Appium Tutorial: A Detailed Guide To Appium Testing

Architecture of the Appium framework

This section of the Appium testing guide sheds light on the Appium framework's architecture. The Appium Architecture consists of three components -

• Appium Client
• Appium Server
• End Device

• Appium Client: The Appium client contains scripted automation code written in popular programming languages like Java, Python, Ruby, Perl, etc. The automation scripts contain the configuration details of the device and application. These scripted and configuration details are used in running the test cases.
• Appium Server: It is an HTTP server that receives JSON-formatted command requests from the client. The Appium server uses Node.js, and commands are then executed on mobile devices. Therefore, installing the server on your machine before running the test script is recommended.
• End Device: It refers to emulators, simulators, and a physical device connected to the Appium server where tests are run.

How does Appium work?

In this section of Appium testing tutorial, we will deep dive into the working of Appium framework.

Appium is a Node.js HTTP server that uses the REST API. The client interacts with the Appium server through REST APIs, which are controlled by the Mobile JSON Wire Protocol. The REST APIs accept client connections, listen for commands, execute commands, and send back the command execution status.

• To perform Appium testing, the first step is to create a session.
• During a session, the client sends a request to the server containing session-related information in key-value pairs, also known as Desired Capabilities. The Desired Capabilities enable Appium to differentiate between platforms (iOS or Android) and fire up a session on the mobile device, Android Emulator, or iOS Simulator.
• Using the JSON object (Desired Capabilities), the POST request is sent to the server, and Appium responds to it in the form of a session id.
• Once the session is up, the client and Appium server can interact with each other.

Appium works differently on platforms like Android and iOS. In the next section of this Appium testing tutorial, we will look at how Appium works on Android and iOS.

Working of Appium on Android

Appium Client libraries convert the test commands to the REST API requests with the help of the Mobile JSON Wire Protocol. The Appium server forwards these requests to the Android device or emulator. The Android device contains the bootstrap.jar files. The bootstrap.jar file interprets these test commands. The bootstrap.jar file uses Selendroid or UI Automator to execute the requests on the Android device.

The results of the tests are then sent to the Appium server, which sends an HTTP response (containing status codes) to the Appium client.

Working of Appium on iOS

Appium Client libraries convert test commands into REST API requests using the Mobile JSON Wire Protocol. The Appium server forwards these requests to an iOS device or simulator. The iOS device contains the WebDriverAgent.app files. WebDriverAgent.app interprets these test commands. WebDriverAgent.app uses XCUITest to execute requests on iOS devices.

The results of the tests are then sent to the Appium server, which sends an HTTP response (containing status codes) to the Appium client.

Prerequisites to use Appium

Before automating your apps using Appium, make sure to install the following things on your system.

• Java (JDK)
• Android Studio
• Selenium Server JAR file
• Appium Desktop Client
• Eclipse IDE
• Apk Info - App on Google Play Store
• js (Not required in case of Appium Server installation as it comes by default)

How to install Appium

You can install Appium in two ways -

• NPM (Node Package Manager)
• Appium Desktop - a GUI application

Installing Appium through NPM: You will need Node.js and NPM to run Appium through npm install. You can use nvm, n, or brew install node to install Node.js.

You will likely encounter problems installing Node or Appium with sudo (or root). Appium supports Node.js 12+, so we recommend using the latest stable version.

To install Appium through NPM, run the following command in the terminal:

npm install -g appium

Installing Appium through Appium Desktop: You can download the latest version of Appium Desktop from the Appium Release page. If you want to know more about Appium Desktop, head over to our guide on Appium Inspector.

The next section of this Appium testing guide focuses on how to install Appium on Windows and macOS.

How to set up Appium on Windows?

Shown below are the following steps for installing Appium on your Windows machine.

• Before you begin the installation process, download the required files: Android Studio, Appium Jar files for Java, Appium Client Library, Java Appium Server
• Install Java and set the environment variables.
• Install the Android Studio and then create a new project.
• Extract the Appium Client library. Keep the extracted Appium Client library and Appium Jar files in a new folder.
• Open Project view in Android Studio, select the files you just extracted ( in Step 4) and place them in the libs folder.
• Now select all the files in the libs folder, right-click and select Add As Library.
• You should notice a build.gradle file in the app folder after adding the files as a library. Double-click that, then rebuild your project.

When the project is successfully rebuilt, it indicates that you have installed Appium on your system using Android Studio.

