What is Selenium 2.0?
Overview
Selenium 2.0 is the successor of Selenium 1.0. It is an upgraded version of Selenium 1.0 or Selenium RC (Remote Control). Selenium 2.0 is an open-source automated testing framework primarily used for automating web application testing.
Selenium 2.0
Selenium 2.0 is known as Selenium WebDriver, combining elements of Selenium 1.0 and WebDriver.
Selenium 1.0 + WebDriver = Selenium 2.0
The major change in Selenium 2.0 version is the inclusion of the WebDriver API. In Selenium 1.0 version a server was required to run the web tests. WebDriver does not need a separate Selenium server to execute the web tests. The WebDriver will interact with the web browser directly and will execute the web test.
Selenium 2.0 Improvements
Some of the important changes and improvements over Selenium 1.0 are as follows:
- WebDriver API
- Support for New Browsers
- Native Browser Communication
- Performance
- Simple Setup
- Improved Web Element Locator
WebDriver API
The most significant change in Selenium 2.0 was the introduction of the WebDriver API. WebDriver provides a more modern and efficient way to interact with web elements and simulate user interactions compared to the older Selenium RC.
WebDriver communicates directly with the browser, utilizing its native support for faster and more reliable test scripts. WebDriver overcomes the limitation of Selenium RC’s Single Host origin policy
Support for New Browsers
Selenium 2.0 introduced support for various web browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari. This flexibility allows testers to run their automation scripts on different browsers.
Native Browser Communication
Unlike Selenium 1.0, where communication between the testing script and the browser involved an intermediary server, Selenium 2.0’s WebDriver directly communicates with the browser’s native driver. This reduces latency and potential errors.
Better Performance
The WebDriver API is designed to be faster and more efficient, as it interacts directly with the browser’s rendering engine. This leads to faster execution of automation scripts compared to the previous version.
Simple Setup
Setting up Selenium WebDriver is generally easier than configuring Selenium RC due to the streamlined driver setup process for each browser.
Improved Web Element Locators
Selenium 2.0 introduced better ways to locate web elements on a page using improved strategies like CSS selectors, XPath, class names, etc.
Selenium 2.0 brought major enhancements to the Selenium testing framework by introducing a more modern and efficient approach to web automation. It has become the standard for web application testing due to its improved performance, support for multiple browsers, and native direct communication with web browsers.
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Selenium Tutorials
Selenium WebDriver Tutorials on this website can be found at:
https://www.testingdocs.com/selenium-webdriver-tutorial
For more details on Selenium, visit the Selenium official website at: