Espresso is a native open-source framework to automate UI testing of Android applications.
“Use Espresso to write concise, beautiful, and reliable Android UI tests” – Google.
Developed by Google, Espresso is an Android automation testing framework and has gained popularity due to its high performance. Using Espresso, you can create very simple and straightforward tests without worrying about the application's infrastructure. It is also open-source so that developers can customize it. According to research from the University of Oulu, Espresso is extremely fast and has the shortest test execution time and fallibility.
You can perform Espresso testing in both Java and Kotlin languages. Espresso also synchronizes your test actions with application UI. It lets you test native and hybrid views of Android applications. Furthermore, Espresso enables you to conduct black-box and component testing of applications and provides testing annotations and assertions. It also comes integrated with Google’s Android Studio.
If you are working on an Android project, validating your projects across various cycles like build, development, and testing can be cumbersome. Below are the pointers that demand the need for Android testing of the application user interface -
Using the Espresso framework, you can write reliable Android UI tests and achieve fast test execution speed while reducing test flakiness.
Espresso provides an extensive set of features like.
When it comes to Android testing, Espresso provides loads of features to help test automation engineers and developers fasten their Android app testing process. Besides Synchronization capabilities and Android Intents, below are the following additional features of the Espresso framework.
By using Espresso for Android automation testing, you can reap numerous benefits. Some of them are as follows -
In the next section of this Espresso tutorial, we will look at how Espresso works on Android.
It is crucial to understand the test scenario before automating your apps with Espresso. Testers should think about what a user can do while interacting with Android applications, i.e., finding UI elements and interacting with them.
Espresso doesn’t allow direct access to activities and views of the applications as it can result in test flakiness. This is why you won’t see the methods like getView() and getCurrentActivity(). To access views securely, you can create your subclasses of ViewAction and ViewAssertion.
The working of the Espresso framework is broken down into the following steps -
In the previous section of this Espresso tutorial, we focused on the working of the Espresso framework. Now let’s look at the major APIs that form the component of the Espresso framework.
There are four types of Espresso’s API.
This section of Espresso tutorial talks about writing UI test cases in Java and Kotlin based on the above discussed Espresso’s API Components.
Java
@Before
onView(withId(R.id.my_view),withText("Hello! Ready to perform Espresso testing"))
.perform(typeText("Hello! Ready to perform Espresso testing"),click())
.check(matches(withText("Hello! Ready to perform Espresso testing")));
Kotlin
onView(withId(R.id.my_view),withText("Hello! Ready to perform Espresso testing"))
.perform(typeText("Hello! Ready to perform Espresso testing"),click())
.check(matches(withText("Hello! Ready to perform Espresso testing")))
The above test cases are written in Java, and Kotlin identifies a view with a specific ID and a unique feature. Here, the test script says, "Hello! Ready to perform Espresso testing" which is a unique feature. On that view, the test script performs two actions.
First, it types “Hello! Ready to perform Espresso testing” in a text box and then clicks on a button. Once the button clicks, it checks if the view displays “Hello! Ready to perform Espresso testing” by calling assertion matches(). After passing the test, you will see the desired text in the view.
In this section of Espresso tutorial, we will look at how Espresso differs from Appium.
Both Espresso and Appium synchronize with each other. However, their application areas differ. Appium is used for end-to-end testing of mobile applications, whereas Espresso is used for UI testing of Android applications.
Let’s check out the key difference between Espresso and Appium.
Espresso | Appium |
It involves UI testing of Android applications. | It involves automated app testing of mobile applications (Android, iOS, and Windows). |
It can test Android applications only. | It can test both mobile (Android, iOS, and Windows) and desktop applications. |
It’s easier to set up. | It is tedious to set up as it required the installation of third-party programs. |
It supports Java and Kotlin only. | It supports multiple programming languages like Java, JavaScript, Python, PHP, etc. |
Despite numerous benefits, there are some disadvantages of the Espresso framework.
If you want to kick start your app test automation using Espresso, check out this handy Espresso testing Cheat Sheet for Android.
Espresso is a top-notch framework to incorporate into your test automation strategy. Therefore, it's crucial to execute Espresso testing efficiently. Setting up expensive Android device labs can be expensive and hard to scale up. This demands the need for a real device cloud platform like LambdaTest that eliminates the hassle of setting up an in-house device lab. Leveraging LambdaTest’s online device farm, developers and testers can perform Espresso testing on real Android devices from anywhere at any time.
LambdaTest is a leading test execution and orchestration platform that is fast, reliable, scalable, and secure. It allows users to run manual and automated testing of web and mobile apps across 3000+ browsers, operating systems, and real device combinations. Using LambdaTest, businesses can ensure quicker developer feedback and hence achieve a faster go-to-market. Over 500 enterprises and 1 Million + users across 130+ countries rely on LambdaTest for their testing needs.
To start Espresso testing on LambdaTest, you can head over to our Espresso testing guide for a step-by-step procedure for running your first Espresso test script on a cloud Espresso Grid. So you don’t have to worry about the challenges with Espresso infrastructure as we will provide you with a cloud Espresso Grid with zero downtime.
Want to know a fun fact? Your first 100 Espresso test minutes are on us with just a free sign-up on LambdaTest. With a lifetime subscription to LambdaTest, you can also avail benefit from cross browser testing, manual app testing, visual UI testing, responsive testing, and more.