A review of programming languages for automatization testing

Automated testing presupposes using automation tools to execute a set of test cases. As this kind of work is done by automatic, less time is required for manual testing, but more time is needed to support automated scenarios. Automation is good for large projects that require multiple checks of the same areas. Also those projects that have already passed the initial process of manual testing. Finding bugs in simple operations is the main task of automation. This type of testing is more suitable for large-scale companies, as it requires significant investments.

Advantages of the automated testing

Automation has many advantages, some of which will be discussed below:

• round-the-clock tests are an opportunity to start the test in the evening and get the results in the morning after coming to work;
• fewer specialists – preferably one automation engineer, instead of a group of manual testers;
• sequence – an opportunity to learn about previously performed actions;
• volume – the number of devices on which tests are carried out can be simply huge;
• reuse is the most reliable way, because no test can be missed;
• execution without intervention while the tests are being executed, the tester can do other useful things.

Thanks to these advantages, it can be argued that the quality of the obtained product will be high. Less time and resources are spent on testing.

The most popular programming languages for automated testing

The programming language used in automation also plays an important role. There are eight main points to consider when evaluating any automation language. These criteria specifically evaluate the language in terms of cleanliness and usability, not necessarily in terms of the immediate needs of the project.

Usability. A good automation language is quite high-level and should perform complex tasks such as memory management. Development speed is also very important to project timelines.

Elegance. The process of translating a test case into code should be simple and clear. For ease of maintenance, test code should also be kept short and self-documenting.

Available Test Frameworks. Frameworks provide basic needs such as setup/cleanup, logging and reporting. Examples are Cucumber and xUnit.

Available Packages. It is better to use ready-made packages for common operations, such as web drivers (Selenium), HTTP requests and SSH.

Powerful Command Line. A good CLI makes it easy to run tests. This is very important for continuous integration when tests cannot be run manually.

Easy Build Integration. Build automation should run tests and report results. Complex integration is a nightmare for developers.

IDE Support. Because Notepad and vim are simply not suitable for large projects.

Industry Adoption. Support is important. If the language remains popular, the frameworks and packages will be well supported.

Next, we will consider the most popular languages for test automation.

Java

Java – is a general-purpose programming language owned by Oracle Corporation. Java is built on the principles of object-oriented programming. Java follows the WORA principle ( «Write Once, Run Anywhere») that provides a lot of advantages for cross-platform testing.

Java is used to support internal corporate systems in many large corporations. Applications written in Java run on more than 3 billion devices. Although JUnit is the most popular framework for unit testing, many open source test automation frameworks were developed in Java. Automated in-browser testing for a website or web application can be done using JUnit with Selenium WebDriver.

This language has both pros and cons. On the positive side, it is PageFactory, it simplifies the code for automation and it is possible to write very easy-to-understand tests. Java has a large community, many developers own it, and a huge number of tools have already been written on it. As a result, testers often have the opportunity to ask developers for advice and find a ready-made solution for a certain task more easily. On the downside, the code is more difficult to read than even in Python. Another downside is the error messages, which are often difficult to understand.

Python

Python is also used in test automation, offers open source code, is used in machine learning, and much more. The main advantage that Python has over other programming languages for test automation is ease of learning due to the readability of the language.

According to the Stack Overflow Developer Survey (2019), a whopping 73.1% voted Python as the most in-demand programming language, indicating Python's popularity.

This programming language is high-level, plus it has an excellent dynamic system. Python is best for test automation.

Python advantages:

• it is a general-purpose language: Python is used to solve almost any development task – desktop and web applications, data analysis, scripting, task automation, etc.;
• batteries included: a rich standard library will make common development tasks easy. The Selenium and Appium libraries for Python facilitate the work of testers and automators, in particular, in cross-browser testing on desktop and mobile devices. PyUnit and Pytest are the most popular test automation environments in Python that are designed for automated testing on Selenium for automated cross-browser testing;
• coding performance: being a concise language, Python allows you to achieve a lot with less code, which can save testing time;
• script execution: Python is installed on Mac/Linux systems and it is easy to run a Python script from a shell on Linux servers;
• Python is easier to learn, has decent support, a large strong community and open source code. In addition, there are many tools and modules that make the process easier;
• Python makes it easier for an outsider to grasp the essence of the test (due to its readability).

