Safari from Apple Inc. is fast, ecosystem-compatible, and secure. Safari browser has been the default browser for Macs, iPhones, and iPads since 2003. Safari’s market dominance, particularly among macOS and iOS users, makes Apple devices trustworthy online.
In this blog, we will magnify focus on the browser and tips for providing efficient testing on the S’s. Get started!
Key Features of Safari Browser
Web development involves browser testing to verify website and online application functionality and user experience across browsers. Web browsers have diverse feature sets and rendering engines; thus, developers must test their apps on several platforms. This technique finds and fixes compatibility issues so users may use their preferred browser without issues.
A plethora of browsers in the market are available for usage and testing. But, in this section, we will delve deeper into the world of Safari browser. Here are some of its key features-
Speed and Performance
The WebKit rendering engine, which puts speed and efficiency first, powers Safari. This enables online pages to load quickly and smoothly, providing a responsive browsing experience.
Energy Efficiency
One of Safari’s best advantages is energy efficiency. MacBook, iPhone, and iPad users benefit from its low power consumption. This efficiency helps extend battery life during web browsing sessions.
Privacy and Security
Safari prioritizes user security and privacy. Its functions include Intelligent Monitoring Prevention (IMP), which restricts marketers’ ability to follow users’ online activities and prevents cross-site monitoring. Additionally, Safari’s built-in security features protect users from harmful websites and other online dangers.
Seamless Integration with Apple Ecosystem
Safari integrates well with other Apple products and services. Thanks to features like Handoff and iCloud Tabs, users can continue surfing on other Apple devices and see their open tabs on any device connected to their iCloud account.
User-Friendly Interface
The user interface of Safari is clear, simple to use, and intuitive. Some features include a configurable start page, a Reading List for storing articles, and Reader Mode for reading without interruptions.
Built-in Developer Tools
A whole suite of developer tools is included in Safari to assist web developers in inspecting, debugging, and optimizing their online apps.
It is a flexible browser for web development because of these features, which include the Elements panel, Console, Network panel, and performance measurement tools.
Setting Up Your Testing Environment
It’s critical to appropriately set up your testing environment for a seamless and effective testing procedure on Safari.
- First, confirm that Safari is installed with the most recent version on all your devices. By upgrading Safari regularly, you’ll get the latest features, performance enhancements, and security updates.
Safari Technology Preview, a developer-only version of Safari, gives early access to new web technologies and capabilities, allowing you to test your apps against future upgrades.
- Because each model of Apple device has varied behaviors and capabilities, it is essential to test a variety of them. Make sure you test on several generations of iPhones, iPads, and macOS versions on Mac desktops.
This comprehensive device testing helps identify and address compatibility issues across screen sizes, resolutions, and hardware capabilities.
- Equipping your setup with the necessary tools and extensions enhances the testing process. By installing WebKit nightly releases, you may test the newest features and rendering engine changes, allowing you to identify problems before they affect Safari’s stable version.
Additionally, you may evaluate how well your web application works on various screen sizes and devices using Safari’s built-in Responsive Design Mode, which guarantees a responsive and user-friendly design.
- More detailed testing may be done using cloud-based platforms that provide access to several MacOS and iOS devices running various Safari versions, allowing comprehensive testing without much hardware.
These tools and methods may help you build a complete testing environment to ensure your web applications function properly on Safari and deliver a pleasant user experience.
Utilizing Safari Developer Tools
Safari Developer Tools helps web developers debug, analyze, and optimize their applications with a rich feature set. A detailed guide on utilizing these tools is as follows:
Overview of the Developer Tools Interface
The Develop menu provides access to the Safari Developer Tools. Open Safari > Preferences > Advanced and choose “Show Develop menu in the menu bar.” After activation, you may right-click on any website to “Inspect Element” or go to Develop and choose “Show Web Inspector.”
The interface has many panels, each intended for a certain debugging or development activity. These panels provide thorough views into your online application, facilitating problem diagnosis and resolution.
Elements Panel
The Elements panel is an essential tool for examining and adjusting the HTML and CSS on your website. It shows the page’s DOM tree, so you can move between the elements and see how they’re assembled. To discover layout and stylistic errors, you may highlight components on the page by hovering over them in the DOM tree.
This panel also allows you to edit HTML and CSS directly, providing real-time updates to see how changes affect the page. The Computed Styles section also shows the final applied styles, including the box model properties, which is useful for understanding how different styles interact.
Console
The Console is an essential tool for debugging JavaScript. It allows you to log information, run JavaScript code, and interact with the web page. Commands like console.log() allow you to print variables and messages to the Console, helping you track the flow of your scripts.
Additionally, the Console shows warnings and errors, which facilitates identifying and resolving JavaScript problems. Also, the Console allows you to test small portions of code in real-time, which is quite helpful for troubleshooting intricate scripts or experimenting with new features.
