As we know, the software application needs to be updated at some specific time to work efficiently and meet the users’ needs. Earlier, the development and updating of software applications were not that fast and seamless. The introduction of automation testing using cloud-based tools and technologies has smoothened the software application testing process to bring updates on time and perform the testing process.
Continuous testing comes into light in this scenario. Continuous testing encourages the automation of tests wherever possible throughout the development cycle. This ensures teams evaluate the code validity and overall software quality at each stage. In this article, you will see what continuous testing is and how you can implement continuous testing in DevOps for seamless automation.
What is Continuous Testing?
Continuous testing is the software development practice in which the testers and developers automatically test software applications and components during the whole software development lifecycle (SDLC). Continuous testing is different from the traditional testing. As we know, traditional testing has phases in which the testing process is divided and executed. However, in the continuous testing process, the tests get executed more frequently with every code update and change, providing rapid feedback to the development and testing teams. This helps a lot to reduce future errors and bugs in software applications.
Also, the testing time and efficiency improve. Continuous testing also improves security issues of automation testing. It reduces security testing risks, such as vulnerability scanning and penetration testing, to identify and address security flaws and vulnerabilities before they can be exploited in production. Various tools are available to the software application developers and QA team, such as QuerySurge, Jenkins, Travis, etc. Now, let us see the role of continuous testing in DevOps.
Role of Continuous Testing in DevOps
The DevOps approach to software development is inextricably linked to continuous testing. Since the DevOps principles are compatible with the continuous testing nature, it provides a very good software application output when you implement continuous testing in DevOps for automation testing. Let us see some brief points on how continuous testing plays a great role in DevOps.
Rapid Release Cycle: To guarantee short release cycles, organizations embracing DevOps prefer to focus on delivering minor, incremental updates. Continuous testing is critical in this process. This is accomplished by delivering real-time feedback on code changes. This allows development and testing teams to identify problems early on. They can help avoid deployment pipeline bottlenecks.
Early Error and Bug Detection: Traditional testing approaches, such as waterfall, might result in the discovery of software faults or functional gaps at the last minute. This can lead to delays, rework, exorbitant expenses, and decreased client satisfaction. Continuous testing aids in the early detection of errors and anomalies in the development lifecycle. This allows teams to resolve issues before they become major issues and can help lower the overall cost of software development. Finally, it ensures that higher-quality goods reach end users.
Improved Efficiency and Collaboration: In DevOps, there is much need for effective communication among all the stakeholders for better results. Continuous testing in DevOps helps to maintain transparency. All the stakeholders utilize real-time tools and software to perform the testing and development process. Hence, testing efficiency gets improved and gets better results.
Save Costs of Future Errors and Bugs Fixing: The testing and development team gets early feedback for the bugs and possible errors in continuous testing. This allows the team to resolve any simple and small mistakes early. Hence, any major error or issue gets solved early, and the future bug-fixing cost is saved.
Implementing Continuous Testing in DevOps for Seamless Automation
There are various types of strategies that can be taken into account to implement continuous testing in DevOps for seamless automation. Let us see them one by one.
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Shift-left Testing
Shift left testing is very important when implementing continuous testing in DevOps for seamless automation. It is defined as the process of testing in which the movement is pushed toward the early stages of the software development cycle. The aim of Shift left testing is to build high-quality code, eliminate any kind of code-patching, and facilitate proactive collaboration. This practice helps to save testing time and money. In general, you can perform more unit testing to recognize problems when introduced.
Testing enters the picture at the very end or to the extreme right of the pipeline. Shift Left Testing pushes testing to the “left,” i.e., to earlier stages in the pipeline. The Shift Left approach intends to identify and resolve bugs as early as possible in the development process. This testing helps to increase the software testing time, lowering the cost because early bugs can be fixed with less money.
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Choosing Right Tools
You must choose the right automation tools to implement seamless automation testing with continuous testing in DevOps. There are many open-source and paid automated testing technologies available. When selecting a tool, consider the application’s technological stack, the team’s experience, and your budget. Selenium, Appium, and TestComplete are a few well-liked automation testing solutions. Selecting the appropriate automation tools demands careful thought and helps implement continuous DevOps testing with seamless automation.
