Introduction to Test Automation for a Beginner

In the fast world of software development, it is a must that applications should work as desired. Manual testing, though vital, is time-consuming, prone to errors, and not scalable when applications grow in size. Automation of testing comes as an efficient solution by reducing the time spent on testing processes, making them faster, reliable, and economical. In this blog, we will introduce test automation, its benefits, and how you can get started as a beginner.

• Test automation is the practice of using automated software tools and scripts for running tests against a software application, comparing actual results with the expected outcomes, and reporting. Automated tests run faster and with more consistency compared to manual testing, and one can run them any number of times without extra efforts from the test engineers.
• Unlike manual testing, which requires human testers to repeat the same things again and again, test automation repeats tests on the same codebase, thus saving time and cost from the process of verifying functionality.

 

• Quicker Feedback Loop: Automated tests yield results immediately following each code change. This helps one identify faster what's failing, which is quite essential in Agile and Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) environments.
• Cost-Effective in the Long Run: Even though it is time-consuming to build automated tests, they end up saving money because they cut the need for redundant manual testing, especially in regression testing.
• Accuracy and Consistency: Automated tests ensure there is no risk of human error; therefore, tests run in the same way each time that enhances the test's reliability.
• Test Coverage and Scalability: Automation provides better test coverage since hundreds and thousands of tests could be run parallel that cannot be done manually. It also scales with the application.
• Allows for Continuous Delivery (CD): Automated testing lays a foundational level of the CI/CD pipeline that supports instant, reliable deployments of code.

 

All tests cannot be automated. The following types of tests usually get automated:

1. Unit Tests:

Testing of individual parts or functions in isolation. These are usually written by developers, hence the best candidate for automation.

2. Regression Tests:

The new code might break the existing functionality once the software is changed. The best candidates for regression tests are those checks that validate previously working features.

3. Smoke Tests:

This is a primitive test to validate whether the application is stable for further, comprehensive testing. It often appears in automated performance and is part of every build.

4. Performance Tests:

These are simulation tests of the application under very high traffic or heavy usage that would test how the application might behave under heavy load, stress, and various conditions of change.

5. Acceptance Tests:

Testing if the developed software meets the acceptance criteria of meeting user requirements or even business goals, can be fully automated using certain frameworks like Cucumber, implementing the BDD approach.

Many of these tools exist for different types of applications and test needs. Among the most widely used tools for automated tools are the following:

• Selenium: This is an open source tool that automates any web browser by supporting several languages such as Java, Python, and Ruby.
• JUnit / TestNG: Java-based testing frameworks for automating unit and integration tests.
• Appium:  It is a cross-platform tool that helps in automating mobile applications for iOS and Android applications.
• Cucumber:  BDD tool. This tool allows you to write tests in natural language that is understood both by technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Postman:  It is one of the most widely used tools for automation in API testing. You can test APIs and validate responses.
• Jenkins:  Jenkins is an open-source automation server that supports continuous integration and continuous deployment. It is a kind of server used to run automated tests in a CI/CD pipeline.

To begin with test automation, for an absolute beginner, it does sound a bit too much, but it is easily doable with some basic simple steps:

1. Basic knowledge of Software Testing The basic types of tests such as unit, integration, regression, etc and role of testing in SDLC should be understood before automation starts.

2. Selection of Right Tools Depending on your type of application - whether it is a web, mobile, or API, and based on the level of expertise your team possesses - select the proper test automation tools. For instance, if your applications are on web, you might begin with Selenium, whereas APIs will probably call for Postman or RestAssured.

3. Start from simple tests Start with simple, low-risk tests such as unit tests or smoke tests. Write tests for small, isolated pieces of your application before attempting the more complex functionality.

4. Test Framework Create a test framework that makes it easy to reuse and maintain test scripts. This might be organizing tests by category, reusing test functions, and perhaps integrating with your version control systems like Git.

5. Integrate with CI/CD Pipelines In this step, make sure to include automated tests in your CI pipeline. This ensures that the changes in the codebase are continuously tested.

6. Scale and Maintain Tests As your project expands, so should your test coverage. You should frequently maintain and refactor your tests in a manner that you keep them abreast with your application.

Start small and scale up. Do not automate everything in one go. Focus on the most critical functionality that you would like to automate first and expand once you have built up your automation skills.

• Write maintainable tests: Keep your test scripts clean, reusable, and understandable. Usually, it's the cost of maintaining tests as the application evolves.
• Version Control:  Keep all your test scripts in a version control system like Git. This will ease collaboration and track changes over time.
• Avoid flaky tests: Flaky tests are those tests that fail when the application seems correct. Keep an eye on your test scripts and ensure they are stable.
• High-Risk Area: Focus on automating the most critical areas of the application, such as core features or areas prone to bugs.
• Data-Driven Testing:  You can use data-driven testing when your application accepts a wide variety of input data. Thus, you can execute the same test with different sets of data without writing multiple test cases.

• Initial Setup Time:  It takes some time to set up a test suite from scratch. But once you invest time in the initial setup, you reap the benefit later by reducing efforts in manual testing.
• Tests Maintenance:  As the application grows, tests have to be maintained and updated with respect to the changes made in the application.
• Flaky Tests:  These are tests which happen sometimes to fail, or seem to fail because of no problems in the application, due to an environmental problem, or dependency on a system that happens to depend on other external systems, or timing problems.
• Learning Curve: The learning curve for test automation tools and frameworks is steep as they are mostly tied to the programming languages and frameworks. There are so many tutorials and resources available that one can follow.

• Test automation is a potent practice that enhances the efficiency, accuracy, and scalability of the test significantly. Even though an immense amount of time and effort is involved in this during the initial stages, ultimately, the long-term output is massive, especially for large applications and methodologies that are either Agile or CI/CD-based.
• This approach, however, requires that a beginner start small, choose the right tools, and gradually increase automated test coverage. With proper best practices in place and an ongoing optimization of the automation suite, you are sure to deliver higher-quality software faster and with more reliability.
• Automation testing is not something you do once. It's more of a process that evolves with your application. With the right basics and incremental implementation of automation, you would be well set on the road to building a strong, scalable test suite with significant time-saving and error-minimization benefits.

 

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