In today’s fast-paced digital world, businesses need to continuously deliver high-quality software applications to meet customer expectations. But how are businesses going to make sure that their product meets the highest functionality, usability, security and performance standards? This is where Software Testing comes into the picture and ensures the performance and quality of the product.
There are two methods of testing: manual and automated. However, manual testing is time-consuming and can be prone to errors. With the rise in the scope and scale of testing in DevOps, the requirement for automated testing has become apparent.
What is Automation Testing?
Automation Testing is the process of automatically running tests. They are used to implement text scripts on a software application. These tests are conducted with the help of testing software which frees up resources and time during the process of testing. This enables people to test the quality of the software more judiciously and at a lower cost.
Automation testing allows people to:
- Create a set of tests that can be reused multiple times
- Save cost by debugging and detecting problems earlier
- Deploy tests continuously to accelerate product launches
How Automation Testing is Transforming the World?
Automation can be seen almost everywhere, not only in QA testing but in our day-to-day lives. From self-driving cars to voice tech, the technology is rapidly becoming automated to simplify our lives.
Automation testing is consistently improving the quality of QA testing and saves a lot of time in comparison to manual testing. As known, writing test cases need continuous human intervention. And to ensure the best results, test cases should be a continuous collaboration between testers and developers.
No matter the product or service, the key benefits of automation testing can be summarized as the following:
- Increased speed
- Increased output
- Enhanced quality
- Lesser cost
Advantages of Automation Testing
With the improvement in AI, the power and scope of automated testing tools are increasing rapidly. Let’s look into detail as to what people and organizations can gain from automation testing:
Saves cost
Automated Software Testing will help your business save time, money and resources during the process of quality assurance. While there will be a requirement for manual testing too, the QA engineers will have the time to invest in other projects. This will lower the overall cost of software development.
Simultaneously run test
Since automated testing needs little to no human intervention once it starts, it becomes easy to run multiple tests at once. This also provides you with the opportunity to create comprehensive comparative reports faster with the same parameters.
Quicker feedback cycle
In the case of manual tests, it can take a lot of time for testers to return to your DevOps department with feedback. Using automation testing tools, you can implement quicker validation during the software development process. By testing at the earlier stages, you increase the efficiency of your team.
Lesser time to market
The time that is saved with continuous testing during development contributes to the earlier launch of your product. Automation testing tools can also enable faster test results, speeding up final software validation.
Improved test coverage
With a well-planned automation strategy, you can expand your test coverage to improve the quality of greater features in your application. Due to the automation of the testing process, it gives free time to your automation engineers to write more tests and make them more detailed.
Better insights
Automation tests not just disclose when your test fails but also reveal application insights. It can demonstrate data tables, file contents, and memory contents. This will allow developers to identify what went wrong.
Enhanced accuracy
Making mistakes is human and in the case of manual testing, there’s always a possibility of human error. Whereas with automation, the implementation of tests will be accurate most of the time. Obviously, test scripting is done by humans, which implies that there’s still some risk of making errors. But these errors will become lesser and lesser the more you reuse tests.
Lesser stress on your QA team
Your quality assurance team will experience significantly less stress if you adopt an automated testing technique. Once you eliminate the hassle of manual testing, you give them the time to create tools that improve your testing suite even further.
Types of Automated Testing
Unit Testing If the individual parts of your code won’t function correctly, there is no possibility for them to work within the final product. Unit testing looks into the smallest bit of code that can be segregated in a system. To conduct Unit Tests, the tester must be aware of the internal structure of the program. The best thing about Unit Testing is that it can be implemented throughout the process of software development. This ensures consistent delivery of feedback that will speed up the development process, sending products to market faster.
Functional Testing
After ensuring that all the individual parts work, you need to check whether the system functions based on your specifications and requirements. Functional Testing makes sure that your application works as it was planned based on requirements and specifications. Functional Testing assesses the APIs, user interface, security, database and other functionalities.
Regression Testing
Regression tests are required to confirm that a recent change made in the system hasn’t impacted the existing features. To perform these tests, you extract current relevant test cases from the test suite that involves the affected and modified parts of the code. You must carry out regression testing whenever you modify, alter or update any part of the code.
Load Testing
Do you know how much pressure your application can take? This is an essential piece of information to keep yourself prepared with before you hand it over to your user. Load tests are non-functional software tests which are carried out to test your software under a specified load. It will demonstrate the behaviour of the software while being put under the stress of various users.
Performance Testing
Performance Testing assesses the responsiveness, stability, and speed of your application. If you don’t put your product through some sort of performance test, you’ll never know how it will function in a variety of situations.
Integration Testing
Integration testing involves testing how the individual units or components of the software application work together as a whole. It is done after unit testing to ensure that the units integrate and function correctly.
Security Testing
Security testing is used to identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses in the software application’s security. It involves testing the application against different security threats to ensure that it is secure.
GUI Testing
GUI testing involves testing the graphical user interface of the software application to ensure that it is user-friendly and functions as expected.
API Testing
API testing involves testing the application programming interface (API) to ensure that it functions correctly and meets the requirements.
Choosing a Test Automation Software Provider
If your business is planning to make the move, the test automation provider you pick should be able to provide:
- Effortless integration with CI/CD pipeline to facilitate automation, short feedback cycle and fast delivery of software.
- The capability to function on private or public cloud networks.
- Integration with the current infrastructure for on-site testing for simpler test handling and reporting.
- Remote access to real-time insights and monitoring tools that can help you better understand user journeys and how a certain application is being used.
- Automated exploratory testing to increase application coverage.
- Test environments that are already set up and can be quickly launched when needed.
CloudScaler: A Trusted Provider of Software Testing in the Netherlands
With the increasing complexity of modern software development, the need for reliable and efficient software testing services has never been greater. CloudScaler, a trusted provider of Software Testing in the Netherlands, offers a comprehensive suite of testing services to help teams navigate the challenges of cloud infrastructure and microservices.
Our services are designed to shorten deployment times and development costs, enabling your team to focus on what they do best: building innovative software solutions. Our approach is rooted in efficiency, reliability, and expertise, ensuring that you can trust CloudScaler as your partner in software testing.
