Setting Up Selenium Grid for Multi‐Node Execution in Cloud Environments - Nytrotype/Selenium-with-Java-automation-work GitHub Wiki

Introduction

Selenium Grid allows parallel test execution across multiple browsers, devices, and operating systems. Using Cloud-based execution, such as AWS, Azure, Sauce Labs, or LambdaTest, significantly enhances test scalability.

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1. Why Use Selenium Grid in Cloud?

✅ Parallel Test Execution – Runs multiple tests simultaneously across nodes.
✅ Cross-Browser Testing – Supports Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari.
✅ Cloud Scalability – Uses cloud infrastructure without local resource dependency.
✅ Reduced Execution Time – Speeds up automation workflows in CI/CD environments.
✅ Supports Docker & Kubernetes – Ideal for containerized test execution.

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2. Setting Up Selenium Grid Locally

Step 1: Download Selenium Grid

• Get the latest Selenium Server from: https://www.selenium.dev/downloads/
• Place the JAR file in your workspace.

Step 2: Start Selenium Hub

Run this command to start the Hub (Controller):

java -jar selenium-server.jar hub

Verify hub is running at http://localhost:4444/grid/console.

Step 3: Start Node Instances

Run nodes to register with the hub:

java -jar selenium-server.jar node --hub http://localhost:4444

Specify browser capabilities in a JSON config file:

{
  "capabilities": [
    {
      "browserName": "chrome",
      "maxInstances": 3
    },
    {
      "browserName": "firefox",
      "maxInstances": 2
    }
  ],
  "hub": "http://localhost:4444"
}

Run:

java -jar selenium-server.jar node -config nodeConfig.json

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3. Deploy Selenium Grid in Cloud (AWS, Azure, LambdaTest)

Option 1: AWS EC2 Deployment

✅ Step 1: Launch an EC2 instance with Java & WebDriver installed.
✅ Step 2: Upload Selenium Grid JAR & start the hub.
✅ Step 3: Register multiple remote nodes using EC2 instances.

Option 2: Azure DevOps Pipeline with Selenium Grid

✅ Step 1: Set up an Azure Virtual Machine running Selenium.
✅ Step 2: Start the hub and configure Cloud VM instances as nodes.
✅ Step 3: Integrate test execution into Azure DevOps pipelines.

Option 3: Using LambdaTest or Sauce Labs Selenium Grid

✅ Step 1: Create an account at LambdaTest/Sauce Labs.
✅ Step 2: Retrieve API credentials for cloud execution.
✅ Step 3: Configure Remote WebDriver in Java:

String cloudUrl = "https://USERNAME:[email protected]/wd/hub";
DesiredCapabilities caps = new DesiredCapabilities();
caps.setCapability("browserName", "edge");
caps.setCapability("platform", "Windows 10");
WebDriver driver = new RemoteWebDriver(new URL(cloudUrl), caps);

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4. Running Tests on Selenium Grid

✅ Parallel Test Execution – Configure TestNG for grid testing:

<suite name="Selenium Grid Suite" parallel="tests" thread-count="5">

✅ Docker-Based Selenium Grid – Deploy nodes using Docker Compose:

version: "3"
services:
  selenium-hub:
    image: selenium/hub
  chrome:
    image: selenium/node-chrome
    depends_on:
      - selenium-hub

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5. Best Practices for Cloud-Based Selenium Grid

✅ Use Load Balancing – Distribute test execution across cloud instances.
✅ Enable Video Recording – Use Sauce Labs/LambdaTest for execution logs.
✅ Optimize Node Configurations – Adjust instance counts for efficiency.
✅ Monitor Grid Performance – Track execution metrics for test optimization.

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Conclusion

Integrating Selenium Grid in cloud environments enhances test scalability, speed, and reliability across multiple browsers. Whether deploying on AWS, Azure, or cloud testing platforms, a structured setup ensures efficient parallel execution.