The number of mobile users is on a hike. According to Statista research, by 2025, it will reach 7.49 billion users globally. Seventy percent of all the USA digital media time comes from mobile applications, and to your surprise, the standard smartphone owner uses ten applications daily and 30 monthly.
With the growing demand and exclusive technology for faster releases, it is quite significant to ensure that the mobile app is tested meticulously before it is introduced to the customers. Automation testing has become a crucial strategy to accomplish this goal proficiently and consistently. Many tools are available to run mobile app testing on the market. They, Appium has proven to be a game-changer. It has gained widespread popularity due to its cross-platform compatibility and robust competencies for mobile test automation. However, scalability becomes an important challenge for QA teams as mobile ecosystems continue to grow with diverse operating systems, devices, and versions. Device farms proffer a scalable infrastructure that allows QA experts to execute testing concurrently on a vast array of real-world devices, covering a broad spectrum of device configurations and confirming complete test coverage.
What is the Appium tool, and why is it well-known for mobile automated testing?
Appium is a cross-platform automated tool used to automate mobile apps. It supports testing on Android and iOS platforms and can automate web apps on mobile browsers like Chrome on Android and Safari on iOS. Amongst all the mobile automation testing tools (or frameworks), Appium is the most popular open-source automation testing framework for mobile application testing. It is extensively popular among testing professionals and developers for several reasons. It is cross-platform and compatible with popular programming languages (e.g., JavaScript, Python, Java) for app test automation. While Selenium is still the king of the web, Appium rules the mobile sector, with 35 percent of the company preferring it over other open-source/ free functional automation tools.
Appium is renowned for its cross-platform compatibility. It enables QA experts to write automation scripts using a solo codebase that can be implemented on various platforms such as Android, iOS, and even Windows applications. For beginners, Appium was launched by Dan Cuellar & Jason Huggins, and today, it holds about 15.2K stars & 5.7K Fork on GitHub. It has a great market share compared to all the other mobile automation testing frameworks.
Another key trait of Appium is its capacity to automate hybrid, native, and mobile web apps. Whether the app is developed natively for a particular platform, built using web technologies within a WebView, or a blend of both (hybrid), Appium offers the tools and capabilities to automate tests across these scenarios. Besides, Appium leverages standard automation APIs for every platform, such as UIAutomator for Android and UIAutomation for iOS. This enables QA experts to interact with the app components (UI elements) using familiar commands, making the automated scripts simpler and intuitive to maintain.
How to install Appium?
Appium can be installed in two distinct methods:
- Via Node Package Manager (NPM).
Execute the following command on the terminal to install Appium via npm:
npm install -g appium
- Downloading Appium Desktop is a desktop-based and graphical way to launch the Appium server.
Download the current version of Appium Desktop from the releases page of the Appium authorized site.
What are device farms, and how do they contribute to scalable mobile test automation?
Here is how device farms contribute to scalable mobile automated tests:
- Access to Diverse Devices: Device farms provide an array of real-time devices, including several manufacturers, models, operating systems, and versions. This diverse device pool allows QA testers to run comprehensive testing across diverse device configurations, guaranteeing functionality and compatibility across a set of devices that users might use.
- Concurrent Test Implementation: One of the core benefits of device farms is the capacity to implement tests concurrently on various devices. This parallel execution considerably reduces test time and allows QA test teams to cover more scenarios simultaneously, enhancing efficiency and accelerating the QA test process.
- Scalability: Device farms are perfectly designed to be scalable, enabling QA testing teams to scale down or up based on their test needs. Whether testing a few or 100 devices concurrently, device farms offer the necessary infrastructure and resources to effectively manage large-scale test scenarios.
- Lucrative: Leveraging a device farm eradicates the requirement for maintaining a broad physical device lab, which can be expensive in terms of maintenance, procurement, and management. Device farms provide a lucrative solution for accessing an extensive range of real devices without the overhead of physical infrastructure.
- Automation Incorporation: Device farms flawlessly incorporate automation testing tools and frameworks, counting popular tools like Selenium, Appium, and others. This incorporation allows automated test scripts to be implemented on various devices concurrently within the device farm environment, optimizing automated test efforts.
- Device Management & Reporting: Device farms offer traits for device management, enabling QA engineers to effortlessly select, provision, and manage devices for testing. Moreover, device farms offer comprehensive reporting and analytics capabilities, giving insights into test outcomes, device performance, and complete test coverage.
- Test Scheduling & Resource Allocation: QA testing teams can schedule tests based on their chosen timelines and allocate resources dynamically within the device farm. This flexibility confirms effective resource utilization and enables QA teams to prioritize critical testing or allocate resources based on test priorities.
Cloud-centric cross-browser testing platforms such as LambdaTest offer an online device farm of over 3000+ Android emulators for testing on Android devices.
We have to run just three steps to begin an emulator on LambdaTest:
- Login to LambdaTest & go to the LambdaTest Dashboard.
