Testing frameworks are integral to any successful automation testing project. Test automation framework helps reduce maintenance costs and testing efforts, which contributes to a higher return on investment (ROI). Testing framework is especially for QA teams looking to optimize their agile processes.
This article walks you through the most popular test automation frameworks today as well as their benefits and drawbacks.
1. What is a Test Automation Framework?
Before learning all the testing frameworks and their benefits, it’s essential to understand what a test automation framework actually is. A testing framework is a set of rules or guidelines for designing and developing test cases. It includes a set of practices and tools that help QA professionals test more effectively.
Coding standards, test-data handling techniques, object repositories, protocols for storing test results, and instructions on how to access external resources might all be included in these guidelines.
While these are not essential criteria, and testers can still write or record tests without them, adopting an organized framework often gives extra advantages that might otherwise be overlooked. Moreover, when it comes to a digital testing service, having a pre-built test automation framework will help you speed up the testing process and increase test coverage.
2. Main Components of a Test Automation Framework
A test automation framework is made up of a number of essential parts that cooperate to enable effective and efficient automated testing. These elements listed below provide a strong Test Automation Framework that facilitates automated testing, encourages consistency, and improves teamwork. Effective implementation of these elements can help firms increase the caliber and effectiveness of their testing initiatives.
2.1. Test data management
Test Data Management (TDM) plays a critical aspect of software testing that involves the creation, storage, and management of test data used in automated tests. Proper management of test data ensures that testing is effective, reliable, and reflective of real-world scenarios.
However, the most challenging aspect of software testing automation is utilizing data and extracting valuable insights. The availability of data to conduct testing is typically a significant issue. A deliberate approach to test data management is required to guarantee the success of automation initiatives.
In order to sift through test data and identify what can be used for positive testing, a software corporation needs to outfit their framework with tools like libraries or plugins. A simulation tool should also be included in your framework to help make the data easier to understand. Simplifying the data makes managing test data much simpler.
2.2. Testing libraries
Testing libraries are essential for streamlining the testing process across various programming languages and frameworks. It’s ideal to get your test cases well-defined and organized so you can perform testing efficiently and effectively. A testing library is where you create and store the test cases.
They provide tools for unit testing, integration testing, and acceptance testing, enabling developers to write efficient, maintainable tests. By leveraging these libraries, teams can enhance their software quality and ensure that applications behave as expected in different scenarios.
Here’s an overview of some popular testing libraries across different programming languages.
Unit testing
Unit testing libraries provide the tools and frameworks needed to create, manage, and run unit tests for various programming languages. Therefore, it is essential for forming a crucial component of any framework for test automation. Unit testing is done not only by the testers but the developers as well. They are used by testers to specify test methods using formal annotations.
The majority of programming languages are supported by unit testing, which is also used to run tests that are clear-cut and simpler. For instance, you can use Unittest or Doctest if Python has a built-in testing framework. Or JavaScript developers are likely to use Jest, Mocha and Jasmine.
Unit testing your code as soon as you create a new module is a smart practice for developers. As a result, there are fewer defects in the later stages of testing. This reduces the number of bugs in later testing phases. At the same time improving code quality, and supporting agile development practices.
A Unit test example
This is a basic Python unit test example that makes use of the unittest framework. After creating a simple function to add two numbers, we’ll develop a unit test for it.
Function to Test
def add(a, b):
return a + b
Unit Test
import unittest
class TestMathFunctions(unittest.TestCase):
def test_add(self):
self.assertEqual(add(2, 3), 5)
self.assertEqual(add(-1, 1), 0)
self.assertEqual(add(0, 0), 0)
self.assertEqual(add(-1, -1), -2)
if __name__ == '__main__':
unittest.main()
Selecting the right APIs is critical. Start by identifying the specific functionalities you need, such as payment processing, customer verification, or data analytics. Once chosen, plan your architecture to ensure seamless integration. This includes deciding where the API will fit within your system, how data will flow, and ensuring there is minimal disruption to existing services.
