The Contenders
Selenium is the long-standing king of browser automation. It's a W3C standard and supports a vast array of languages and browsers.
Cypress is a more modern, all-in-one testing framework that runs directly in the browser, providing a faster and more reliable testing experience for web applications.
Key Differences
| Feature | Selenium | Cypress | |---|---|---| | Architecture | Runs outside the browser | Runs inside the browser | | Language Support | Java, Python, C#, JS, etc. | JavaScript/TypeScript only | | Speed | Generally slower | Generally faster | | Debugging | Can be complex | Excellent, with time-travel |
Conclusion
If you need to test across a wide range of browsers or use a language other than JavaScript, Selenium is still a solid choice. For modern web applications where you want a fast, reliable, and developer-friendly testing experience, Cypress is often the better option.