Difference between Selenium RC and WebDriver

Question

What's the basic difference between Selenium RC and WebDriver?

Bellinger

Exact duplicate of what's the relationship between selenium rc and webdriver? – Interfuse

Answer 1

Quoting from WebDriver and Selenium RC:

Selenium-WebDriver makes direct calls to the browser using each browser’s native support for automation. How these direct calls are made, and the features they support depends on the browser you are using. Information on each ‘browser driver’ is provided later in this chapter.

For those familiar with Selenium-RC, this is quite different from what you are used to. Selenium-RC worked the same way for each supported browser. It ‘injected’ javascript functions into the browser when the browser was loaded and then used its javascript to drive the AUT within the browser. WebDriver does not use this technique. Again, it drives the browser directly using the browser’s built in support for automation.

You may, or may not, need the Selenium Server, depending on how you intend to use Selenium-WebDriver. If you will be only using the WebDriver API you do not need the Selenium-Server. If your browser and tests will all run on the same machine, and your tests only use the WebDriver API, then you do not need to run the Selenium-Server; WebDriver will run the browser directly.

There are some reasons though to use the Selenium-Server with Selenium-WebDriver.

• You are using Selenium-Grid to distribute your tests over multiple machines or virtual machines (VMs).
• You want to connect to a remote machine that has a particular browser version that is not on your current machine.
• You are not using the Java bindings (i.e. Python, C#, or Ruby) and would like to use HtmlUnit Driver.

New

Yes, the above url is helpful – Bellinger

Selenium WebDriver is the successor of Selenium RC – New

When you say selenium server, are you meaning selenium RC? – Kowal

Answer 2

Selenium RC injects javascript function into browsers when the web page is loaded.

Selenium WebDriver drives the browser using browser's built-in support.

Hypsography

so what does it mean? – Mythologize

Answer 3

Wanted to add a point to the answers above,

As selenium RC is injecting java script code to browsers , the browsers act almost similar manner

But for WebDriver the calls are made directly using particular browser's native support ,the browsers behave more like in case of user interactions

Worms

Answer 4

WebDriver is a tool for testing web applications across different browsers using different programming languages. You are now able to make powerful tests because WebDriver allows you to use a programming language of your choice in designing your tests. WebDriver is faster than Selenium RC because of its simpler architecture. WebDriver directly talks to the browser while Selenium RC needs the help of the RC Server in order to do so. WebDriver's APIismore concise than Selenium RC's. WebDriver can support HtmlUnit while Selenium RC cannot. The only drawbacks of WebDriver are: It cannot readily support new browsers, but Selenium RC can. It does not have a built-in command for automatic generation of test results.

http://www.guru99.com/introduction-webdriver-comparison-selenium-rc.html

Apicella

Answer 5

Here i am discussing Web Driver Features, those are disadvantages in RC :

1. Not necessary to start the server to run the programs
2. Web driver by default maximize the window or browser
3. Hides the command history window
4. Web driver maintains the page load synchronization by default. If it is a page refresh we have to maintain by using thread.sleep ();
5. We can develop RC scripts and web driver scripts under a single class with the help of ‘WebDriverBackedSelenium’.
6. We can take the information from the application by using advanced web driver concepts.
7. Web Driver is faster than Selenium RC because of its simpler architecture.
8. Web Driver directly talks to the browser while Selenium RC needs the help of the RC Server in order to do so.
9. Web Driver's API is more concise than Selenium RC's.
10. Web Driver can support Html Unit while Selenium RC cannot.

Saccharo