Explanation
- Function: The add function above takes two arguments and returns their sum
- Unit test: We create a test case class that inherits from unittest.TestCase. Several assertions are included in the test_add method to verify various add function cases. Next, the assertEqual method determines whether the add result is what was anticipated
- Run the Test: When the script is performed directly, the tests are done using the unittest.main() function
Integration testing
Simply put, unit testing involves testing every module or feature of your application. Each unit of your program should be fully separated when using unit testing. In other words, the units are unable to speak to one another while unit testing is underway. They are also unable to communicate with any external dependencies, like the file system or a database. HTTP services or APIs are typically used as external dependencies in JavaScript applications.
Units interact with one another and external dependencies in the actual world, though. Unit tests are therefore insufficient. While testing individual units is important and required, if you want to ensure that your application functions as intended, you also need to test integrations between units and between units and external dependencies.
The testing frameworks used for unit testing, such as NUnit for.NET and JUnit for Java, are also used for integration testing. How you apply these frameworks makes a difference. Stated differently, unit testing and integration testing differ in how the tests are carried out, but the tools are the same.
Behavior-driven development
Despite its importance to your testing library, end-to-end and unit testing share a flaw. They mainly depend on how the tested functionality is implemented. Therefore, you will need to modify the test case if you make changes to the code. How can we deal with this problem? The key is behavior-driven development (BDD).
Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) is a software development methodology that encourages collaboration between developers, testers, and non-technical stakeholders, such as business analysts and product owners. BDD focuses on specifying the behavior of software through examples in a shared language, typically using plain English. This approach helps ensure that the software meets the needs of its users.
3. The Benefits of Test Automation Framework
Using an automated testing framework will enhance a team’s test speed and efficiency, improve test correctness, cut test maintenance costs, and lessen risks. They are necessary for a successful automated testing process over many reasons:
- Test efficiency has improved
- Maintenance expenditures are reduced.
- Manual involvement is minimal.
- Maximum coverage of tests
- Coding reusability
4. Types of Automated Testing Frameworks
Six different types of test automation frameworks exist, each with its own architecture and set of pros and downsides. It’s critical to select the framework that’s ideal for you while creating a test strategy.
- BDD Testing Framework
- Modular-Based Testing Framework
- Library Architecture Testing Framework
- Data-Driven Framework
- Keyword-Driven Framework
- Linear Automation Framework
- Hybrid Test Automation Framework
4.1. BDD Testing Framework
Behaviour-driven development (BDD) framework allows software testers to write test scripts in plain English, making them easily understandable even to individuals without technical expertise. The primary goal of BDD testing is to enhance collaboration between the technical and business sides.
Cucumber is a widely used tool for implementing the BDD framework, which utilizes Gherkin, a business-readable language, to describe system behaviors and scenarios. It follows a structured format consisting of 3 main statements: Given, When and Then. Each addresses a specific aspect of the system.
- Given: Establishes the initial context and sets the starting point for the system
- When: Describes the trigger or event that leads to a change or behavior in the system
- Then: Defines the expected outcome or result
BDD testers then transform the articulated system behavior in Gherkin into a test script that can be interpreted and executed by computers.
Advantages of BDD testing:
- Establish a common language between engineers and stakeholders to effectively communicate about software solutions and user needs.
- Mitigate uncertainties.
- Automated tests can be rapidly created based on agreed-upon specifications, enabling faster product delivery and quicker feedback loops.
- By converting business requirements into a clear and executable format, BDD testing minimizes errors in software implementation.
- Simplifies the learning curve and technical jargon.
Drawbacks of BDD testing:
- May require the inclusion of all key stakeholders in the process, which can lead to lengthy meetings.
- Relies on well-prepared software requirements for the Gherkin scripts to accurately represent the business needs, which might now always align with the fast-paced nature of Agile teams working from concise specifications.
- Can be less efficient for small development teams.
4.2. Modular-Based Testing Framework
When using a modular framework, testers must break down the program under test into different components, functions, or sections, each of which must be tested separately.
Following the decomposition of the application into discrete modules, each portion is given its own test script, which is then integrated to construct bigger tests in a hierarchical approach. These bigger groups of tests will start to reflect different test scenarios.
Building an abstraction layer so that changes made in specific portions do not affect the overall module is a crucial technique for adopting the modular architecture.
Advantages of Modular Frameworks:
- If the application is changed, just the module and its related individual test script will need to be corrected, which means you won’t have to alter the rest of the program and can leave it alone.