Network Panel
The network panel tracks your web page’s network requests, such as resource loads and API calls. It offers comprehensive details on every request, including headers, status codes, and response timings. This panel is very helpful when identifying performance problems associated with network activity.
To enhance page load speeds, you may detect slow-loading resources and unsuccessful requests and optimize the order in which resources load. Inspecting the transmitted and received data is another feature of the Network panel that is essential for troubleshooting API connections.
Performance Tools
Safari’s performance tools help you analyze and optimize your web application’s performance. The Timeline panel logs a variety of page actions, including script execution, rendering times, and loading times. Recording a session can give you a quick overview of your website’s functionality and reveal any bottlenecks.
Frame rate monitoring is another feature of the performance tools that guarantees fluid animations and interactions. By examining this data, you may identify areas that need optimization, such as reducing the amount of time that JavaScript takes to execute or speeding up the rendering of CSS.
Storage and Application Tabs
The Storage and Application tabs provide insights into how your web application handles data. The Storage tab lets you view and manage local storage, session storage, cookies, and indexed databases. This is useful for debugging issues related to data persistence and user sessions.
For example, you can inspect the contents of local storage items and make necessary changes to test different scenarios.
The Application tab includes tools for managing service workers, cache storage, and other web application resources. These tools help you ensure that your application efficiently handles offline capabilities and resource caching, which are crucial for providing a smooth user experience.
Tips for Efficient Testing On Safari Browser
Due to Safari’s large user base on macOS and iOS devices, testing your web apps on Safari is essential to ensuring they function smoothly across all major browsers.
Here are some effective testing strategies for Safari to assist you in making the process go more smoothly and guarantee the best possible compatibility and performance.
Understand Safari’s Unique Features
Learn about Safari’s WebKit rendering engine, which handles HTML, CSS, and JavaScript differently. Safari contains privacy and security features like Intelligent Tracking Prevention that may alter how your website handles cookies and user behavior. Knowing these characteristics enables you to foresee and resolve any problems.
Use Safari Technology Preview
Before their general release, developers may test new features and technologies using Safari Technology Preview. You may ensure that your online application utilizes the most recent web technologies and is prepared for future updates with the aid of this tool.
Leverage Built-in Developer Tools
Safari’s Developer Tools are strong and feature-rich for debugging and upgrading web applications. You can debug JavaScript in the Console, edit HTML and CSS in Elements, and track network requests and performance in Network. These tools might help you identify issues and discover speedy solutions.
Test on Multiple Devices
Make sure your online application runs well across a variety of Apple products, such as different iPhone, iPad, and Mac versions. You may identify problems with screen size, resolution, and hardware capabilities by testing on a variety of devices. Use Safari’s Responsive Design Mode to mimic various devices and screen sizes.
Automate Your Tests
Automating your testing procedure can result in time savings and consistency. To create automated tests that can be executed on Safari, use programs like Cypress or Selenium WebDriver. Repetitive test cases may be automated to lower the possibility of human mistakes and free up time for more complicated testing situations.
Focus on Performance Optimization
Because of Safari’s reputation for energy conservation, making your web application run as smoothly as possible on the browser may help users of portable devices get longer battery life. To find and fix speed bottlenecks, including resources that load slowly, JavaScript that executes erratically, and wasteful CSS, use Safari’s performance analysis tools.
Given the various devices available nowadays, it might be difficult to ensure your web apps work properly in all scenarios. Cloud-based testing platforms are indispensable because they provide scalable, adaptable, and affordable solutions for cross-browser and cross-device testing and eliminate the need for substantial physical gear.
A notable platform in this regard is LambdaTest. A robust cloud-based platform, LambdaTest enables automated and manual testing on various browsers, including various Safari versions on macOS and iOS devices.
Using LambdaTest, you can quickly test your web apps under actual user circumstances, guaranteeing that they function correctly for every user. The platform’s smooth interface and well-known CI/CD technologies enable continuous testing and quicker delivery cycles.
You can save overhead expenses, increase testing productivity, and guarantee a consistent, excellent user experience on Safari and beyond by using LambdaTest.
Conclusion
Given Safari’s popularity on macOS and iOS, efficient Safari testing is essential for assuring your web apps’ smooth and high-quality user experience. Understanding Safari’s WebKit rendering engine and strong privacy safeguards help you predict and resolve difficulties. Testing future features with Safari Technology Preview lets you remain ahead of the curve and future-proof your apps.
Safari’s developer tools help debug, analyze, and optimize online apps. The elements panel, Console, network panel, and performance tools enable you to find and fix problems rapidly, boosting site quality and performance. By utilizing these tools, you can ensure your web apps appear, work well, and provide a great user experience.
Testing on several Apple devices is necessary to adjust for screen sizes, resolutions, and hardware capabilities. This thorough testing assures that your apps work effectively on MacBooks, iPhones, and iPads.