How to set up Appium on Mac?

Shown below are the following steps for installing Appium on your Mac machine

• Download Java and set the environment variables. Run the following command to configure the environment variables -

vim ~/.bash_profile

• This will launch the Vim Editor. To enter insert mode, press I and enter the following command.

export JAVA_HOME = $(/usr/libexec/java_home)
export PATH = $JAVA_HOME/bin=$PATH
export PATH = /usr/local/bin:PATH

• Now press the escape key and enter “:wq“ to return back to the terminal. Then enter the following command -

source ~/.bash_profile

• Now install Xcode and Homebrew on your system. To install Homebrew, run the below command into your terminal.

/usr/bin/ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)"

• After that, run the following commands.

brew update
brew doctor
xcode-select --install

• Download the Appium server from its official site. Once the download is complete, click on the DMG file and follow the on-screen instructions. Next, simply drag and drop Appium into your applications folder after installing it. That wraps up the Appium setup on your Mac machine.

Tutorial To Run Your First Test On LambdaTest

In this topic, you will learn how to configure and run your Java automation testing scripts with Appium on LambdaTest Real Device Cloud platform.

Objective

By the end of this topic, you will be able to:

• Run a sample automation script of Java for application testing with Appium on LambdaTest.
• Learn more about Desired Capabilities for Appium testing.
• Explore advanced features of LambdaTest.

SAMPLE REPO

Note : All the code samples in this documentation can be found on LambdaTest's Github Repository. You can either download or clone the repository to quickly run your tests. View on GitHub

Pre-requisites

Before you start performing your App automation testing with Appium, please make sure:

• You have access to LambdaTest username and accessKey. If you have not registered yet, you can do the same by visiting our website. You will be able to access the credentials at the LambdaTest Profile.
• Make sure you have the Java client library installed for Selenium and Appium.
• Download and install Maven with help of the steps from the official website. Maven can also be installed easily on Linux/MacOS using Homebrew package manager.

Run your first test

• Upload your Application

Upload your iOS application (.ipa file) or android application (.apk or .aab file) to the LambdaTest servers using our REST API. You need to provide your username and accessKey in the format Username:AccessKey in the cURL command for authentication. Make sure to add the path of the appFile in the cURL request. Below is an example cURL request to upload your app using our REST API:

Using App File from System:




curl -u "YOUR_LAMBDATEST_USERNAME:YOUR_LAMBDATEST_ACCESS_KEY" -X POST "https://manual-api.lambdatest.com/app/upload/realDevice" -F "appFile=@"/Users/macuser/Downloads/proverbial_android.apk"" -F "name="proverbial_app""

Using App URL:




curl -u "YOUR_LAMBDATEST_USERNAME:YOUR_LAMBDATEST_ACCESS_KEY" -X POST "https://manual-api.lambdatest.com/app/upload/realDevice" -F "url=:https://prod-mobile-artefacts.lambdatest.com/assets/docs/proverbial_android.apk" -F "name=Proverbial_App"



TIP

Note : If you do not have any .apk or .ipa file, you can run your sample tests on LambdaTest by using our sample apps, 🔗 Android app or 🔗 iOS app.

Response of above cURL will be a JSON object containing the APP_URL of the format- lt://APP123456789123456789 and will be used in the next step.

• Clone the Sample project

Clone the LambdaTest’s 🔗 LT-appium-java repository and navigate to code directory as shown below:




git clone https://github.com/LambdaTest/LT-appium-java  

cd LT-appium-java



• Set up your authentication

Make sure you have your LambdaTest credentials with you to run automation scripts on LambdaTest. To obtain your credentials, purchase a plan or access them at Automation Dashboard. Then, set LambdaTest username and accessKey in environment variables with following commands.

Here's how you do in Linux / MacOS:




export LT_USERNAME=YOUR_LAMBDATEST_USERNAME 
export LT_ACCESS_KEY=YOUR_LAMBDATEST_ACCESS_KEY




Here's how you do in Windows:




set LT_USERNAME=YOUR_LAMBDATEST_USERNAME '
set LT_ACCESS_KEY=YOUR_LAMBDATEST_ACCESS_KEY



• Write your automation script

An automation script for the sample application given above has been provided here. Ensure to update the APP_URL, username and accessKey in the code scripts before running the tests.

