Appium enables testing and various types of apps on iOS and Android. It employs the power of Node.js, the WebDriver framework, and the JSON Wire Protocol to automate software. Its comprehensive language support means that many programmers may use it. These languages include Java, Ruby, and JavaScript.
What Makes Appium Stand Out?
Automating mobile device testing is essential for successful businesses. There are several other open-source mobile test automation technologies besides Appium. KIF (Keep It Functional), Robotium, MonkeyTalk, Calabash, Frank, and more are just a few of the more well-known ones.
However, most tools need an additional agent to compile alongside the majority of the application code for the tool to interface with the native mobile app. In addition to this, there are a few crucial distinctions that put Appium ahead of the competition:
- Like Selenium Server, Appium can act as a server and operate in the background.
- Appium is capable of synchronizing with TestNG.
- Appium includes a UI Automator, similar to Ranorex, that can generate a rich information log and report structure.
- Appium’s end goal is to facilitate automated mobile app testing, regardless of the framework or language in which it was written.
- Test code has complete access to production-ready APIs and databases.
- It is designed to work with language-specific client libraries and the Selenium WebDriver API to test applications written in various programming languages.
- Use of Appium on an Android Device.
Appium testing enables test automation of applications on Android devices by using the UIAutomator framework (or Selendroid), designed for testing the Android user interface. Using either the UIAutomator or Selendroid framework, the bootstrap.jar file is a TCP server transmitting test commands to the target Android device.
What Makes Appium so Popular?
Appium is still the gold standard for app automation testing across all major mobile platforms, including Android, iOS, and Windows; this is true whether the app in question is native, hybrid, or mobile web. Various aspects contribute to this appeal:
- As a server, it operates silently in the background.
- It’s possible to synchronize it with the more robust TestNG testing framework.
- Appium’s built-in UIAutomator and detailed reporting structure make it ideal for conducting in-depth analyses of test results and fine-tuning the debugging process.
- Appium lets you write tests in various languages.
- It allows the same code to run on multiple mobile operating systems, including iOS, Android, and Windows. It’s a considerable time and energy saver.
- It allows QA engineers complete access to the production APIs and databases while testing; this is useful for analyzing API or database-related issues that arise at the back end.
- Appium uses mainstream automation APIs across various platforms, so testers need not recompile or change the app they are testing. They can perform tests without access to the app’s source code.
- You can test mobile applications in various virtual, real, and emulator environments. Remember, too, that emulators and simulators are inadequate for final-stage testing. It must simulate conditions AI cannot replicate, such as poor battery life or a shaky network connection, to fine-tune the program for unsuitable circumstances. Real device testing helps get reliable data and ensures an app performs well in real-world settings.
- It is platform-independent; thus, you can perform the same tests on several systems to increase coverage.
- It provides continuous testing monitoring to provide the highest quality results.
- You can run test automation scripts written in Appium in parallel on multiple Android or iOS sessions with the help of UIAutomator, or Xcode9; this both hastens the testing process and guarantees that the system may grow as needed.
Here’s a beginner’s guide to using Appium with Node.js for Android app testing:
- Install Node.js: First, install Node.js on your system, which can be done from the official Node.js website.
- Install Appium: You can install Appium using npm (Node Package Manager), which comes bundled with Node.js. Now, run the command:
npm install -g appium
- Install Java Development Kit (JDK): Appium requires JDK to be installed on your system.
- Install Android Studio: To test Android applications, you will need to install Android Studio, the official IDE for development in Android.
- Set up the Android SDK: You need to set up the Android SDK in Android Studio to run your tests on an Android emulator or physical device.
- Connect a physical Android device: If you want to run your tests on a physical Android device, you need to enable USB debugging and connect it to your system.
- Create a new Node.js project: Create a new Node.js project using npm, and install the necessary packages for automating Android applications using Appium.
npm init
npm install –save appium
npm install –save wd
- Write your tests: Write your tests using the WebDriver protocol and Node.js. You can use frameworks like Mocha or Jasmine to organize and run your tests.
- Start the Appium server: Start the server with the command:
appium
Run your tests: Finally, you can run your tests using a test runner, such as Mocha or Jasmine, by running the following command:
mocha test.js
This guide overviews how to start with Appium and Node.js for automating Android applications. You can refer to the official Appium documentation for more information on how to use Appium and its features.