- Navigate to Real-time Testing > App Testing as shown below:
- Now choose your DEVICE/OS and BRAND and click the START button. The sample apk is mentioned here, but you can utilize your apk for the Appium test.
It is an easy procedure; however, don’t forget to stop the emulator when in use by clicking on the left panel’s last button.
How can Appium be incorporated with device farms?
Appium can be incorporated with device farms by leveraging cloud-based test providers like LambdaTest, which offer immense Appium support. Here’s a detailed step on how Appium can be incorporated with device farms:
- Pick a Device Farm Provider: Start by choosing a reliable device farm provider that supports Appium incorporation. Some popular device farm providers comprise LambdaTest.
- Set Up Your Appium Project:
- Install the crucial software dependencies for Appium, like Appium server, Node.js, and Appium client libraries for your ideal programming language (Python, Java, JavaScript, etc.).
- Develop or configure your Appium testing scripts using your selected programming language. Confirm that your test scripts are compatible with Appium and proficient in interacting with apps.
- Configure Appium Competencies
- Define the desired abilities in your Appium test scripts to state the device configurations, platform details (Android or iOS), package name or app path, automation name (e.g., “Appium” for native applications), and other relevant settings.
- Confirm that the desired capabilities are appropriately set to target the devices accessible in the device farm for tests.
- Connect Appium with the Device Farm
- Get the necessary access credentials (authentication tokens, API keys, etc.) from your selected device farm provider to authenticate & link Appium with the device farm.
- Configure the Appium server to link to the device farm by stating the device farm’s authentication credentials, endpoint URL, and other essential parameters in your Appium configuration files or test scripts.
- Implement Appium Tests on the Device Farm
- Execute your Appium test scripts on the linked Appium server configured to interact with the device farm.
- The Appium server will communicate with the device farm’s infrastructure to allocate real-time devices based on the desired capabilities and implement automated testing.
- Monitor Test Implementation and Outcomes
- Monitor the implementation of Appium tests on the device farm via the device farm provider’s monitoring tools or dashboard.
- Assess test video recordings, logs, screenshots, and other test artifacts produced during the test implementation to analyze test outcomes, detect glitches, and debug any failures.
- Optimize Test Implementation
- Optimize your Appium test scripts and configurations for effective implementation on the device farm. Consider test distribution, parallelization across devices, and resource usage to increase testing coverage and throughput.
- Leverage sophisticated traits the device farm provider provides, such as test automation APIs, test scheduling, incorporation with CI/CD pipelines, and reporting capabilities to streamline automated testing workflows.
What are the benefits of integrating Appium with device farms for mobile test automation?
The incorporation of Appium with device farms unlocks a host of advantages for mobile test automation:
- Comprehensive Device Coverage: Device farms provide access to an extensive set of real devices, including different manufacturers, models, operating systems, and versions. This guarantees comprehensive device coverage and assists in detecting potential compatibility issues early in the app development cycle.
- Scalability: Test scripts written in Appium can be implemented in parallel on various real devices available in the device farm, allowing scalability in test efforts without the requirement for managing a broad physical device lab.
- Time Efficiency: Parallel execution of tests on various devices significantly reduces test time, fast-tracks the feedback loop, and smooths faster releases, improving overall time-to-market.
- Detailed Reporting & Analytics: Device farms provide complete test reports, video recordings, logs, screenshots, and performance metrics for every test implementation on diverse devices. This trait aids in identifying issues, debugging failures, tracking test coverage, and enhancing overall test effectiveness.
- Real-World Testing Scenarios: Testing on devices in a cloud-centric environment simulates real-time user scenarios and environments, resulting in highly accurate test outputs and enhanced app reliability.
Conclusion
While integrating Appium with device farms offers numerous advantages, choosing a reliable and feature-rich device farm provider that supports seamless integration with Appium is essential. Cloud-based cross-browser testing platforms like LambdaTest are prime examples of such providers. LambdaTest provides an online device farm of over 3000+ Android emulators to test on Android devices, along with a wide range of real iOS devices and desktop browsers. With LambdaTest, testing teams can harness the power of Appium and execute tests effortlessly across diverse device configurations, ensuring scalable and robust mobile test automation.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Is Appium easy to learn?
Appium is usually relatively simple to learn, particularly for developers &testers familiar with automation testing ideas and scripting languages. Its fame stems from its intuitive nature, making it accessible to beginners and offering incredible capabilities for skilled professionals. Plus, its open-source commuters have effective tutorials, forums, and resources for users to fix issues, seek guidance, and enhance their expertise, making the learning curve more manageable and smoother.
- Does Appium require coding?
Fundamental knowledge of programming languages, such as Java or Python, and Appium knowledge is preferred. Expertise in Selenium is crucial but not a necessity. Previous professional experience in manual testing is compulsory.
- How do I start learning Appium?
As with any new skill, it cannot be very clear. Let’s see a list of resources that may assist you in getting familiarized with Appium:
- Appium’s authorized Getting Started Guide
- Appium API reference
- Appium Learning Path