Web Testing in 2022: The Force Is Strong With Test Automation

You might have heard the 'glass half full or half empty' conundrum. Let me solve it for you from a tester's perspective- To a good tester, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be. Jokes apart, being a researcher in web testing and working closely with industry, I've seen the nuisance businesses face due to website failures. 

Yes, we all know that everything is online. Thanks to the pandemic, businesses thrive on websites. Just one bug, and you can lose your customers. I've written this story for everyone interested in learning web testing, whether you are a newbie or a small business who wants to
learn how to keep your website running smoothly without any error. Here is my message for the universe: "The Force Is Strong With Test Automation"!

Source

So what's test automation in general, and how does it play a role in web testing in particular? Let's explore.

What is Test Automation?

Software testing is mainly achieved in two ways: 

1. automated testing
2. manual testing. 

Manual testing is typically done by a tester who himself manually performs the testing processes (i.e., write test cases corresponding to the various test scenarios). In contrast, test automation uses framework and automation tools to generate and execute automated test scripts. Automated testing increases the overall efficiency of software development by reducing manual effort and saving the time spent on various repetitive tasks.

Automated Web Testing

The software industry as a whole is being transformed by web automation testing. Web automation testing is achieved through a proper testing tool that can generate customizable and reusable test scripts. These tools automatically record the user actions performed on the web application in the form of test scripts and then re-execute test scenarios with the same or different test data on the web application under test. 

It has simplified the testing process for testers, allowing them to detect and handle errors in the development process quickly and easily. This whole process is referred to as “end-to-end (E2E) automated web testing”. E2E testing ensures that web applications are functionally correct and working as expected. Furthermore, it also guarantees that the changes are pushed regularly, resulting in an updated web application being supplied to customers via a well-organized workflow.

Working of Web Test Automation Tools

Top 5 web test automation tools for 2022

The cutting-edge software development methodologies like Agile and DevOps treat software testing as a standard process and demand test automation tools to produce a high-quality product at a fast pace. Successful test automation is achieved by identifying the right tool for the right project. An effective testing process requires appropriate and readily available tools in the market. 

Testers frequently use Capture-Replay (C&R) tools to enable the automated testing of their applications. These tools have been developed for testing the applications against graphical user interfaces.

Using a CR tool, the interaction between a user and the application is recorded. Various C&R tools exist, varying in capabilities and features. The availability of several open-source as well as commercial automation tools has made the selection difficult. Here, we also need to know that there is no one-size-fits-all automation tool.

Generally, the selection of appropriate tools depends on the following factors:

1. Open-source
2. Support various operating systems and browsers
3. Nature of software
4. Client requirement
5. Project Budget
6. Feature-rich
7. Easy to use
8. Team expertise

Test Automation Tools

The five most popular open-source test automation frameworks are:

1. Selenium: Selenium IDE is a widely used tool for web application testing. When it comes to web test automation, Selenium is always considered as best among the lot. It is an open-source test automation tool and compatible with multiple browsers, operating systems, and supports many scripting languages, including Java, Ruby, and Python
   
2. Appium: Appium is an open-source automated testing tool specifically designed for mobile apps. It also supports the test automation of iOS and native, hybrid, and mobile web applications. It has gained immense popularity and emerged as one of the best mobile automation testing tools.
   
3. TestComplete: TestComplete is a popular testing framework available for mobile, web, and desktop applications. The test scripts generated through this tool can be exported in scripting languages such as VBScript, JavaScript, and Python. It can also facilitate other multiple testing activities, including data-driven testing, keyword-driven testing, and regression testing. This tool has a salient feature of record and replay which makes it easy to use for the testing community.
   
4. LambdaTest: LambdaTest is a well-known tool for testing the cross-browser compatibility issues of web applications. It provides a cloud-based infrastructure where testers can execute test scripts to test their website on multiple browsers and operating systems to find presentational inconsistencies, flaws, and other bugs. It also has a feature of capturing screenshots of web applications on various operating OS, devices, resolutions, and browsers.
   
5. Testim: Testim uses artificial intelligence to develop robust and customized test cases for web application testing.  These test scripts can execute simultaneously on several browsers, and as a result, generate detailed bug or fault reports. Testim is easy to use for both novice and experienced users because it develops code-free tests.

Benefits of  Test Automation in Web Testing:

1)     Functional testing from the user’s perspective: Since due to the thorough testing performed by the tester from the perspective of the user, it increases the confidence in the functioning and performance of the application before its release to the public.

2)     Minimize chances of future risks: The end-to-end testing of the application is performed after each sprint and especially when the new version is launched in the market.

3)     Reduce effort for repeatable tasks: End-to-end testing minimizes the likelihood of frequent failures and also the amount of time spent on testing.

4)     Reduced Cost and Time: As the application is completely tested from beginning to end, it does not require additional testing. This cuts testing costs and time in half, while also maintaining the same efficiency in other operations.

Web Testing Automation Challenges:

“It’s automation, not automagic” - Jim Hazen

Despite having enormous advantages, web test automation is also facing some challenges. The developers and researchers are very actively developing and designing innovative solutions to cope up with these challenges. It includes the following challenges:

Overall, end-to-end testing is one of the most successful methods for ensuring the performance of web applications.

End-to-end testing has become more dependable and widely embraced as a result of the benefits it provides for web testing. Now is an excellent time for organizations to start learning and adopting this testing technique.