Appium automation script for testing Android app:




import io.appium.java_client.AppiumDriver;
import io.appium.java_client.MobileBy;
import io.appium.java_client.MobileElement;
import org.openqa.selenium.JavascriptExecutor;
import org.openqa.selenium.remote.DesiredCapabilities;
import org.openqa.selenium.remote.RemoteWebDriver;
import java.net.MalformedURLException;
import java.net.URL;

public class vanilla_android {
    public static String userName = System.getenv("LT_USERNAME") == null ? "LT_USERNAME"  //Add LambdaTest username here
            : System.getenv("LT_USERNAME");
    public static String accessKey = System.getenv("LT_ACCESS_KEY") == null ? "LT_ACCESS_KEY" //Add LambdaTest accessKey here
            : System.getenv("LT_ACCESS_KEY");

    private static AppiumDriver driver;

    public static void main(String args[]) throws MalformedURLException, InterruptedException {

        try {
            DesiredCapabilities capabilities = new DesiredCapabilities();
            capabilities.setCapability("deviceName", "Galaxy S20");
            capabilities.setCapability("platformVersion", "11");
            capabilities.setCapability("platformName", "Android");
            capabilities.setCapability("isRealMobile", true);
            capabilities.setCapability("app", "APP_URL");     //Enter your app url
            capabilities.setCapability("deviceOrientation", "PORTRAIT");
            capabilities.setCapability("build", "Java Vanilla - Android");
            capabilities.setCapability("name", "Sample Test Java");
            capabilities.setCapability("console", true);
            capabilities.setCapability("network", false);
            capabilities.setCapability("visual", true);
            capabilities.setCapability("devicelog", true);

            driver = new AppiumDriver(new URL("https://" +userName + ":" + accessKey + "@mobile-hub.lambdatest.com/wd/hub"), capabilities);

            MobileElement color = (MobileElement) driver.findElement(MobileBy.id("com.lambdatest.proverbial:id/color"));
            color.click();

            MobileElement text = (MobileElement) driver.findElement(MobileBy.id("com.lambdatest.proverbial:id/Text"));
            //Changes the text to proverbial
            text.click();

            //toast is visible
            MobileElement toast = (MobileElement) driver.findElement(MobileBy.id("com.lambdatest.proverbial:id/toast"));
            toast.click();

            //notification is visible
            MobileElement notification = (MobileElement) driver.findElement(MobileBy.id("com.lambdatest.proverbial:id/notification"));
            notification.click();

            //Open the geolocation page
            MobileElement geo = (MobileElement) driver.findElement(MobileBy.id("com.lambdatest.proverbial:id/geoLocation"));
            geo.click();
            Thread.sleep(5000);

            //takes back to home page
            MobileElement el3 = (MobileElement) driver.findElementByAccessibilityId("Home");

            driver.navigate().back();
            Thread.sleep(2000);

            //Takes to speed test page
            MobileElement speedtest = (MobileElement) driver.findElement(MobileBy.id("com.lambdatest.proverbial:id/speedTest"));
            speedtest.click();
            Thread.sleep(5000);

            driver.navigate().back();

            //Opens the browser
            MobileElement browser = (MobileElement) driver.findElement(MobileBy.AccessibilityId("Browser"));
            browser.click();

            MobileElement url = (MobileElement) driver.findElement(MobileBy.id("com.lambdatest.proverbial:id/url"));
            url.sendKeys("https://www.lambdatest.com");
            MobileElement find = (MobileElement) driver.findElement(MobileBy.id("com.lambdatest.proverbial:id/find"));
            find.click();

        } catch (AssertionError a) {
            ((JavascriptExecutor) driver).executeScript("lambda-status=failed");
            a.printStackTrace();
        }
// The driver.quit statement is required, otherwise the test continues to execute, leading to a timeout.
        driver.quit();
    }
    }




