Since the start of the internet era, you’ve seen how browsers and websites have grown side by side. From the early days of Internet Explorer to the rise of Mozilla and now six major browsers, you’ve witnessed quite an evolution. But even with all this progress, browsers and web development technologies don’t always get along as smoothly as you’d hope.
As a developer, you’re always looking for new ways to simplify web development—whether it’s through systems like subgrids or optimizing libraries for future updates. The result? Better, more efficient tools for you to build with. However, the problem you face is that browsers aren’t always quick to adopt these changes—they often seem to follow their own rules.
However, cross-browser testing comes with its own unique challenges, just like any testing procedure. In this article, we will explore these obstacles and talk about some tangible remedies to help streamline your testing process.
What is Cross Browser Testing?
Cross-browser testing is exactly what it sounds like. It is the testing process that checks your website across various browsers.
Browsers operate differently due to their distinct underlying engines. This can cause problems for web developers since they can’t predict which browser a user might use. The issues don’t stop with just browsers; variations in screen resolutions, operating systems, and browser versions can also create trouble.
For example, if your site includes an element that relies on subgrids and subgrids aren’t supported in Google Chrome, that element might not display correctly or function as intended. Cross-browser testing tackles these challenges by running your website on different browsers, versions, operating systems, and screen resolutions. While there are multiple methods for performing cross-browser testing, using a unified platform like LambdaTest is often the most efficient approach. Such tools streamline the process, reduce the need for managing infrastructure, and come with an extensive pre-configured browser matrix for testing.
Challenges In Ensuring Multi-Browser Compatibility
Following are the challenges of cross-browser testing that should be considered to find the right solution to overcome any multi-browser compatibility:
Challenge #1: Automating Cross-Browser Testing is Complex
Automating browser testing can significantly speed up your web app release cycles, but it’s not just a matter of clicking a button. While it might seem straightforward to use tools like Selenium for automation, it involves more effort and preparation, such as crafting test scripts and defining capabilities, to achieve effective cloud-based browser testing.
Challenge #2: Managing In-House Infrastructure is Costly
Establishing and managing a testing infrastructure within the company can be difficult, especially for startups that have financial constraints. On-site development has limitations of its own. Despite the ongoing debate between in-house and cloud solutions, many find themselves wishing they had chosen a cloud-based approach from the start.
Challenge #3: Testing Across Numerous Browsers and Versions
One major issue in cross-browser testing is the sheer number of browsers and their versions. Maintaining all these browsers and devices in-house is often not feasible for most businesses. The real challenge is staying updated with every browser and ensuring your web application performs well on each one.
Challenge #4: Frequent Browser Updates
Browsers tend to update every six to eight weeks, with many users automatically upgrading without noticing. This requires your testing team to continually re-test to ensure compatibility with the latest versions.
Challenge #5: Testing Across Multiple Operating System Combinations
Managing tests across various browsers and their versions is already challenging. Adding different operating systems to the mix makes it nearly impossible to test a site or app thoroughly. It’s also essential to verify compatibility with various mobile devices.
Challenge #6: Detecting Visual Bugs Across All Screen Resolutions
Manually checking for visual errors on different screen resolutions can be very time-consuming. Although test automation is often the go-to solution, identifying layout issues can be tricky, particularly when dealing with various test environments.
Challenge #7: Running Tests on Multiple Browsers Simultaneously
Parallel testing is a common challenge in cross-browser testing. Performing tests across multiple browsers, versions, and operating systems at the same time can drastically cut down execution time and expand test coverage.
Overcoming Challenges of Multi-Browser Compatibility
You can use following strategies to overcome multi-browser compatibility:
Strategies for Overcoming diversity in different platform
- Do thorough research to find out which browsers your audience uses most and focus your testing on those. Analytics tools can help you make these decisions. Also, keep up with browser updates since they can create new problems or fix old ones.
- Set a policy on which browser versions your app will support. This should be based on user data and a cost-benefit analysis of supporting older versions. Tools like LambdaTest can help you test across different browser versions and fix compatibility issues.
Strategies for Overcoming Responsive Design Obstacles
- Begin by creating a design focusing on smaller screens first to guarantee that your web application functions effectively on mobile devices. This method prioritizes efficiency and features on mobile devices, which typically have greater constraints than desktop computers. As you expand to larger screens, you have the option to incorporate additional features and content while maintaining the original user experience.
- Frameworks such as Bootstrap and Foundation provide grid systems and pre-made components that have been tested on different browsers and devices. These tools assist in developing responsive designs by utilizing adaptable grids, flexible images, and CSS media queries, ultimately minimizing the code required for writing.
