Should Beginners Start with Selenium 3 or Selenium 4?

When starting test automation, one of the biggest considerations is whether to use Selenium 3 or 4. Both have benefits, but knowing their distinctions might help you choose.

Overview of Selenium:

Selenium is an open-source web browser automation toolkit. It supports Java, C#, Python, and other programming languages and is popular for online application testing.

Key Differences Between Selenium 3 and Selenium 4:

Improved Features:

Selenium 4 adds new features like the WebDriver API, which improves web element interaction.

Modern web apps, especially React and Angular ones, are better supported.

W3C Compliant:

Selenium 4 is W3C WebDriver-compliant, making cross-browser testing more dependable.

However, Selenium 3’s implementation may cause browser incompatibilities.

Better Documentation:

Selenium 4 documentation has enhanced, making it easier for newcomers.

Selenium 3 documentation is still available, however it may be less clear.

New Features:

The new relative locators in Selenium 4 let you find components by their relationship.

These advanced functionalities are missing from Selenium 3, limiting testing.

Why Beginners Should Start with Selenium 4:

Future-Proofing:

Using Selenium 4 assures you learn the latest technologies. Knowledge of the latest tools will boost your job market competitiveness as the industry advances.

Improved Community Support:

As more developers switch to Selenium 4, tutorials, forums, and plugins will increase, making it easier for newcomers to get help.

Learn Modern Practices:

Selenium 4 teaches Agile and DevOps best practices because it’s designed for modern web apps.

Conclusion
Beginners in test automation should start using Selenium 4. Its improved functionality, documentation, and conformance with modern standards make it a great foundation for automated tests. While Selenium 3 is still useful, knowing Selenium 4 will pay dividends.