Tips for Implementing Automation Testing in the Cloud, Including Best Practices and Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Automation testing is already taking the application development industry by storm. This is because automation testing provides various advantages that help the developers not only expedite the testing processes but also improve the quality of the final product. Currently, application development companies are also focusing on modern integration where they can merge automation testing with cloud testing. This combination can massively improve the testing capabilities of the developers and also open new innovative ideas that can be implemented in the application. Many statistical data reports also show that almost 60% of the application development companies have already started to accept this transition. However, there is a lot to learn about the integration of automation testing and cloud testing.

So, in this article, we’re going to discuss everything that you need to know about implementing test automation on a cloud platform. We will also discuss some of the best practices to improve the efficiency of this configuration and some of the major obstacles that might arise in your path.

The Basics of Automation Testing

Automation testing is the process of automatically conducting test cases with the help of predetermined test files. These test files will consist of all the parameters and data that the system will use for conducting the processes in test automation. The developers also have the liberty of customizing these data files according to the requirements of the development project. One of the major advantages of test automation is that the test cases are reusable. This means the developers can not only store the test cases but also use them in future development projects as well. One thing that application development companies must remember is that the initial expenses for implementing automation testing are quite high. So, app development companies need to analyze their returns on investment before venturing into this segment.

While using automation testing, the developers can also integrate various third-party libraries and plugins to further improve the testing experience. Continuous integration and continuous development are two of the most famous agile methodologies that can highly affect automation test cases. With these methodologies, the development companies can improve the coordination between the development and testing teams to further reduce the testing time.

Understanding Cloud Testing

Cloud testing is a term that is gaining a lot of gravity in the modern app development industry. It is a practice that removes all location barriers from the test bench. This is because cloud platforms help developers to initiate test cases from anywhere in the world. Moreover, cloud platforms also help to solve the issue of maintaining expensive device test benches.

Currently, end users can access an application from desktops, mobiles, tablets, and even smartwatches. So, it becomes very important for app development companies to ensure stable support for their application on all of these devices. However, this process is easier said than done. This is because, considering the diversity of the current device market, more than 1000 new devices arrive every year. So, it will be near impossible for small companies and individual creators to set up this bench and keep it updated.

Cloud platforms help to solve this issue as well by providing multiple real devices present on different servers. The developers can access all of these devices for conducting hundreds of testing processes from anywhere in the world. Cloud platforms also provide access to certain devices that are no longer available in the market. For performing all of these actions, the application developers only have to pay a minimum license fee. Let us broaden our knowledge of cloud platforms by shifting our focus to LambdaTest as a central discussion point:

Introducing LambdaTest to new testers, we can see that it is a secure cloud platform to execute modern cross-browser compatibility test cases on web apps. Cross-browser compatibility has become the new standard for ensuring the proper functioning of web applications. This is because, with this testing process, the companies can ensure that they’re providing the best end-user experience irrespective of major shifts in the operating system and device version. While using this platform the developers can initiate the test cases from different test automation frameworks like Selenium, Playwright, and Cypress. LambdaTest also conducts parallel test execution to massively reduce the testing time and bring it down to almost a few days. Parallel test execution is the process of initiating and executing multiple test instances at the same time.

This platform also helps app developers to test the functioning of web apps that have local servers as hosts. While using Selenium test cases, LambdaTest can execute it on more than 3000 different browsers at the same time. LambdaTest can generate highly accurate test reports by combining multiple different results from Simulators, Emulators, and real devices.

Integration of Automation Testing and Cloud Testing

Now let us take a quick look at some of the major points that the developers must keep track of while integrating automation testing with cloud testing:

• Scalability is one of the important factors that developers must consider while implementing automation testing on a cloud interface. This is because considering your target audience base, required devices and browsers are crucial for creating specialized test cases. Specialized test cases in turn have a critical role in determining the success of the automation test bench.
•         The developers must choose the correct test automation platform and cloud testing interface to utilize the full potential of their test bench. This is very important as all the tools are different and are made to serve a specific purpose in the application development lifecycle. It is also one of the best practices to finish planning all of these functions during the test planning phase.
•         The next step is to select the correct programming language to write the automation test cases. Many test automation frameworks like Selenium support almost all major programming languages like JavaScript, Ruby, and Python. So, programming language won’t be a massive barrier to aspiring automation testers.
•         The final step is to create the test cases and execute them on the target elements of a web application. This process is critical to ensure that all the test cases are conducted in the right time frame. While conducting cloud testing with automation testing, the developers also need to maintain a proper activity log. Since most modern applications consist of thousands of different elements an activity log helps the developers to keep track of all the testing progress.

Best Practices for Automation Testing in Cloud

Now let us take a quick look at some of the best practices that can help developers to improve the efficiency of their automated cloud test cases:

•         It is very important for the developers to have a definite idea about all the test cases that can be automated. This is because, with the help of automation testing, the developers can improve the functioning of repetitive test cases. However, if automation testing is implemented in the wrong area, it can massively degrade the functioning of the test cases. So, definite prior knowledge is highly essential in these cases.
•         For successful test automation, the testing teams must have at least the basic knowledge of the application that is undergoing the development process. This knowledge will help them to coordinate better with the development team. Certain sets of information like the intended audience base and internal functions can help the testers to customize the test cases to analyze all the perspectives of the application.
•         It might seem quite odd but manual testing also has a major role in the success of automated test cases. This is because certain test instances can benefit more from manual testing than automation testing. A great example to justify this claim is the execution of visual test cases. Visual testing is a process of checking the proper placement of the user interface elements in an application concerning changing screen size and display resolution. So, the developers must keep the proper balance between manual testing and automation testing.

Common Pitfalls in Automation Testing in Cloud

Now that we have finished discussing all the positive sides of automation testing, it is time to shift our focus toward the major downfalls that developers might face while conducting automation testing in a cloud environment. So, the new automation testers need to have a definite idea about all these pitfalls to avoid them at any cost:

•         As we discussed, trying to eliminate manual testing from the application development process can be highly dangerous. This practice has the capability of completely shutting down the application development process. So, it is very important for app development companies to properly discuss this balance during the test planning phase.
•         The new automation testers should start from the basics. This means they should start implementing automation testing from one element at a time and then move up to complex automation test cases. Many experts believe that unit testing is the best area, to begin with, automation testing. Unit testing verifies the functioning of every individual unit element present in an app.
•         As we already discussed in the earlier part of this article, the initial expenses of initiating automation testing can be quite high. So, small companies and individual developers shouldn’t dive deep into the world of test automation. The wisest decision is to consider the business perspectives and the return on investment in a company meeting before beginning the transition. Moreover, it is also a good choice to consider automation testing as a long-term investment. It will help the companies to secure the future of their company in this competitive segment of application development.

The Conclusion

So, with this article, we can easily justify automation testing to be one of the most essential components of the modern application development industry. Using test automation, the developers can achieve the highest level of application quality in a competitive time. These two are one of the most important factors for maintaining the position of a company in the modern app development market. In this article, we also discussed some of the best practices, the role of tools, and the major obstacles that developers must keep track of while implementing automation testing. It is also a good idea for app development companies to conduct frequent seminars regarding the awareness of modern automation testing trends. The knowledge of automation testing will help the testers to massively improve their portfolio in the coming years.