The first factor is the technology stack. The technological stack of your application has a big impact on the tools you choose. While some automation systems are better suited for desktop software or mobile apps, others specialize in web applications. There can be no compromise on compatibility with your tech stack. The second factor is team expertise. Take into account the knowledge and experience of your testing team.
It might go more smoothly if they are familiar with a particular automation tool. On the other hand, consider the learning curve if they must start from scratch. Budget is another factor. Many types of automation technologies range from open-source solutions like Selenium to for-profit solutions like TestComplete. Naturally, your pick will be influenced by your budget. Remember that purchasing a dependable instrument can frequently result in long-term cost savings.
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Robust Test Infrastructure
When implementing continuous testing in DevOps for seamless automation, applying a robust testing infrastructure becomes very important. Using a flexible, robust, and automated test infrastructure makes managing your data effortless. You must first set up cloud-based environments to implement a robust testing infrastructure. Then, you can use the concept of containerization. You can also adopt virtualization for running robust tests. All these will help to implement continuous testing in DevOps for seamless automation.
One such cloud platform that can be used to implement continuous testing is LambdaTest. LambdaTest is an AI-powered test orchestration and execution platform to run manual and automated tests at scale. The platform allows you to perform real-time and automation testing across 3000+ environments and real device cloud.
LambdaTest is pivotal in implementing continuous testing within DevOps environments, offering a seamless and integrated solution for automated testing throughout the software development lifecycle. DevOps, characterized by its emphasis on collaboration and continuous delivery, requires robust and efficient testing practices to ensure that software is consistently delivered with high quality. LambdaTest addresses this need by providing a cloud-based platform that seamlessly integrates with continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines.
The platform’s compatibility with popular CI/CD tools allows testing teams to integrate automated testing into their DevOps workflows effortlessly. With LambdaTest, organizations can automate the execution of test scripts as part of their CI/CD pipeline, ensuring that each code change undergoes thorough testing before deployment. This accelerates the feedback loop and helps identify and rectify issues early in the development process, reducing the risk of defects reaching production.
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Test Case Optimization
Optimizing your test cases is one of the crucial steps that decides the overall efficiency of your automation testing when implementing continuous testing in DevOps. Not all test cases lend themselves well to automation. Start by locating repeatable, time-consuming, and stable test cases. At the early stage of testing, complex or often changing settings might not be the greatest candidates for automation. Organize your automation efforts according to their potential influence on the project’s objectives and product quality. Finding the test cases that are most suitable for automation should be your first step in making the most of your automation efforts.
Regarding automation candidates, repetition, time commitment, and stability reign supreme. Prime targets are test cases executed frequently, take time, and are comparatively stable (i.e., they don’t change very often). Your team may be able to concentrate on more inventive and challenging testing activities by automating these. On the other hand, certain test cases behave like complex, dynamic puzzles. The optimal use of resources might not be to automate these straight immediately. They might need more upkeep than manual testing would.
However, keep an eye on them since they might someday be suitable for automation after they’ve stabilized. Setting priorities is a more important factor in optimizing the test cases. It’s essential to order your automation efforts according to how they might affect the quality of your software and how well they match the goals of your project. It’s similar to choosing the key components for a recipe, ensuring your automation efforts are successful and efficient.
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Using Multiple Testing Types
To make sure you are going to deliver comprehensive software quality that meets the user’s needs and requirements and will work without any kind of malfunctioning, it is a must to test your software application against multiple types of tests. Based on the requirements of your software application, use various types of tests such as integration testing, usability, security, performance testing, etc. Using various tests to implement continuous testing in DevOps helps make your software application more versatile as it gets tested rigorously.
Conclusion
Continuous testing is the software development practice in which the testers and developers automatically do software testing applications and components during the whole software development lifecycle. There are various benefits of using continuous testing in DevOps for seamless automation. These factors are rapid release cycle, prior bug and error detection, improved efficiency, collaboration, etc. To implement continuous testing in DevOps for seamless automation should be followed.
These practices are Shift-left shifting, robust test infrastructure, optimizing the test cases, etc. You must choose the right automation tools to implement seamless automation testing with continuous testing in DevOps. These are the factors that the QA team should follow to implement continuous testing in DevOps for seamless automation.