JavaScript

According to the results of the Stack Overflow Developer Survey research(2019), JavaScript took the first place in «Programming, Scripting, and Markup Languages» in the «Most Popular Technologies» category.

JavaScript is also a great programming language for test automation, mostly used for front-end development. Many large consumer websites use JavaScript for front-end development, and it is equally popular for test automation.

One of the main reasons for its popularity in test automation may be the wider implementation of shift-left testing methodology, when developers also participate in the development of test code. In the shift-left testing methodology, the team of testers cooperates a lot with developers, which allows them to implement automated testing as efficiently as possible.

JavaScript along with Selenium is also used to develop test scripts for automated testing in browsers. It can be used with a remote Selenium Grid, such as LambdaTest, without the need to make significant changes to the source code.

One of the advantages that makes JavaScript the best language for test automation is the wide range of testing environments for End-to-End and unit testing. Some of the best JavaScript test automation frameworks are:

• Jest;
• Mocha;
• Jasmine;
• Nightwatch.

For JavaScript automation, you need to know the basics of the language, learn how to work in Selenium, and also decide on a framework.

JavaScript advantages:

• writing tests with JS is faster than with Java or C #;
• more team communication;
• suggest solutions to problems;
• entry threshold for starting work on the project is quite low.

Some JavaScript  disadvantages are:

• decisions are less stable;
• writing really good tests requires a deep understanding of how the language works.

C#

Created by Microsoft, C# is also one of the dominant languages in the field of automation. It follows the concept of OOP and is one of the most common languages using the .NET Framework. 67% of respondents in the Stack Overflow Developer Survey (2019) consider C# to be the most suitable language for automation, programming and much more. C# in the field of automated testing is well suited for applications on Android, Windows and iOS operating systems.

This development language is slowly and steadily gaining momentum in the field of automated testing. Due to the language's powerful capabilities and its compatibility with Selenium WebDriver, many automation developers tend to use C# for automation testing and cross-browser testing. The Page Object Model (POM) design pattern allows testers to write test code that is efficient and easily maintainable.

There are many automated testing frameworks developed in C# designed to help automate testing on Selenium or for automated testing in browsers. There is also a wide range of test environments, which is why many programmers use C# to write test cases for cross-browser testing.

The most commonly used test automation platforms in C#:

• NUnit;
• MSTest;
• xUnit.Net.

C# has good testing support, but it lives in the Microsoft bubble. .NET development tools aren't always free and command-line operations can be quite painful.

Ruby

Ruby is also a programming language that can be used to write automated tests. This language is now gaining popularity in the field of automation and automated testing in browsers. It has open source code, is quite simple and productive. Ruby, like Python, is very easy to learn and implement. What makes it a powerful language for programming and automation is that it has a simple and human-friendly syntax and a flexible object-oriented architecture.

Ruby has an actively supported and growing community of its users, which is considered the most important and strong point of the language. Developers are increasingly preferring Ruby as a programming language for developing web applications, as it allows you to create useful, good applications using far fewer lines of code.

The Ruby language is also friendly to the Selenium framework, so automation testers can write Selenium tests. Ruby and Selenium are easy to learn and require very few lines of code to write, for example, tests for cross-browser testing.

Ruby and the Ruby on Rails web framework is a popular interpreted language for startups. It has full online training, both for beginners and experienced programmers, as well as for specialists in this field. High adoption means the availability of numerous web repositories and tools that help web developers build applications quickly. Ruby has a source of reusable archives that are easily maintained and also deployed in the form of Ruby Gems. Like Python, Ruby lends itself to automation from Puppet, an open-source sketch management tool originally written in Ruby.

Ruby has developed a number of frameworks for automation testers to help with cross-browser testing. Below are the most common platforms:

• Capybara;
• RSpec;
• Test :: Unit.

In conclusion, Python and Java are the best automation languages today. In Ruby, you can quickly start writing a full-fledged testing framework. This type of testing is cheaper and much faster than manual testing. In reality, it happens that the better a specialist programs, the more correctly and accurately he will be able to automate. Learning any language will serve as a good foundation for technical growth.