Automation testing has become one of the most important parts of the modern application development lifecycle. This is because the complexity of applications has almost made it impossible to conduct the testing process with manual test cases. This is because modern applications have become a one-stop solution that requires the proper functioning of multiple elements side by side.
So, the developers must efficiently verify the proper functioning of individual elements and the combined execution. Experts believe that with the help of complete manual test cases, it could take several months to complete this process. However, automated testing can efficiently perform these test cases in a few days.
So with this article, we will learn everything that is to know about automated testing practices. We will also comprehensively analyze all the advantages and disadvantages of mechanical testing practices. Finally, we’ll wrap up our discussion with some of the best tools and platforms for efficiently conducting automation testing.
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Understanding Test Automation
It is easy to understand the basics of automation testing just by understanding the meaning of the name. This is because automation testing involves automatically initiating and executing the test cases. For this process, the developers have to use a text file consisting of all the predetermined parameters and datasets that the system will use for conducting these test cases.
A unique feature of test automation is that the developers can customize the parameters and data in the text file concerning the requirements of the development project. This process also helps app companies to improve the accuracy of the final test results. While using automated testing, the developers can also integrate third-party libraries and dependencies to improve test efficiency.
The automation testers must remember the initial cost of integrating and setting up automation testing is comparatively high. This is because the developers and testers have to go through an extensive setup process to ensure that all the parameters of test automation are working properly.
So, automation testing might not be economical for individual creators or small startup companies. We recommend that app developers and companies analyze their business perspectives and possible returns on investment to understand whether automation testing suits their requirements.
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What Are the Advantages of Automated Testing?
Now that we’ve finished understanding the basics of automated testing, it is time to move our focus toward the advantages of automation testing. This is because, with the help of this knowledge, the developers can utilize the full potential of automated test cases.
Based on our analysis and understanding, the major advantages of using automated testing are as follows:
- With manual testing, all the components of the testing process are conducted by a human developer. So manual testing is time-consuming and slows down the production process. On the other hand, automation testing is completely conducted by the system without human intervention. This means that companies can effectively run automated test cases throughout the day. Therefore automated test cases have a massive role in improving the efficiency of the testing process and quickly delivering the final product.
- Automation testing helps developers to improve the quality of the application. This is because by automatically executing the repetitive test cases, the developers can focus on the important areas of the application. For instance, the developers can try and create unique features that can be added to the future version of the app. Therefore automation testing has an indirect role in improving the overall quality of the application.
- With the help of test automation, all the company’s teams, including the development, testing, and business teams, can work in close coordination. This means that with the help of automation testing practices, app-developing companies can massively improve their company productivity. It also helps them to quickly develop and debug the errors that might be present in the core framework of the application. These practices are also essential for effectively introducing and implementing Agile methodologies in the company.
- Automation testing eliminates the limits on the test cases. This means that with the help of proper automation testing practices, the developers can massively improve the reach of the application testing processes. For example, with test automation, the developers can test the functioning of the application on multiple operating systems, devices, and browsers. This is a very important feature to ensure that none of your audience is devoid of the web app due to compatibility issues.
- Since automation testing is devoid of human intervention, there isn’t any form of limitation in workload. This means that with the help of automation testing, the developers can initiate and execute the testing practices 24 hours a clock. This is a massive benefit for improving the efficiency and productivity of app development companies and quickly delivering high-quality apps to end users.
- Automated test cases are highly consistent. This is because there isn’t any possibility that errors can arise due to human involvement. Therefore, the developers do not have to question the dependability and reliability of automation test case results. This means that after the execution of automation test cases, the developers can quickly integrate their results and make the changes into the framework of the application.
What Are the Disadvantages of Automated Testing?
It is a well-established fact that nothing in this world is flawless. This means that everything has its share of advantages and disadvantages. So automation testing isn’t an alternative to this rule. The developers must be aware of the drawbacks of automation testing to avoid any unwanted surprises during the application test cycle.
Based on our analysis, the major disadvantages of automated testing are as follows:
- As we discussed, companies must invest money to set up and start automation testing practices. This is because automation testing requires the support of multiple software and proper training of the testers and developers. Therefore, automation testing will not be economical for individual developers or companies starting to transition into the world of application development.
- The automated test cases are very complex and are often overwhelming for developers who are new to this industry. Therefore, companies have to spend a lot of time and resources to implement the learning curve that comes with automation testing properly. Hence, the initial app development processes will get slowed until the app developers, and testers start getting accustomed to this transition.
- The developers must rewrite the automation test cases for every new environment. App development companies must create separate automated test cases for CI systems, local development environments, and every production environment. This process is important to ensure that all the test cases work perfectly and generate the intended result. However, multiple tools and platforms can help developers eliminate this process. We’ll learn more about the benefits of tools and platforms in the latter part of this article.
- The flakiness of test cases is relatively high while implementing automation test cases. By test flakiness, we mean all the test results that come out as false positives or false negatives. Some common issues arise when the test cases are working perfectly, but the system generates an error and vice versa. These test cases can end up slowing down the application development process as the developers have to verify the dependability of all the test cases manually. So, this is one of the most significant drawbacks of automation testing that all the new developers and testers must be aware of.
- With the current condition of the app development market, it is impossible to generate automated test cases for verifying the performance of the graphic user interface elements present in an application. This means that the developers cannot automate the testing process of elements such as sound files and graphics. This means for an efficient testing process, app development companies must maintain a balance between manual testing and automated testing.
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Role of Tools and Platforms in Automated Testing
As we already discussed earlier, tools and platforms can massively help to simplify automation testing practices. So, they can be highly beneficial for testers new to test automation. There are hundreds of such tools readily available in the present industry. Moreover, specific platforms also introduce additional features for improving automation testing practices.
For instance, cloud platforms eliminate the need for a physical bench for storing the devices and initiating the testing processes. This is because, with these platforms, the developers can initiate and execute the testing processes over the web on real devices. Let us improve our knowledge of cloud-based testing by shifting our focus towards LambdaTest as the center point:
For the introductory process, LambdaTest is a modern cloud-based platform for initiating and executing secure cross-browser testing processes. LambdaTest has various efficient features like parallel test execution for side-by-side initiation of testing processes.
All these features help the developers to improve the testing efficiency by almost 15 times. LambdaTest enables developers to import test cases from popular automation frameworks like Playwright, Selenium, and Cypress. It is worth mentioning that while the developers are working with Selenium test cases, they can execute it on more than 3000 unique browser versions.
This is one of the most efficient ways of improving test coverage. With LambdaTest, the developers can verify the performance of locally hosted web apps used for internal company operations. Lastly, integrating real devices with thousands of simulators and emulators massively improves the dependency and reliability of test cases.
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Conclusion
Considering the points discussed in this article, we can say that the benefits of automation testing easily outweigh its drawbacks. This is because, with the efficient use of automated testing practices, companies can increase the application’s quality and the company’s business perspective. One of the best practices related to automation testing is considering it a long-term investment.
This is because automation testing will not generate any instant results. Many experts believe that the app development company will increasingly depend on automation testing practices in the coming years. It is also important for app developers and testers to keep themselves updated with all the modern automation testing practices.
