you of what’s new as well as the software’s best features. This is a great way to learn more about Selenium.
Selenium Tutorials for Beginners
This online resource, offered by Guru99, provides a ton of tutorials to help you learn Selenium. The site includes information on how to download the software, FAQs, and links to live Selenium projects.
Should You Learn Selenium?
Manual testing by quality assurance professionals isn’t sustainable these days. Automated testing has taken over and companies like Selenium are leading the way.
If you want to become an automation testing engineer, then you should learn Selenium. You can start by enrolling in the best Java bootcamps and taking courses to learn C#. Selenium is sure to boost your technical resume.
What are you waiting for? Start your Selenium journey today.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.