Appium automation script for testing iOS app:




import io.appium.java_client.AppiumDriver;
import io.appium.java_client.MobileBy;
import io.appium.java_client.MobileElement;
import io.appium.java_client.ios.IOSDriver;

import org.openqa.selenium.remote.DesiredCapabilities;
import org.openqa.selenium.support.ui.ExpectedConditions;
import org.openqa.selenium.support.ui.WebDriverWait;

import java.net.URL;

public class vanilla_ios {
    public static String userName = System.getenv("LT_USERNAME") == null ? "LT_USERNAME"  //Add LambdaTest username here
            : System.getenv("LT_USERNAME");
    public static String accessKey = System.getenv("LT_ACCESS_KEY") == null ? "LT_ACCESS_KEY" //Add LambdaTest accessKey here
            : System.getenv("LT_ACCESS_KEY");

    public static final String URL = "https://" + userName + ":" + accessKey + "@mobile-hub.lambdatest.com/wd/hub";
    public static IOSDriver driver = null;

    public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {

       try {
            DesiredCapabilities caps = new DesiredCapabilities();
            caps.setCapability("platformVersion", "15");
            caps.setCapability("deviceName", "iPhone 12");
            caps.setCapability("isRealMobile", true);
            caps.setCapability("app", "APP_URL"); //Enter your app url
            caps.setCapability("platformName", "iOS");
            caps.setCapability("build", "Java Vanilla - iOS");
            caps.setCapability("name", "Sample Test Java");
            caps.setCapability("devicelog", true);
            caps.setCapability("network", false);


        driver = new IOSDriver(new URL("https://" + userName + ":" + accessKey + "@beta-hub.lambdatest.com/wd/hub"), caps);


            Thread.sleep(2000);

            //Changes color

            driver.findElement(MobileBy.id("color")).click();
            Thread.sleep(1000);

            //Back to black color
            driver.navigate().back();

            Thread.sleep(1000);

            //Changes the text to proverbial
            driver.findElement(MobileBy.id("Text")).click();
            Thread.sleep(1000);

            //toast is visible
            driver.findElement(MobileBy.id("toast")).click();
            Thread.sleep(1000);

            //notification is visible
            driver.findElement(MobileBy.id("notification")).click();
            Thread.sleep(2000);

            //Open the geolocation page
            driver.findElement(MobileBy.id("geoLocation")).click();
            Thread.sleep(4000);
            driver.navigate().back();
            Thread.sleep(1000);

            //Takes to speed test page
            driver.findElement(MobileBy.id("speedTest")).click();
            Thread.sleep(5000);
            driver.navigate().back();
            Thread.sleep(1000);

            //Opens the browser
            MobileElement browser = (MobileElement) driver.findElementByAccessibilityId("Browser");
            browser.click();
            Thread.sleep(3000);

           WebDriverWait el7 =  new WebDriverWait(driver, 30);
           el7.until(ExpectedConditions.elementToBeClickable(MobileBy.id("url")));
           driver.findElementById("url").sendKeys("https://www.lambdatest.com/");

            //Clicks on the text box
            WebDriverWait el = new WebDriverWait(driver,90);
            MobileElement el4 = (MobileElement) driver.findElementByAccessibilityId("find");
            el.until(ExpectedConditions.elementToBeClickable(el4));
            el4.click();
            el4.sendKeys("Lambdatest");

            //((JavascriptExecutor) driver).executeScript("lambda-status=passed");
            driver.quit();

        } catch (Exception t) {
           System.out.println(t);
           driver.quit();

       }
    }
}




Configure the test capabilities

You can update your custom capabilities in test scripts. In this sample project, we are passing platform name, platform version, device name and app url (generated earlier) along with other capabilities like build name and test name via capabilities object. The capabilities object in the sample code are defined as:

For Android:




DesiredCapabilities capabilities = new DesiredCapabilities();
            capabilities.setCapability("deviceName", "Galaxy S20");
            capabilities.setCapability("platformVersion", "11");
            capabilities.setCapability("platformName", "Android");
            capabilities.setCapability("isRealMobile", true);
            capabilities.setCapability("app", "YOUR_APP_URL"); //Enter your app url
            capabilities.setCapability("deviceOrientation", "PORTRAIT");
            capabilities.setCapability("build", "Java Vanilla - Android");
            capabilities.setCapability("name", "Sample Test Java");
            capabilities.setCapability("console", true);
            capabilities.setCapability("network", false);
            capabilities.setCapability("visual", true);
            capabilities.setCapability("devicelog", true);




For iOS:




DesiredCapabilities caps = new DesiredCapabilities();
            caps.setCapability("platformVersion", "15");
            caps.setCapability("deviceName", "iPhone 12");
            caps.setCapability("isRealMobile", true);
            caps.setCapability("app", "YOUR_APP_URL"); //Enter your app url
            caps.setCapability("platformName", "iOS");
            caps.setCapability("build", "Java Vanilla - iOS");
            caps.setCapability("name", "Sample Test Java");
            caps.setCapability("devicelog", true);
            caps.setCapability("network", false);





Note : You must add the generated APP_URL to the app capability in the config file.

