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AWS Device Farm

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Charles

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AWS Device Farm vs Charles: What are the differences?

Introduction

AWS Device Farm and Charles are both tools used in software development, but they have some key differences.

  1. Intended Use: AWS Device Farm is primarily used for automated mobile app testing on real devices, providing a cloud-based platform for running tests on a large variety of devices. It offers automated and manual testing options, with support for different platforms and testing frameworks. On the other hand, Charles is a web debugging proxy that allows developers to inspect and analyze network traffic between their applications and the internet. It is commonly used for debugging and testing web applications.

  2. Platform Support: AWS Device Farm supports a wide range of mobile platforms, including Android, iOS, and FireOS. It also supports various testing frameworks like Appium, Calabash, and Espresso. In contrast, Charles is platform-agnostic and can be used with any web application running on different platforms and devices. It works at the network level, capturing HTTP/HTTPS requests and responses.

  3. Testing Capabilities: AWS Device Farm provides comprehensive testing capabilities for mobile app testing, including functional testing, performance testing, and compatibility testing. It offers features like remote access to real devices, test automation, crash reporting, and performance analytics. Charles, on the other hand, focuses on network-level testing and debugging. It allows users to intercept and manipulate network requests, simulate different network conditions, and analyze network traffic for debugging purposes.

  4. Deployment Method: AWS Device Farm is a cloud-based service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS). It allows users to upload their mobile app package and run tests on a wide range of real devices hosted in the cloud. In contrast, Charles is a standalone desktop application that needs to be installed on the developer's machine. It acts as a proxy server, allowing developers to route their network traffic through Charles for inspection and analysis.

  5. Pricing Model: AWS Device Farm follows a pay-per-use pricing model, where users are charged based on the duration and number of devices used for testing. The pricing is tiered based on device minutes and parallel test executions. On the other hand, Charles follows a one-time payment model, where users purchase a license for the software. There are no additional charges for using Charles once the license is obtained.

  6. User Interface: AWS Device Farm provides a web-based user interface (UI) for managing tests, devices, and test results. It offers a user-friendly interface with various features for organizing and analyzing test results. Charles, on the other hand, has a desktop application UI with a more technical and developer-oriented interface. It provides detailed information about network requests, response headers, and SSL certificates.

In summary, AWS Device Farm is a cloud-based platform for mobile app testing, focusing on automated and manual testing on real devices. It supports various testing frameworks and provides comprehensive testing capabilities. Charles, on the other hand, is a web debugging proxy tool that allows developers to intercept and analyze network traffic between their applications and the internet. It is primarily used for web application debugging and network-level testing.

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Pros of AWS Device Farm
Pros of Charles
  • 3
    1000 free minutes
  • 2
    Pay as you go pricing
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    Cons of AWS Device Farm
    Cons of Charles
    • 1
      Records all sessions, blocks on processing when done
    • 1
      You need to remember to turn airplane mode off
      Be the first to leave a con

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      What is AWS Device Farm?

      Run tests across a large selection of physical devices in parallel from various manufacturers with varying hardware, OS versions and form factors.

      What is Charles?

      Charles is a web proxy (HTTP Proxy / HTTP Monitor) that runs on your own computer. Your web browser (or any other Internet application) is then configured to access the Internet through Charles, and Charles is then able to record and display for you all of the data that is sent and received.

      Need advice about which tool to choose?Ask the StackShare community!

      What companies use AWS Device Farm?
      What companies use Charles?
      See which teams inside your own company are using AWS Device Farm or Charles.
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      What tools integrate with AWS Device Farm?
      What tools integrate with Charles?
        No integrations found
        What are some alternatives to AWS Device Farm and Charles?
        Xamarin Test Cloud
        Run your app on our huge (and growing) collection of real devices from around the world. Select devices based on form factor, manufacturer, operating system, or even popularity in your target market. We’re adding over 100 devices every month, and if there’s a specific device you need, we’re taking requests.
        Firebase
        Firebase is a cloud service designed to power real-time, collaborative applications. Simply add the Firebase library to your application to gain access to a shared data structure; any changes you make to that data are automatically synchronized with the Firebase cloud and with other clients within milliseconds.
        BrowserStack
        BrowserStack is the leading test platform built for developers & QAs to expand test coverage, scale & optimize testing with cross-browser, real device cloud, accessibility, visual testing, test management, and test observability.
        Xamarin
        Xamarin’s Mono-based products enable .NET developers to use their existing code, libraries and tools (including Visual Studio*), as well as skills in .NET and the C# programming language, to create mobile applications for the industry’s most widely-used mobile devices, including Android-based smartphones and tablets, iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.
        Sauce Labs
        Cloud-based automated testing platform enables developers and QEs to perform functional, JavaScript unit, and manual tests with Selenium or Appium on web and mobile apps. Videos and screenshots for easy debugging. Secure and CI-ready.
        See all alternatives