DEV Community: Ashika kandasamy

Describe the Python Selenium Architecture?

Ashika kandasamy — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 08:55:27 +0000

Selenium WebDriver acts as a bridge between python code and web browser. Python Script define the sequence of actions to be performed and libraries essentially provide API for sending commands to the WebDriver (libraries will convert the python script to JSON format and send them as HTTP request to browser driver). The browser executes the commands received from its driver and returns the result of the execution.
Selenium architecture
Selenium WebDriver is the backbone of web automation testing. Its architecture has evolved significantly from selenium 3 to selenium 4, improving communication, stability and performance from cross browser automation.

In Selenium 3 WebDriver, Selenium scripts use client libraries such as python, Java or any other supported language to send commands that interact with web browser.
These commands are converted into JSON format and sent through an HTTP request to browser driver.
Components:
Selenium client Library – This component provides language specific APIs that allows user to write test scripts and interact with WebDriver.
JSON Wire Protocol over HTTP – It defines a set of commands and responses in JSON format exchanges over HTTP requests.
Browser Drivers – Each browser requires its specific driver, like Chrome Driver for Chrome Browser to automate browser actions.
Real Browsers – Web Browsers like Chrome, Firefox, etc. where real automation testing takes place.

Selenium 4 is a updated version of a tool used to automate web applications. Its design makes it easier and faster for automating scripts to communicate with browser.
Selenium Client Library – This component provides language specific APIs.
WebDriver W3C Protocol – In selenium 4 it focuses on W3C WebDriver for better consistency and compatibility across different browsers.
Browser Drivers – Browser requires its specific browser to automate browser actions.
Real Browsers – Actions like clicking elements, filling forms, navigation pages and validating content are performed in real browsers.
Compared to selenium 3 WebDriver, selenium 4 WebDriver has significant improvements in terms of functionality, performance and easy to use.
Selenium 4 introduces better support for modern browsers, improved W3C compliance and new features like enhanced grid capabilities, which makes it even more powerful for automating web applications.
what is the significance of the python virtual environment? give some examples in support of your answer?
Virtual environments are python’s way of separating dependencies between projects preventing conflicts and maintaining cleaner setups. With python’s virtual environment model, we can create isolated environments that use different versions of libraries or python itself.
• Python virtual environment provides lightweight and isolated python development environments.
• We can use python venv module to manage dependencies independently for each project.
• Dependency Isolation - We can have multiple environments with multiple sets of packages without conflicts among them. Different projects requirements can be satisfied at the same time.
• Version Control.
• System Integrity.
• Clean slate.
• Portability and reproducibility.

Example:
We have two project Project A and Project B
Project A uses version 2.10.0 version libraries (older project)
Project B uses version 2.40.0 version libraries
With the help of Virtual Environment Project, A has its own environment and Project B has its own environment, allowing both to function correctly.
Without virtual environment, installing both versions globally would be impossible.

What is Selenium?

Ashika kandasamy — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 16:19:04 +0000

Selenium is an open source framework for automating web browsers. It is a primary preference among testers for cross browser testing and is considered as one of the most reliable systems for web application automation testing.

SELENIUM COMPONENTS

SELENIUM IDE
Selenium IDE allows users to record interactions with web applications. It also helps to simplify the testing process.
• Selenium IDE works on various browsers for testing (Browser check).
• Users can record how they use a web application (Record).
• Users can look at different parts of web page and set up how to work with them (Check Elements).
• Selenium IDE automatically repeats what you recorded earlier.
• Spotting errors and fixing them.
• Tester can save tests created in selenium IDE in different programming language and use them with other selenium tools (Exporting tests).

SELENIUM RC
Selenium Remote Control was one of the earliest Selenium tools. It allowed testers to write automated web application tests in various programming languages like java, C#, etc.
• WebDriver interacts directly with browser, bypassing the need for an intermediary server like selenium RC, which helps for faster test execution and improved performance (Better Performance).
• Support for modern web technologies such as HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript framework.

SELENIUM WEBDRIVER
Selenium WebDriver offers a programming interface to interact with web browsers, allowing developers and testers to automate browser actions seamlessly.
• Supports parallel test execution.
• It provides comprehensive set of APIs for navigating through web pages, interacting with web elements, managing windows, handling alerts and etc.
• It directly communicates with browsers.

SELENIUM GRID
Selenium grid allows running test in parallel on multiple machines and managing different browsers.
• Ability to run tests on remote browser instance.
• Runs test on different operating systems.

ADVANTAGES OF SELENIUM
• Open Source.
• Cross browser testing.
• Supports Multiple programming languages (java, C#, python, JavaScript, PHP, Pearl).
• Strong community.
• Frequently updated versions are available to support latest browsers and programming languages.

DISADVANTAGES OF SELENIUM
• Not supporting Windows based application for automation.
• Can’t automate caption.
• It does not follow any development approaches like TDD or BDD.