- Because test scripts for multiple modules may be reused, creating test cases takes less time.
Modular Framework Disadvantages:
- Because the tests are run independently, data is still hard-coded in the test script, therefore you can’t utilize several data sets.
- To build up the framework, you’ll need to know how to program.
4.3. Library Architecture Testing Framework
The library architectural framework for automated testing is based on the modular framework, however it comes with a few more features.
Rather than breaking down the program under test into the numerous scripts that must be performed, related jobs within the scripts are recognized and then grouped by function, resulting in the application being broken down into common objectives. These routines are stored in a library and may be used by the test scripts at any time.
Benefits of Library Architecture Testing Frameworks:
- Using this design, similar to the modular framework, will result in a high level of modularization, making test maintenance and scaling easier and more cost efficient.
- Because there is a library of common functions that can be used by various test scripts, this framework has a higher degree of reusability.
Disadvantages:
- The script’s test data is still hard-coded. As a result, any changes to the data will necessitate script adjustments.
- The typical functions inside the test scripts require technical skills to develop and analyze.
- Test scripts take longer to write.
4.4. Data-Driven Framework
The test data is separated from the script logic when using a data-driven framework, allowing testers to store data elsewhere. Frequently, testers are faced with the task of testing the same feature or function of an application numerous times with various sets of data.
It’s vital in these cases that the test data isn’t hard-coded in the script, as is the case with a Linear or Modular-based testing framework.
Setting up a data-driven test framework allows the tester to save and pass input/output parameters from an external data source, such as Excel spreadsheets, Text files, CSV files, SQL tables, or ODBC repositories, to test scripts.
The test scripts are linked to an external data source and instructed to read and populate the required data as needed.
Benefits of Data-Driven Frameworks:
- Multiple data sets can be used in tests.
- By altering the data, several scenarios may be evaluated fast, minimizing the number of scripts required.
- It’s possible to avoid hard-coding data so that any changes to the test scripts don’t affect the data being utilized, and vice versa.
- You’ll save time by running more tests more quickly.
Disadvantages:
- To fully use this framework architecture, you’ll need a highly experienced tester who is fluent in many programming languages. They’ll have to discover and format external data sources, as well as build code (create functions) that elegantly connects the tests to those data sources.
- A data-driven architecture requires a large amount of time to set up.
4.5. Keyword-Driven Framework
Each function of the application under test is written down in a table with a sequence of instructions in sequential order for each test that has to be conducted in a keyword-driven framework. The test data and script logic are separated in a keyword-driven framework in the same way as they are in a data-driven framework, but this method goes one step further.
Keywords are likewise maintained in an external data table (thus the name) using this technique, making them independent of the automated testing tool used to run the tests. Keywords are the parts of a script that represent the various activities taken to test an application’s GUI. These can have simple labels like ‘click’ or ‘login,’ or more complicated labels like ‘clicklink,’ or ’verifylink.’
Advantages of Keyword-Driven Frameworks:
- Only rudimentary programming skills are required.
- The code is reusable since a single term may be used in several test scripts.
- Test scripts can be written without regard to the application being tested.
Disadvantages:
- The initial expense of putting the framework together is rather costly. It’s time-consuming and difficult. Keywords must be declared, and object repositories / libraries must be established.
- You’ll need someone who knows how to automate tests.
- When growing a test operation, keywords might be a pain to keep track of.
4.6. Linear Automation Framework
Testers don’t need to write code to build functions in a linear test automation framework, also known as a record-and-playback framework, and the steps are written in a sequential manner. The tester captures each step, such as navigation, user input, or checkpoints, and then conducts the test by automatically replaying the script.
Benefits of using a linear framework:
- Because test scripts can be quickly recorded in a short amount of time, this is one of the quickest ways to produce them.
- Because the scripts are written out in a sequential fashion, the test workflow is easy to grasp for everybody engaged in testing.
- This is also the quickest method to get started with automated testing, particularly if you’re using a new tool. Because most automated testing tools currently have record-and-playback capabilities, you won’t need to plan ahead of time using this architecture.
Disadvantages:
- Scripts written with this framework are not reusable. Because the data is hardcoded into the test script, the test cases cannot be re-run with other sets of data and must be updated if the data changes.
