Nightwatch(Javascript) vs Java based Selenium automation

[Stallion_V]

We are contemplating on using NightwatchJs for UI automation in our projects.

We just found out about it in the Oct HTML5 Dev conference in SF and it looked really promising.

It's more of an exploratory phase for us.

We have previously used Java and Selenium for UI automation and so it is difficult to get the Testers out of their comfort zone and switch to something new like Javascript.

I am a UI developer and so Javascript is the way to go for us and if it is UI automation I would always prefer something like this.

But if any of you have been this route it would be great to know why you choose it and why you would rate it over Java/Selenium based combination. 

Appreciate any inputs

[Lacy Morrow]

I work in a Python shop, so naturally selenium-python bindings were my first route in setting up our automated testing. The bindings work fine, just as I'm sure the Java bindings work fine, but the output left lots to be desired and there was basically zero integration (no reports generated, no easy CI hooks).

I would say, choose a framework in the language that the *test-writers know best*.

I would definitely look into TestNG if the majority of your devs are Java guys.

That said, the JS frameworks and tests are pretty straightforward and anyone should be able to learn by example (javascript's syntax was largely derived from Java anyway!)

I looked at plenty of other frameworks but seeing as everyone [in my office] knows python and at least _some_ javascript, I limited my search to those languages. To be honest I didn't even try out SST (python framework), I found Intern, Nightwatch, and WebDriver.io and chose these because they seem to be the most actively developed and their output was gorgeous (also reports, jenkins integration, etc.).

As stated in another thread, after getting the same test written for all three frameworks running on a modern machine, I moved to a WinServer with IE8 and ran the same tests. Only Nightwatch ran properly (even using intern's "geezer" branch, made to support IE6).

I did not look into Java frameworks. If your Java devs are going to be writing most of the tests, maybe you should take a harder look at a Java framework.

The fact is, no matter the language or framework, tests are straightforward and have a documented API. Any competent programmer should be able to write these tests in any language. They're using an API and following an example; this isn't reinventing the wheel.