You can generate capabilities for your test requirements with the help of our inbuilt Capabilities Generator tool . For more details, please refer to our guide on Desired Capabilities in Appium

• Execute your test case
• Run the following commands to install the required dependencies:



mvn clean install



• The tests can be executed in the terminal using the following command:

For Android:




mvn test -P android




For iOS:




mvn test -P ios





INFO

Note : Your test results would be displayed on the test console (or command-line interface if you are using terminal/cmd) and on the 🔗 LambdaTest App Automation Dashboard .

Limitations of Appium

Shown below is the limitation of the Appium framework.

• Currently, Appium testing with Android doesn’t support Android versions below 4.2.
• Appium desktop inspector cannot be run directly on Microsoft Windows.
• While performing Appium testing on the iOS platform, the test execution is slow.
• It doesn’t support older Android APIs.
• Setting up and configuring Appium for Android and iOS is a time-consuming process.
• It doesn’t generate detailed test reports.

Troubleshooting Steps for Common Errors in Appium testing

This section of Appium testing tutorial covers some unexpected errors that you may encounter while performing Appium testing of mobile applications. Here is a list of common Appium errors and how to fix them.

• If you're using Fastboot to run your Android emulator and it's not being detected properly by ADB, perform a cold boot. Go to Android Studio > Tools > AVD Manager > Actions > Cold Boot Now. This will mainly resolve all emulator issues.
• When the Instrument crashes on iOS ("exited with code 253"), ensure Xcode has downloaded device symbols. Once you click on Window > Devices, it should automatically start. After upgrading iOS versions, it is needed.
• We must unlock the macOS keychain to build the app and the WebDriverAgent. Therefore, it is imperative when you use SSH.
• When you install Node and npm via MacPorts, Appium may have difficulty finding the node executable. It is necessary to include the MacPorts bin folder (default path is /opt/local/bin) in PATH in /.profile, /.bash_profile, or ~/.bashrc.
• Running iOS tests and getting the error "[INST STDERR] posix spawn failure; aborting launch" means your app is not compiled correctly.

Is Appium similar to Selenium?

As far as Selenium and Appium are concerned, both are open-source automation testing tools. Selenium enables automated browser testing across different browsers and operating system combinations by automatically controlling browser actions, whereas Appium involves automated app testing of native, web, and hybrid apps.

But Appium is based on Selenium and uses JSON WireProtocol internally to interact with Android and iOS apps via Selenium WebDriver. Appium's architecture consists of a Node.js HTTP server that creates and manages multiple WebDriver sessions. Appium launches tests on the device and waits for commands from the Appium server. It is similar to the Selenium server, which receives HTTP requests from Selenium client libraries.

Is Appium easy to learn?

Yes! The learning curve of Appium is quite simple and easy. It employs the remote WebDriver protocol and supports various languages and frameworks. You can begin your Appium testing journey if you have good experience writing tests in languages like Java, Python, PHP, C#, and others.

Please refer to our Appium testing tutorial for more information on the essentials of Appium.

How do I get started with Appium?

Appium is an excellent framework to include in your test automation plan. However, it is critical to conduct Appium testing effectively. Setting up, running, and scaling in-house device labs is costly. This demands the use of a real device cloud platform like LambdaTest. With LambdaTest online device farm, you can get rid of your in-house device labs and allow your developers and testers to conduct Appium testing on real devices from anywhere at any time.

About LambdaTest

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 2 Million + users across 130+ countries rely on LambdaTest for their testing needs.

Getting Started with Appium testing on LambdaTest

To start Appium testing on LambdaTest, you can refer to our Appium testing support documentation for a step-by-step procedure for running your first Appium test script on a cloud Appium Grid. So you don’t have to worry about the challenges with Appium infrastructure as we will provide you with a cloud Appium Grid with zero downtime.

Want to know a fun fact? Your first 100 Appium testing minutes are on us with just a free sign-up. In addition, you can also avail benefits of manual cross browser testing, manual app testing, Visual UI testing, responsive testing, and more with a lifetime of free access to LambdaTest, the world’s fastest-growing test orchestration, and execution platform.

Ready to automate your apps using Appium? To get started, watch our Appium testing tutorial video.