- Maintenance is a pain since any modifications to the application necessitate a significant amount of rework.
4.7. Hybrid Test Automation Framework
Like most testing processes nowadays, automated testing frameworks have started to overlap and connect with each other. A hybrid framework combines several forms of testing automation frameworks. A range of end-to-end testing techniques were used throughout its development.
As the name suggests, this framework integrates one or more of the previously discussed automation frameworks, using their benefits while trying to reduce their drawbacks. Since every application is different, the testing procedure for these must be as well. Additionally, a hybrid framework makes it possible for testers to be more adaptable and nimble, which improves test outcomes.
Over time and throughout multiple projects, the majority of test automation frameworks evolve into QA automation frameworks. The Function decomposition approach and the Keyword Framework are combined in most businesses. It is easier to modify a hybrid testing framework to get the best test results.
Most test automation frameworks develop into QA automation frameworks over time and across several projects. Most firms combine the Keyword Framework with the Function decomposition technique. To achieve the best test results, a hybrid testing framework is simpler to adjust.
Some of the benefits of hybrid testing include: Allowing to reuse the code, using this framework to automate any application, assisting programmers in creating clear, flexible code, etc.
5. Top 7+ Test Automation Framework Tools for 2025
There are some tools that offer a variety of features suitable for different testing needs, whether for web, mobile, or API testing.
As technology evolves, it’s essential to choose tools that align with your project requirements and team expertise. Here’s a list of the top test automation framework tools that are expected to be significant in 2025.
5.1. Selenium
Code maintenance is made simple and effective using this tool. Based on the JavaScript framework, it can execute tests on the target browser, drive the necessary web page’s interactions, and repeat them automatically without the need for human participation.
In order to automate manual test cases, Selenium developed three primary types of frameworks:
- Selenium’s Data-Driven Framework
- Selenium’s Keyword-Driven Framework
- Selenium Hybrid Framework
5.2. Cypress
This is a type of Web Application Testing. It is a modern JavaScript-based framework designed for end-to-end testing. It provides a fast, reliable, and easy-to-use interface for testing web applications.
5.3. Playwright
This tool is developed by Microsoft that supports multiple browsers and provides powerful features for end-to-end testing. It’s known for its speed and reliability.
5.4. Puppeteer
Puppeteer is a Node.js library that provides a high-level API to control headless (or full) Chrome or Chromium browsers over the DevTools Protocol.
It’s particularly useful for automating tasks in the browser, such as web scraping, generating screenshots, and running automated tests for web applications.Its ease of use and flexibility make it a popular choice for both testing and scraping, especially for dynamic websites that rely heavily on JavaScript. As the web continues to evolve, Puppeteer remains a valuable tool in the developer’s toolkit.
5.5. WebdriverIO
WebdriverIO is a powerful test automation framework for web applications that allows you to write tests in JavaScript or TypeScript. It uses the WebDriver protocol to interact with browsers and supports various testing frameworks and libraries.
It is common due to Its flexibility, ease of integration with various frameworks, and strong community support. Whether you’re building complex end-to-end tests or simple UI interactions, WebdriverIO provides the tools you need to ensure your web applications work as intended.
5.6. Cucumber
Cucumber is a popular tool for Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) that allows teams to write automated tests in a natural language format, making it easier for non-technical stakeholders to understand and participate in the testing process. It is a Ruby-based open-source software testing tool.
Regardless of technical expertise, this tool offers a method for creating tests that are simple enough for everyone to comprehend. Two key files are used in its operation: the feature file, which includes plain English code. and the step definition file, which includes the developer’s real code.
5.7. Jest
Jest is a popular JavaScript testing framework developed by Facebook, widely used for testing JavaScript applications, particularly those built with React. It’s designed to be simple and easy to use, providing a rich feature set. Its simplicity, powerful features, and community support make it a popular tool for developers looking to ensure the quality and reliability of their code. Whether you’re writing unit tests, integration tests, or snapshot tests, Jest provides a robust framework to meet your testing needs.
6. Conclusion
Finding a technology that can rapidly and readily adapt to your processes is one advised strategy for building a hybrid framework for automated testing. You should search for a versatile automated testing solution that can support a wide range of apps and languages when selecting one.
