Introduction
As web and mobile app testing are becoming more and more popular, enterprises are focusing more on continuous testing. Continuous testing is crucial in today’s web and mobile app development to ensure that quality is maintained. It is a boon for developers and testers to be able to identify and handle any bug issues in real-time at any stage of the development process provided it is done correctly. This keeps the delivery pipeline moving and guarantees that apps are released on time with a flawless user experience.
Continuous testing in DevOps
Continuous testing is a form of testing concept used in DevOps that allows you to test software at every stage of the development cycle. It is based on the principle of testing often and early to ensure that software quality is maintained throughout the continuous delivery process. The automated tests are run after every code change and frequently to provide developers with faster feedback so that they can act on anything worrisome right away. Developers, DevOps and Quality Assurance team members, and the operational team are all stakeholders in continuous testing. The image below illustrates how it differs from automated testing.
Continuous testing with mobile and web Applications
Mobile app testing is more challenging than testing server-based applications because there are a lot of aspects to validate, like the mobile app’s functionality, its compatibility on various browsers, operating systems (Android and iOS), devices and simulators. Fortunately, handling this becomes easy if we strategize to automate mobile application tests with the help of continuous integration tools or cross browser testing tools making the process more efficient. The following are the most common tests that the team runs in segregated settings while testing a mobile application:
- Unit tests: Small units of code that do not need to operate on machines but can run on the built machine are subjected to tests.
- Integration tests: integration tests need to be performed on the device or simulator. They are higher-level tests that need interaction with a device’s native capability, such as geolocation.
- Functional and UI Tests: These tests are run to ensure all the app functionalities, such as geolocation, are running properly and for that, the tests need to run on real devices and simulators.
- Performance tests- These tests are used to assess the app’s performance in terms of stability, speed, scalability, and responsiveness, among other factors.
Additionally, web applications undergo usability, compatibility, load, regression tests, etc., apart from functional and performance tests. For effective continuous testing of web and mobile applications, one must follow the following best practices:
– Shared focus on web and mobile app: Depending on the business model, consumer preferences, and resource availability, a company must determine the correct investment balance between web and mobile apps to achieve digital excellence.
–Shared quality ownership: Developers and testers should work collaboratively and share the responsibility to maintain quality. Approaches like TDD and BDD should be adopted along with scalable continuous testing frameworks.
– Adopt the Shift-left Principle: The Shift-Left Principle is the basis of a continuous testing approach that focuses on performing functional and non-functional tests early in the software development life cycle. The developers will be able to resolve issues and give the best user experience if they receive feedback as quickly as possible.
–Adopt Cloud: The number of browsers, devices, and operating systems on which your apps must be tested will only increase in the future. So you’ll need to scale up your testing and run several tests in parallel, which cloud-based testing platforms may help you perform your testing effortlessly.
– Automate: Continuous testing is more productive and efficient if it is automated. Parallel testing will speed up the app development process and save developers and testers time and effort.
– Utilize Analytics: Integrating analytics into your continuous testing practices will give developers insight into which tests are performing well (pass/fail) and allow them to swiftly address inconsistencies.
Conclusion:
Continuous testing is crucial in today’s web and mobile app development world to ensure that the app quality is maintained. It is a boon for developers and testers to be able to identify and handle any bug issues in real-time at any stage of the development process provided it is done correctly. This keeps the delivery pipeline moving and guarantees that apps are released on time and with a flawless user experience.