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WebdriverIO VS Chrome DevTools

Compare WebdriverIO VS Chrome DevTools and see what are their differences

WebdriverIO logo WebdriverIO

Webdriver module for Node.js. that makes it easier to write Selenium tests

Chrome DevTools logo Chrome DevTools

Get started with Google Chrome's built-in web developer tools.
  • WebdriverIO Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-19
  • Chrome DevTools Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-05

WebdriverIO features and specs

  • Multi-browser Support
    WebdriverIO provides extensive support for multiple browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, and Safari, making it versatile for cross-browser testing.
  • Rich Plug-in Ecosystem
    The framework has a robust plug-in system that allows users to customize and extend functionalities according to testing needs, enhancing flexibility.
  • Asynchronous Command Handling
    WebdriverIO handles commands asynchronously, which improves performance and allows better management of test execution flow.
  • Integrated Test Runner
    The built-in test runner simplifies the management of test suites, making it easier to manage and execute tests without needing additional tools.
  • Comprehensive Documentation
    WebdriverIO boasts extensive and detailed documentation, which aids developers in efficiently setting up and using the tool.

Possible disadvantages of WebdriverIO

  • Initial Learning Curve
    New users may experience a steep learning curve due to the framework's asynchronous behavior and JavaScript promises.
  • JavaScript Only
    Being JavaScript-centric, it may not be ideal for teams or projects that prefer or require using other programming languages exclusively.
  • Complex Configuration
    Setting up the framework and configuring it properly can be complex and time-consuming, particularly for developers new to WebDriver-based testing.
  • Frequent Updates
    While updates are generally beneficial, the frequent release of updates can lead to compatibility issues and require maintenance time to keep up.

Chrome DevTools features and specs

  • Comprehensive Debugging
    Chrome DevTools offers a range of debugging tools, including breakpoints, watch expressions, and call stack analysis, facilitating efficient error detection and correction.
  • Performance Profiling
    It provides tools like the Performance panel, which helps developers analyze rendering performance and identify bottlenecks in code execution and resource loading.
  • Network Monitoring
    The Network panel allows developers to monitor resource requests, inspect headers, and analyze network performance to optimize loading times.
  • Responsive Design Mode
    DevTools includes a responsive design mode that makes it easy to test and ensure website functionality across different screen sizes and resolutions.
  • Integrated Console
    The integrated JavaScript console allows for the execution of JavaScript code snippets, inspection of variables, and logging, which aids in dynamic testing and debugging.

Possible disadvantages of Chrome DevTools

  • Steep Learning Curve
    For beginners, the vast array of tools and features available in Chrome DevTools can be overwhelming and challenging to master.
  • Performance Overheads
    Running DevTools, particularly the performance and memory profiling tools, can sometimes add overhead to the application, affecting real-time performance assessment.
  • Browser Dependency
    Since Chrome DevTools is specific to the Chrome browser, developers may need to learn other tools for compatible debugging across different browsers.
  • Limited Automation
    While DevTools is excellent for manual debugging, it lacks extensive built-in capabilities for automated testing and scripting, often requiring additional tools.
  • Resource Intensive
    Running DevTools can be resource-intensive, potentially affecting system performance, especially on lower-end hardware.

WebdriverIO videos

WebdriverIO Tutorial Series Review | #20

More videos:

  • Review - Test React Apps with WebdriverIO
  • Review - Get Started With WebdriverIO - WebdriverIO Wednesdays

Chrome DevTools videos

Inspect Network Activity - Chrome DevTools 101

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to WebdriverIO and Chrome DevTools)
Browser Testing
100 100%
0% 0
Software Development
0 0%
100% 100
Automated Testing
42 42%
58% 58
Testing
63 63%
37% 37

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare WebdriverIO and Chrome DevTools

WebdriverIO Reviews

Top Selenium Alternatives
While WebDriverIO utilizes the Selenium WebDriver for cross-browser testing, it simplifies interaction by providing a more JavaScript-friendly API and a robust plugin system. This makes it more approachable for developers familiar with JavaScript ecosystems compared to the traditional, more language-agnostic Selenium WebDriver.
Source: bugbug.io

Chrome DevTools Reviews

We have no reviews of Chrome DevTools yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Chrome DevTools seems to be a lot more popular than WebdriverIO. While we know about 51 links to Chrome DevTools, we've tracked only 2 mentions of WebdriverIO. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

WebdriverIO mentions (2)

  • Node.js Packages and Resources
    WebdriverIO - Automated testing based on the WebDriver protocol. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
  • Cross Browser Testing With WebDriverIO
    The WebDriverIO project is available on GitHub and the overall statistics speak a lot about the popularity of this JavaScript framework. It has more than 6.7K stars and the project has been forked around 1.9K times. As of writing this blog, the latest version of the WebDriverIO JavaScript framework is 7.7.2. - Source: dev.to / almost 4 years ago

Chrome DevTools mentions (51)

  • How to scrape TikTok using Python
    Let's look at what happens under the hood when we scroll a TikTok page. I recommend studying network activity in DevTools to understand what requests are going to the server. - Source: dev.to / 6 days ago
  • Most Effective Approaches for Debugging Applications
    A structured debugging process is essential for tackling bugs methodically, reducing guesswork and preventing hasty fixes that introduce new problems. The process begins with reproducing the bug under controlled conditions to understand its triggers, followed by isolating the problematic component—be it a function, API endpoint, or database query. Tools like Chrome DevTools for web applications, GDB for C/C++... - Source: dev.to / 9 days ago
  • F45 Broke My Beloved Strava Integration So I Wrote My Own
    This is the most unorthodox part of this whole process. There is no advertised public API for Lionheart that I know of or a functional website; the only place to get the data is the F45 mobile app. I used a Proxy to see if I could intercept the app's requests to their servers to find a usable payload. This process is similar to using the Network tab in Chrome's Developer Tools. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • 🚀 Build Better Projects: 10 Online Tools for Debugging & Testing You Can’t Miss!
    ➡️ Learn more about Chrome DevTools. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • How to identify and fix memory leaks in react
    This memory leak can be detected by tracking the heap size in DevTools or using the React Developer Tools to see if the component is unmounted but still holding onto memory. On inspection of the error we get on the devTool, we see this error:. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing WebdriverIO and Chrome DevTools, you can also consider the following products

Jasmine - Behavior-Driven JavaScript

VS Code - Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft

Selenium - Selenium automates browsers. That's it! What you do with that power is entirely up to you. Primarily, it is for automating web applications for testing purposes, but is certainly not limited to just that.

GitHub - Originally founded as a project to simplify sharing code, GitHub has grown into an application used by over a million people to store over two million code repositories, making GitHub the largest code host in the world.

Nightwatch.js - Write efficient and straightforward end-to-end tests in Node.js which run against a Selenium/WebDriver server.

puppeteer - Puppeteer is a Node library which provides a high-level API to control headless Chrome or Chromium...