Mobile automation testing has become an important part of a solid mobile software development process. It ensures that the process will produce high-quality solutions while staying within strict time and budget limits. Even though there are many different mobile test automation tools, Appium has become the best because of how well it works. This blog will look at what makes Appium stand out from other apps.
What’s Appium?
Appium is a free automation testing tool that employs a WebDriver to test native mobile and mobile web apps on iOS and Android. Sauce Labs makes and keeps it running so native and hybrid mobile apps can be automated. Appium is a tool for automating mobile app testing that works on iOS and Android. It uses the JSON wire protocol to talk to native iOS and Android apps through Selenium WebDriver.
How does Appium work? Can you explain the architecture?
The three main parts of Appium’s client-server architecture are the client, the server, and the end device. For example, the Appium server talks to the client through the HTTP JSONWire Protocol and JSON objects. The Appium server sees these requests and connects to the right-end device automatically.
The Appium server starts to test cases on the end system as soon as the connection is made. Appium uses the XCUITest test framework to run commands on Apple mobile devices and simulators. It uses the UI Automator test framework to run commands on Android smartphones, real devices, and simulators.
What makes Appium so special?
1) Use a standard API
Appium is very popular. After all, it doesn’t require you to change your app’s code or recompile it because it uses the same API on all platforms. Appium makes it easy to write tests for iOS and Android using the same API. But it would help if you still had separate scripts for iOS and Android because UI elements are different on each platform.
2) Use any language that is compatible with Webdriver.
Appium lets you write and run tests without being tied to a specific language or framework. Any language that works with WebDriver can be used to write the tests. This includes Perl with Selenium WebDriver API, Java, PHP, C#, Python, Ruby, and Javascript with Node.js.
3) Test Framework Of Choice
Teams working on mobile devices can use any testing framework with Appium. Before, you could only write tests in Javascript with Apple’s UI Automation library or in Java with Google’s UI Automator. Appium completely changed this situation.
4) Cross-Platform Automation Test
It is the best automation tool for testing mobile apps that work on both Android and iOS devices. Selenium WebDriver lets Appium talk to Android and iOS devices through the JSON wire protocol. Appium uses an instrument program and the libraries that Apple provides to automate iOS apps. In iOS versions after v9.3, the Instruments API was replaced by the XCUITest framework.
On Android, similar methods are used. Appium sends the automation command to the UIAutomator test case running on the device through a proxy. For example, JUnit test cases can be run on the device from the command line using the UI Automator native UI automation framework for Android.
5) Open Source
Appium’s open-source testing framework, which lets you test on real devices, emulators, simulation software, and native, hybrid, and web apps for iOS and Android, is one of its best features. Because Appium has a large and active open community, it is easier for new automation engineers to get answers to their questions.
Advantages of Appium Testing
Here are the top reasons why Appium is better than other mobile automation test tools:
- Appium uses common automation APIs on all platforms, so the tested app doesn’t need to be changed or recompiled.
- Web-driver works with test scripts written in any programming language, such as Java, Objective-C, and JavaScript.
- Any testing framework can be used.
- It’s easier to set up on a different platform.
- Support many programming languages, such as Python, Java, Ruby, PHP, and Node.
- Mobile devices don’t need to be set up to use the tool.
- Appium uses Selenium WebDriver’s JSON wire protocol to talk to native apps.
- Java can be used to make other tools work together.
Before selecting a mobile device cloud with built-in Appium, teams considering using Appium or starting with automation should consider other options.
Built-in Appium support for mobile device cloud
A mobile device cloud makes managing and sharing devices easier and helps with continuous delivery and automated testing. With a mobile device cloud that includes Appium, teams can start automating processes quickly and scale them up. It will also give you extra protection against any problems that might come up when testing on an open-source platform.
Downsides of appium
Appium has a few small problems, just like a coin has two sides. Image recognition is not something that Appium can do. Appium also has problems like insufficient documentation and a long installation process.
Despite these problems, Appium has the most platforms, frameworks, languages, and APIs it can support. It works with cloud-based testing for devices, emulators, and simulators. It is like other well-known tools for mobile automation.
Conclusion
Appium is one of the most popular services for testing mobile apps, and it is safe to assume that it has a significant presence in mobile test automation. App developers and testers say that Appium testing is the right choice because it can run on several devices and OS versions.
On top of that, writing Appium tests is easy. You can utilize them in multiple ways. TestGrid is the best place to start if you want to find an automation testing tool. As was already said, TestGrid lets users do manual and automated testing quickly and cheaply with its many features.
