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Software automation testing is an important part of present software development practices. With the rapid increase in the software applications complexity of manual testing has become time consuming, error prone, and inefficient.

In this guide, we will discuss various aspects of automation testing, including its types, benefits and it’s importance.

Automated Testing

Automation Software testing is a technique in testing that employs specialized automated testing tools to execute a suite of test cases. With the help of software automation testing, we can input test data into the system under test (UAT), get a comparison of expected and actual results, and have detailed reports of test cases. However, software test automation necessitates significant investments in financial and human resources.

During software development cycles, it becomes necessary to repeatedly execute the same test suite. With the help of an automation tool, we can record the test suite and replay it whenever necessary. No human intervention is required after the test suite has been executed. This overall helps improve test automation ROI. Automation’s goal is not to totally replace manual testing, but to minimize the number of test cases that must be run by hand.

Different Types of Automation Testing

There are several types of automation testing techniques, including:

Unit Testing

This type of testing involves testing individual units or components of software code. It is usually performed by developers using tools like JUnit, NUnit, or TestNG.

Integration Testing

This type of testing is performed to verify that the interactions between different software components or modules work as expected. It is usually done using tools like Selenium, Appium, or Cucumber.

Functional Testing

Functional testing is performed to see if software works as intended and meets the requirements specified in the design. It is performed manually or using automation tools like Selenium, Cypress, or TestComplete.

Regression Testing

Regression testing involves retesting previously tested functionality to ensure that new changes or modifications do not cause any issues in existing functionality.

Performance Testing

Performance testing consists of Load, Volume and Stress Testing. It is done to check the performance of the software with different amounts of data and users. It is done using tools like JMeter and LoadRunner.

Security Testing

This type of testing is done to identify and address security vulnerabilities in the software. It can be performed manually or using automation tools like OWASP ZAP, AppScan, or Burp Suite.

API Testing

This type of testing involves testing the application programming interfaces (APIs) of software applications. It is usually automated using tools like Postman, Rest-Assured, or SoapUI.

Each type of automation testing serves a specific purpose in the software development life cycle. A combination of these techniques can be used to ensure that the software is of high quality, meets user requirements, and performs as expected.

Automation Testing Process

The automation process generally involves the following steps:

Right Testing Tool

The first step in the automation process is to select the best automation testing tool. And before selecting the tool we also have to make sure that the environment and programming language are compatible with the automation tool.

Identifying Test Cases

Before writing test scripts we have to manually figure out which test cases can or can not be executed through automation.

Creating and Running Automated Test Scripts

Test scripts are basically written to perform test scenarios. These scripts are written in different programming languages depending on the tool we are using.

Configuring Test Environment

The test environment should be configured to support automation testing, including setting up test data, configuring test servers, and installing necessary software.

Debugging

Debugging is an essential part of the automation process, and it involves fixing errors and troubleshooting issues that may arise during test script development and execution.

Test Execution and Report Generation

Once the test scripts have been developed, they are executed with the help of the tool. After the execution of the test scripts is complete, the tool generates reports that can be analyzed to identify any defects or issues.

Maintaining Test Scripts

As new builds of the system are deployed every few days, it becomes necessary for the automation engineers to maintain their scripts as well. Scripts and tool updates must be checked with every new build and updated to the latest versions.

Overall, the automation process includes the planning, scripting, configuration, and execution of tests using automation tools. Through automation, the testing process becomes faster, more efficient, and more reliable.

Benefits of Software Automation Testing

Compared to manual testing, automation testing has various advantages, such as:

Efficiency Gain

The ability to execute a large number of test cases quickly thanks to automation testing has a major impact on testing efficiency. Additionally, test automation can run multiple tests at once, which increases productivity and saves time.

Consistency

Automated testing follows the same procedures consistently, which lowers the possibility of human error and guarantees accurate and repeatable test findings.

Accuracy

Automated testing tools can accurately carry out the test cases and spot even the smallest differences between the expected and actual results.

Cost-effectiveness

Test automation can be financially beneficial in the long run while requiring an initial commitment of cash and resources. Time and money are saved since automated testing can be run repeatedly without the need for extra staff.

Better Test Coverage

With automation testing, many test cases can be tested, including edge cases and negative scenarios that might be challenging or time-consuming to test manually.

Importance of Automation Testing

Automation is necessary for several reasons. Manual testing can be very time consuming, can lead to errors, and can be repetitive. This causes a software tester to get bored and have reduced productivity.  On the other hand, automation testing can save time and money. As it does not require humans to execute test cases manually, automation can run tests faster and more efficiently.

Automation testing can improve the accuracy of testing results as compared to manual testing. In manual testing, the results of the test cases can vary because testing is dependent on humans. It depends on the tester’s skills and expertise in that particular field. On the other hand, automation testing also eliminates the risk of human errors.

Last but not least, with the help of automation testing, we can find bugs early in the development phase. Once the bugs and issues are caught early, it results in saving time and money.