Geb vs Selenium: What are the differences?

Introduction

Geb and Selenium are both popular automation testing frameworks used for web application testing. However, there are key differences between the two.

1. Architecture: Geb is built on top of Selenium and WebDriver and provides a more concise and expressive DSL (Domain-specific Language) for automating web interactions. On the other hand, Selenium is a standalone framework that requires additional programming languages and libraries to create automation scripts.

2. Syntax and Expressiveness: Geb offers a simplified and expressive syntax for test automation, allowing testers to write more readable and maintainable code. It provides a higher-level API for interacting with web elements, making it easier to write complex interactions with less code. In contrast, Selenium requires more verbose and low-level programming, making test scripts longer and harder to comprehend.

3. Page Object Pattern Integration: Geb has built-in support for the Page Object pattern, which promotes code modularity and reusability. It allows testers to define reusable components, such as page classes and modules, enabling better organization and maintenance of test scripts. Selenium, on the other hand, does not enforce the use of the Page Object pattern, and testers need to manually implement it.

4. Groovy Language Integration: Geb is implemented in Groovy and leverages the power and flexibility of the Groovy programming language. It allows testers to take advantage of Groovy's concise syntax, powerful features, and seamlessly integrate with existing Java code. Selenium, on the other hand, primarily supports languages like Java, C#, and Python, limiting the flexibility and expressiveness of the test scripts.

5. CSS and jQuery Selectors: Geb provides built-in support for CSS and jQuery selectors, allowing testers to locate web elements with ease. It offers an intuitive syntax for querying elements based on CSS or jQuery-like expressions, simplifying the element identification process. Selenium, on the other hand, primarily relies on XPath or manual DOM traversal for element identification, which can be more complex and error-prone.

6. Browser Automation: Geb allows testers to automate multiple browsers concurrently, making it easier to execute cross-browser testing. It provides a clear and unified API for managing different browser instances and switching between them. Selenium also supports multiple browsers, but managing them requires more manual configuration and setup.

In summary, Geb offers a more expressive and simplified syntax, built-in support for the Page Object pattern, seamless integration with Groovy, the ability to use CSS and jQuery selectors, and easier management of multiple browsers compared to Selenium.