All the Information You Need to Understand About Automation Testing

Automation testing refers to using software tools to execute repeatable tests against a system under test. The automation software can emulate user actions such as clicks and keystrokes and can also validate expected results. Compared to manual testing, which involves a human tester executing all tests step-by-step, automation testing aims to save time and resources.

Benefits of Automation Testing

Using automated testing yourself or from automation testing services will bring your organization the following key benefits:

Faster Test Execution

Tests can be run significantly faster with automation compared to manual testing. A test suite that takes hours or days to run manually, can execute in minutes using automation. This allows for more frequent regression testing.

Enhanced Test Coverage

Automation makes it practical to build and run very large test suites covering a wide variety of use cases. This leads to improved test coverage and defect detection.

Consistency

Automated tests perform precisely the same actions every time they are run, eliminating inconsistencies inherent to manual testing. Tests are more reliable when automated.

Early Defect Detection

Problems can be identified early in the development cycle when automated tests are integrated into continuous integration workflows. Issues are cheaper to fix when found early.

Improved Efficiency

Manual testing requires significant time invested by human testers who could be leveraged to do higher value, less repetitive tasks. Automation provides teams more time for exploratory testing.

Challenges of Test Automation

While offering many benefits, test automation also comes with some key challenges:

High Initial Time Investment

It requires considerable upfront time investment to build the test framework and automated test scripts from scratch.

Test Maintenance

When the system is under test changes, any impacted automated tests need to be updated to avoid false test failures. Test maintenance accounts for the majority of effort.

Complex Tool Selection and Implementation

There are many test automation tools to evaluate and choose from. Integrating the tools within the existing infrastructure can involve challenges.

Test Fragility

Even small system changes can unexpectedly cause automated tests to break. Brittle tests lead to flaky test runs and extra maintenance overhead.

Skillset Requirements

Automation demands software development skills to code the tests and framework, in addition to testing skills. Retaining talent can be difficult.

Types of Test Automation

There are a few fundamental test automation types:

Functional testing. Validating the functionality and business logic of an application based on its specifications, including UI tests, API tests, etc. Notably, according to 84% of respondents, API tests were the most often automated testing kind globally in 2023. At slightly over 50%, UI testing came after them.

Non-functional testing. Testing aspects such as performance, security, reliability, etc. Load testing and penetration testing are examples.

Test data generation. Automatically generating large test data sets needed to test the system, using tools like data generators effectively.

Test environment configuration. Automatically managing test environments by provisioning cloud resources, configuring test data, etc., using infrastructure-as-code techniques.

Components of a Test Automation Framework

An effective test automation framework typically consists of these core components:

Test Runner

Executes the automation test scripts by triggering actions, comparing expected vs actual results, generating reports, etc. Popular open-source runners include TestNG and JUnit.

Test Generator

It automates the creation of test scripts and test data by generating code templates, CSV files, etc. This reduces manual coding effort.

Test Recorder

Records interactions with the application GUI to auto-generate reusable test scripts mimicking user actions. This is useful for web and mobile testing.

Test Reporting

Presents test execution summary with metrics on test cases passed, failed, skipped, etc., for tracking status. Integrates with CI/CD pipelines.

Test Management

Central hub to organize and manage test cases, requirements, defects and track execution. Enables traceability. The leading tools are QMetry and TestRail.

Best Practices for Automation Success

Follow these best practices when implementing test automation:

Start small. Begin with a pilot project automating a few critical, business-centric tests. Build momentum before expanding scope.

Focus on maintainability. Design modular, well-structured code separating test logic from underlying technical implementations.

Leverage existing tools. Evaluate existing frameworks and utilities before building from scratch. Leverage what test developers have already built.

Implement CI/CD early. Include automation within the continuous integration and deployment pipelines early to detect issues quicker.

Monitor and report metrics. Track key metrics, such as automated test coverage, pass percentage, failures, etc., to monitor progress and quality.

Retain specialized talent. Hire and invest in retaining qualified test automation developers to maintain the framework properly.

Automation Testing Tools

There is a vast selection of commercial and open-source test automation tools available:

1. Selenium

One of the most popular open-source web application test automation frameworks is Selenium. It offers a set of tools for automating browsers on several platforms and is compatible with a number of computer languages, including Python, Java, C#, and more. For browser automation, Selenium WebDriver is very well-liked, while Selenium Grid enables concurrent test execution.

1. Appium

An open-source automation tool called Appium was created especially for testing mobile apps. Popular programming languages like Java, C#, Ruby, and Python may be used to create and run tests for Windows, iOS, and Android apps. Appium provides cross-platform interoperability for native and hybrid mobile applications.

1. JUnit

A popular framework for unit testing Java applications is JUnit. It has strong community support and offers an easy and elegant approach to constructing repeatable tests. JUnit makes it easier to automate tests at the unit level, guaranteeing that discrete code units function as intended.

1. TestNG

Another well-liked testing framework for Java apps is called TestNG, which has more sophisticated functionality than JUnit. It is compatible with several testing formats, such as functional, integration, and unit tests. TestNG provides strong annotations, test configuration, parallel test execution, and sophisticated reporting features.

1. Cucumber

Cucumber is a testing tool for behavior-driven development (BDD) that lets you create tests in a legible style for humans. Gherkin syntax is used, which facilitates communication between technical teams and business stakeholders. Programming languages supported by Cucumber include Java, Ruby, JavaScript, and others.

1. Jenkins

One of the top open-source automation servers for continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) workflows is called Jenkins. It offers powerful automation features for software project development, testing, and deployment. In your marketing and software development pipeline, Jenkins enables you to automate test execution, create test results, and link with other platforms like ActiveCampaign, SendGrid, etc.

1. TestComplete

A complete solution for test automation, TestComplete works with desktop, online, and mobile apps. Because it can record and replay data, it may be used by both technical and non-technical testers. TestComplete is compatible with a number of scripting languages, such as Python, VBScript, and JavaScript.

1. Apache JMeter

An open-source program called Apache JMeter is used to evaluate web application performance and load testing. It can assess the efficiency of web servers, databases, and other resources in addition to simulating high user demands. Distributed testing is supported by JMeter, enabling you to scale tests over several computers.

Getting Started With Test Automation

For those new to test automation, here are some steps to begin:

1. Define scope and objectives. Be very specific about what you want to achieve via automation based on business goals, available skills and tools.
2. Build a reusable test framework. Develop a structured framework providing utilities for test configuration, setup/teardown, logging, etc.
3. Automate repeatable manual tests. Start by automating frequently executed manual test cases that are critical and time-consuming.
4. Continuously expand and enhance. Incrementally add more test cases, tools and framework capabilities based on evolving needs.

Conclusion

It is impossible to overestimate the advantages of automated testing. Organizations need to use automated testing because customers are requesting new features every few weeks. It saves time and effort compared to manual testing while guaranteeing the dependability and quality of applications. Without it, creating software that consumers will find engaging becomes much more challenging.