Difference between Selenium RC and Selenium Webdriver
This article will explain the main difference between Selenium Remote Control (RC) and Selenium WebDriver. It also focuses on how WebDriver makes it easy to test by managing the issues faced with Selenium RC.
Selenium RC and WebDriver are both test automation testing tools that work with various programming languages. where they have some key differences.
Let’s first focus on the structure and design of Selenium RC.
What is Selenium RC?
Selenium Remote Control (RC) was one of the earliest Selenium tools, preceding WebDriver. It allowed testers to write automated web application tests in various programming languages like Java, C#, Python, etc. The key feature of Selenium RC was its ability to interact with web browsers using a server, which acted as an intermediary between the testing code and the browser.
Selenium RC Architecture
What are the limitations of Selenium RC?
Selenium RC runs tests slowly because it depends on JavaScript commands for browsers. It does not work well with object-oriented APIs and can not handle Headless HTMLUnit browsers. Selenium WebDriver was created in 2006 to fix these issues and make automation simpler and faster.
Selenium RC has limitations such as JavaScript injection for browser interactions, dependence on a Selenium server, limited support for newer browser versions with handling pop-ups and alerts in the browsers, and some issues.
For More In detail Refer Selenium RC
How WebDriver take over Selenium RC?
Selenium WebDriver is simpler than Selenium RC because it does not need a proxy server and controls the browser directly from the operating system(OS). This will make it less complex.
For running the tests with WebDriver, you only need the following things:
- IDE (Integrated Development Environment) to write code in different languages.
- Web Browsers.
What is Selenium Web-driver?
Selenium WebDriver is a powerful Automation tool widely used for web application testing. It provides a programming interface to interact with web browsers, allowing users to automate browser actions, navigate web pages, and perform functional testing. With support for multiple programming languages such as Java, Python and JavaScript, Selenium WebDriver facilitates cross-browser testing and cross-platform testing, making it an essential tool for software developers and quality assurance professionals.
The Selenium WebDriver Architecture has several components that work together to automate the web browsers.
Selenium WebDriver Architecture
What makes WebDriver the better choice?
Selenium WebDriver is simpler and faster than Selenium RC. it will be a user-friendly interface and execute test scripts quickly by directly communicating to the browser. WebDriver supports various browsers and headless browsers, like iPhones, and Androids.
Selenium RC has helped to generating reports automatically in HTML format, and it will be without WebDriver. in the end, WebDriver is mainly by the testers for its simple and easy functionality.
Difference between Selenium RC and Selenium Webdriver
| S.No. | Selenium RC | Selenium Webdriver |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | This API supports a particular browser. | This is an API that is not bound to a specific browser i.e. supported by almost every browser. |
| 2. | The server of Selenium is required to process the task. | The server of Selenium is not required to process the task. |
| 3. | Its main engine is supported by Javascript. | Its engine is not supported by Javascript. |
| 4. | Easy functionality as compared to Selenium Webdriver. | It is complicated to learn as compared to Selenium RC. |
| 5. | It can be used for recording purposes. | It cannot be used for recording purposes. |
| 6. | It does not follow pure OOP. | Its approach is based on pure OOP. |
| 7. | Cursor movement is not allowed. | Cursor movement is allowed. |
Conclusion
In the end, Selenium WebDriver is mainly used over Selenium RC for its browser, and simplifies testing process without the needs of the server, JavaScript for its main engine, for pure OOP principles, and allows for cursor movement during testing.
Frequently Asked Questions on the Difference between Selenium RC and Selenium Webdriver
What is the difference between Selenium and Selenium WebDriver?
Answer:
Selenium IDE is a browser plugins and designed for record and playing back tests. Selenium WebDriver is totaly code library of APIs and used for the automation purpose.
What is Selenium RC’s full form?
Answer:
Selenium Remote Control
Why is WebDriver better than Selenium?
Answer:
WebDriver will give a long side power and flexibility.
Contact Us