Ceyhun Tekin
3 min readDec 28, 2023

A Complete Guide to Automated Testing Using Selenium and Cucumber Framework

First of all,

Making sure that applications are of the highest quality is crucial in the quick-paced field of software development. Due to its ability to help teams quickly identify and address problems, automated testing has become an essential part of the development process. The integration of Selenium and Cucumber, two potent tools that work together to create a strong foundation for automated testing, is examined in this article

Gratitude Selenium: An open-source testing framework that makes web application automation easier is called Selenium. It offers a range of online browser automation capabilities and is compatible with Python, C#, Java, and other computer languages. A crucial piece that enables testers to interact with web elements, mimic user activities, and confirm expected behaviors is Selenium WebDriver.

The Function of Cucumber: In contrast, Cucumber is a behavior-driven development (BDD) tool that encourages communication and cooperation among non-technical stakeholders, testers, and developers. Cucumber scenarios are written in a language called Gherkin, making them easily legible and intelligible to readers who are not members of the development team. In order to develop a common understanding of the aspects of the application, this cooperation is essential.

Integration of Selenium and Cucumber: By combining the two, the advantages of each tool are maximized. Cucumber describes test scenarios in a human-readable format using Gherkin syntax, and Selenium automates the browser interactions to carry out these scenarios. Together, these efforts improve communication and synchronize development and testing.

Benefits of Cucumber-Selenium Integration:

1- Maintainability is improved when test scenarios and automation code are kept apart. Gherkin scenarios can be updated to reflect changes in application features without requiring changes to the automation code.

2- Collaboration: Both technical and non-technical team members can work together more effectively when using Gherkin syntax. It is simple for business stakeholders to comprehend and participate in the testing process.

3- Reusability: Cucumber’s step definitions let you reuse automation code in a variety of scenarios. This increases efficiency and decreases redundancy.

Getting the Scene Ready:

1- Install Selenium WebDriver: Choose your preferred programming language (Python, Java, etc.) and download and install Selenium WebDriver.

2- Add Cucumber Dependencies: Use build management tools such as Gradle or Maven to incorporate Cucumber dependencies into the project.

3- Write Gherkin Scenarios: Draft Gherkin scenarios that outline how the features of the application are supposed to behave.

Creating Step Definitions: Step definitions are used to convert Gherkin scenarios into executable code. These are the automation scripts that use Selenium WebDriver to communicate with the application.

Testing Execution: If you run Cucumber tests, Selenium will automate browser interactions according to the Gherkin scenarios that have been defined. The test results are provided in a readable format, including any failures.

Best Practices:

2- Use the Page Object Model (POM): To improve code structure and concern separation, apply the POM design pattern.

3- Continuous Integration: For automated testing of code changes, incorporate the Selenium-Cucumber framework into pipelines for continuous integration.

Finally:

Combining Cucumber’s BDD methodology with Selenium’s automation capabilities, the Selenium-Cucumber framework offers a potent automated testing solution. This framework makes an efficient and effective contribution to the development of high-quality software by encouraging collaboration, reusability, and maintainability.

You can achieve better test coverage, quicker feedback loops, and greater assurance in the dependability of your applications by integrating Selenium and Cucumber into your testing approach. Using these kinds of frameworks is becoming necessary to stay competitive in the software development industry as technology advances.