Ans - Framework is a set of guidelines like coding standards , test-data handling , object repository treatment etc... which when followed during automation scripting produce beneficial outcomes like increase code re-usage , higher portability , reduced script maintenance cost etc. Mind you these are just guidelines and not rules; they are not mandatory and you can still script without following the guidelines. But you will miss out on the advantages of having a Framework. So its always best practice to have good framework.
For more details about framework, please refer below link-