Why do we use Selenium for Automation?
• Selenium is an open-source framework which makes it available for wide range of users and organizations.
• Selenium supports various web browsers (Chrome. Firefox, Safari, Edge, etc.) and operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux).
• Selenium provides APIs for multiple programming languages.
• Supports CI/CD.
• As a widely adopted tool selenium benefits for a large and active community.

What is the Relevance of Selenium in automation testing using python?
Pythons simple and clear syntax make it an excellent choice for writing selenium test scripts. This helps tester for creation of more maintainable and readable automation code compared to other programming languages.
PyTest is a popular framework used with selenium for test execution, offering features like parallel execution.
Selenium integrates well with continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment pipelines.
Selenium webDriver, core components enable direct interaction with web browsers like Chrome, Firefox, safari and Edge. This allows tester to simulate real user actions.
Cross-Browser and Cross-Platform compatibility.
Python code is easily understandable compared to other programming languages.

The future of manual testing in the age of AI

Ashika kandasamy — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 13:35:33 +0000

MANUAL TESTING
In manual testing a tester tests the software application and give final report about that application. In this testing, testers create test cases and test the software application to make sure functions and features of an application are working as expected (as per the requirement).

TYPES OF MANUAL TESTING

WHITE BOX TESTING
White box testing is also known as Glass box testing, Transparent testing. This testing is done by the development team and they review the coding line by line to check whether the functionalities are working and meet the specific requirements.

It verifies the internal workings of a software application. It checks that every aspect of the code is tested, basically is focusing on the logic, structure, and flow of the software.
UNIT TESTING
Unit testing is performed by the developers themselves. They test individual functions or components to ensure they work as expected. Developers use junit, pytest, nunit or testing to perform unit testing.

WHITE BOX TESTING TECHNIQUES
To achieve complete code coverage, white box testing uses the following techniques.

Statement coverage – It covers each and every statement in the code. It helps to determine the faulty section of the code. Every node must be traversed at least once
Branch coverage – In this approach all the branch from every decision point in the source code is covered and tested.
Condition coverage – It covers all the conditions in the source code.
Multiple Condition coverage – In this technique, all the possible combinations of the possible outcomes are tested at least once.
Path coverage (Cyclomatic complexity) – It checks all the possible execution paths in the program to ensure that the functions are behaving as expected.
Input and output coverage – This help to confirm that the software produces the required results under different input condition.
Loop testing – Loops are widely used and they need to be tested to ensure all the loops are working as expected.
Advantages/pros
• Transparency of the internal coding structure which is helpful in deriving the type of input data needed to test an application effectively.
• Test cases can be easily automated.
• It helps in identification of defects in early stage.
Disadvantages/cons
• updated test scripts required when the implementation is changing too often.
• It becomes complex for large size project.
• Necessity to create full range of inputs to test each path and condition make the white box testing method time-consuming.

BLACK BOX TESTING
In this testing tester is unaware of internal working of the software and focuses mainly on verifying if its features and functionalities are working as per user requirements.

Note: Tester does not know internal knowledge or implementation details.

TYPES OF BLACK BOX TESTING

FUNCTIONAL TESTING
Functional testing ensures that the requirements and specifications are properly satisfied by the application. It focuses on the simulation of actual system usage but does not develop any system structure assumptions.
TYPES OF FUNCTIONAL TESTING
SMOKE TESTING
Smoke testing determines whether the employed build is stable or not. It acts as a configuration of whether the quality assurance team can proceed with further testing. They are also known as confidence testing or build verification testing.

SANITY TESTING
Sanity testing is performed to ensure that the code changes that are made are working properly. This testing process is to validate the functionality of the application and not detailed testing.
REGRESSION TESTING
Regression testing involves re-executing a previously created test cases to verify that recent code changes haven’t caused new issues. This verifies that updates, bug fixes or enhancements do not break the functionality of the application.

Regression testing can be performed in different ways, such as:
Retesting – Checking the entire application or specific features that were affected by the changes.
Re-execution – Running previously tested cases to make sure everything still functions properly.
Comparison – Comparing the latest version of the software with an older version to ensure no features are broken.
RE-TESTING
Retesting is a procedure where we need to check that particular test cases that are found with some bugs during the execution time. retesting also occurs when the product is already tested and due to some problems, it needs to be tested again.
INTEGRATION TESTING
Integration testing focuses on verifying the interactions and data exchange between different components or modules of a software application. The main purpose is to identify any problems or bugs that raise when different components are combined and interacted with each other. Once all the modules have been unit-tested, integration testing is performed.