- CSS Flexbox and Grid are excellent for creating layouts that adjust to various screen sizes. Flexbox is handy for organizing items either horizontally or vertically, whereas Grid is more suitable for intricate, two-dimensional designs. Both instruments aid in creating adaptable layouts that function seamlessly on various browsers and devices.
Solutions for Tackling JavaScript Rendering Issues
Transpilation and Polyfills: If you’re dealing with modern JavaScript (ES6+) and want to ensure it works across all browsers, try using tools like Babel. These tools convert your code into a version that older browsers can handle. Polyfills are also helpful—they let you add support for features not available in some browsers. Services like Polyfill.io can automatically provide the right polyfills based on what browser your users are using.
Detecting features: Don’t assume all browsers have the same capabilities. Use tools such as Modernizr to verify support. In this manner, you can provide other solutions or backups for browsers that do not have specific features. This makes sure that your web application remains operational and available to all users.
Progressive Enhancement: It involves creating a simple version of your web app that is compatible with all browsers. After obtaining that, you can include additional functionalities for browsers that have the capability to support them. This method guarantees that your application is functional on a variety of devices and browsers, even if certain newer features are unavailable on older ones.
Automated Cross-Browser Testing Tools: Utilize automated testing tools for conducting JavaScript tests on multiple browsers with Cross-Browser Testing Automation Tools. An instance is the ability of Selenium WebDriver to generate test scripts that interact with web pages just like actual users. This assists in identifying JavaScript problems at an early stage. By incorporating these tests into your CI/CD pipeline, you guarantee ongoing verification of cross-browser compatibility.
Other Solutions:
- Normalize or Reset CSS: Utilize a CSS normalization or reset stylesheet to ensure uniform appearance of your website on various browsers. Resetting margins, paddings, and other properties will create a consistent baseline for a fresh starting point.
- Vendor Prefixes Management: Simplify your CSS process with tools like Autoprefixer. They automatically add the necessary vendor prefixes, so you don’t have to manually include them for each browser.
- Feature Detection: Use libraries like Modernizr to check if a browser supports certain CSS features. This way, you can write conditional CSS or JavaScript that activates only if the feature is available, providing fallbacks for older browsers.
- CSS Fallbacks: Include fallback styles for newer CSS properties that might not be supported by all browsers. This ensures your site still looks good even if some features aren’t available in certain browsers.
Cloud-Based Platforms for Cross Browser Testing
To test your web application on different platforms, you must stay updated on the newest devices, operating systems, browsers, and versions. Handling this infrastructure can be quite burdensome as it demands a specialized team and entails significant expenses. Additionally, it requires a lot of time and frequently encounters issues with scalability. To address cross-browser testing challenges efficiently, opt for a cloud-based testing tool instead of managing devices internally. LambdaTest is an excellent option for this.
LambdaTest is an AI-driven platform designed for extensive test orchestration and execution. It allows you to perform both manual and automated tests using over 3000 real devices, browsers, and operating system combinations.
If you need to test specifically on the Firefox browser online, LambdaTest provides a seamless experience, ensuring you can test on various versions of Firefox without the need for local installations. By choosing LambdaTest, you can significantly reduce the time and cost associated with maintaining your own infrastructure.
The platform ensures robust security and enables you to run tests in parallel, enhancing efficiency. It also offers features like live-interactive testing, smooth integration with a variety of third-party tools, Selenium Grid support, automation testing capabilities, and the ability to test locally hosted sites and apps. This makes LambdaTest a comprehensive solution for all your cross-browser testing needs.
Best Practice for Cross-Browser Testing
You can follow these best practices to execute cross-browser testing:
- Build a Browser Matrix
List the key browsers and versions your site needs to support. Focus on your audience’s most-used browsers and keep this list updated. - Use Automated Compatibility Testing Tools
Tools like BrowserStack or LambdaTest can test your site across various browsers and provide reports on issues, saving you time. - Test on Real Devices
Test your site on real devices to ensure it works well on all platforms, as emulators might not be fully accurate. - Conduct Code Validation
Ensure your code meets W3C standards to avoid compatibility issues and improve SEO and maintenance. - Build on a Good Framework
Use frameworks like Bootstrap to handle cross-browser issues and responsiveness automatically. - Check CSS Property Support
Use ‘Can I Use’ to verify which CSS properties are supported by different browsers. - Test Throughout Development
Perform cross-browser testing during development to identify and fix issues early.
Conclusion
Cross-browser testing is vital to guarantee that your web applications function and appear excellent across all browsers and devices. Although it may be difficult, utilizing appropriate methods and resources can lead to significant improvements. Prioritizing cross-browser compatibility at the beginning improves user contentment while also contributing to the sustained prosperity of your web application. By staying current and adaptable to changing technology and user preferences, you can effectively handle the challenges of cross-browser testing.