Big-Bang Integration testing – It is the simplest integration testing approach, all the modules of the system are simply put together and tested.
Bottom-Up Integration testing – In bottom-up testing, each module at the lower levels are tested with higher modules until all the modules are tested.
Top-Down Integration testing – Testing takes place from top to bottom. First high-level modules are tested and then low-level modules and finally integrating the low-level modules to a high level to ensure the system is working as expected.
Mixed Integration testing – Mixed integration testing is also known as sandwiched integration testing. It is a combination of top down and bottom up testing approaches.
SYSTEM TESTING (end to end testing)
It involves a tester with internal knowledge of the software to inspect code, architecture and integrations to ensure the entire system functions correctly and effectively.
LOCALIZATION TESTING
In globalized world, businesses need to make sure their software, websites and apps are suitable for users in different regions and cultures.
GLOBALIZATION TESTING
Globalization testing is a type of software testing that is performed to ensure the system or software application can function independently of geographical and cultural environment.
EXPLORATORY TESTING
In exploratory testing tester use their learning, knowledge, skills and abilities to test the software developed by themselves. It combines the experience of testers with a structured approach to testing.
USER ACCEPTANCE TESTING(UAT)
Software is tested in a real-world scenario by end to end to ensure it meets their requirements and functionalities as expected. UAT focus on validating the software’s user-friendliness, functionality and performance from the user’s perspective.
Acceptance criteria
• Completeness
• Accuracy
• User-friendliness
• Performance
• Reliability
• Security
• Scalability
• Compatibility

Advantages

• Functional testing ensures the delivery of a bug free and high quality of product.
• It ensures that all the requirements are met and ensures that the customer is satisfied.
• Functional testing ensures proper working of application.
Disadvantages
• Limited scope – it does not cover performance, security and usability testing.
• Incomplete code path coverage.
• Inability to guarantee readiness

NON-FUNCTIONAL TESTING
Non-functional testing helps to verify the non-functional requirements of the application. It verifies the behavior of the application is as per the requirement or not.
Here are the non-functional types
PERORMANCE TESTING
It is a testing technique carried to determine system performance in terms of sensitivity, reactivity and stability under a particular workload. It aims to measure system performance under various loads and conditions and ensure that the system can handle the expected number of users or transactions.

Load testing
It helps to determine the maximum number of users or transactions the system can handle. It checks the ability to perform under anticipated user loads.
Stress testing
It is a type of load testing that tests the system’s ability to handle high load above normal usage levels. It helps to identify the breaking point of the system and any potential issues that may occur under heavy load conditions.
Volume testing
A large number of data is saved in a database and the overall software system’s behavior is observed.
Endurance testing
It focuses on the long-term behavior of the system under a constant load. It is performed to ensure the software can handle the expected load over a long period.
Scalability testing
It helps in planning capacity additions to software application.
SECUGRITY TESTING
It uncovers vulnerability in the system and determine that the data and resources of the application are protected from possible intruders.
USABILITY TESTING
This testing is done from an end user to determine that the applicatio6 is easily usable. usability testing involves evaluating the functionality of a website, app or digital product by observing real user as they navigate through it.
Advantages
• Less time consuming in comparison to other testing process.
• Improves user experience.
• More secured since it includes security testing.
Disadvantages
• Non-functional tests are performed repeatedly.it is more resource intensive.
• Not cost effective.
GRAY BOX TESTING
It combines elements of black box and white box testing techniques.

To improve over all product quality and also to reduce the overhead of longer process of functional and non-functional

BOUNDAGRY VALUE ANALYSIS
BVA is a black box testing technique where test cases are designed using boundary values. It checks for the input values near the boundary that have a higher chance of error. Every partition has its maximum and minimum values.
• Minimum value
• Just above the minimum value
• Nominal value
• Just below max value
• Max value
Example:
91-100 -> S grade
81-90 -> A grade
71-80 -> B grade
61-70 -> C grade
51-60 -> D grade
45-50 -> E grade
0-44 -> U grade

Final values are
91-100 -> S grade (92)
81-90 -> A grade (89)
71-80 -> B grade (72)
61-70 -> C grade (69)
51-60 -> D grade (51)
45-50 -> E grade (45)
0-44 -> U grade (0)
Negative scenario
91-100 -> S grade (101)
0-44 -> U grade (-1)
DECISION TABLE TESTING
Decision tables are used in various fields to represent complex logical relationships. The output may be dependent on many input conditions and decision tables combinations of input conditions and they are in form of true or false.
Example:

The Future of Manual testing in the age of AI
AI quality assurance have made great progress, they can analyze vast amount of data, identify pattern and generate test cases much faster and very accurate. This eventually reduces testers effort reduce the timing and improve performance. Even though AI tools excel in handling structured and predictable scenarios but may struggle with complex, ambiguous or subjective aspects of testing.
Manual testing remains crucial even in the age of AI
• Manual testing brings different perspective and skill set.
• They possess domain knowledge, critical thinking abilities and problem-solving skills.
• Testers can also validate the output of AI driven testing.

To thrive the age of AI driven quality assurance, manual testers must adapt and expand their skills. Continuous learning with AI technologies and also need to have better knowledge on its pros and cons.