Automation Testing: What It Is and Its Importance

We will discuss what automation testing is, the tools you can use for it, and the importance of incorporating it into your software development process.

What is Automation Testing?

Automation testing is a technique of software testing that uses automation tools to execute a pre-scripted test suite. It is the process of writing scripts to automate repetitive manual testing processes. Automation testing helps in removing any possible human error and ensures that the software functions as expected.

There are two types of automation testing – functional and non-functional. Functional testing checks whether the software functions as intended, while non-functional testing checks the software’s performance, scalability, and security.

Tools for Automation Testing

Several tools are available for automation testing. Here is a list of some of the most popular:

Selenium

Selenium is a popular open-source tool used for testing web applications. It supports multiple programming languages such as Java, Python, C#, etc. Selenium can be used for functional testing and regression testing.

Appium

Appium is an open-source tool that is used for mobile automation testing. It supports both Android and iOS platforms and can be used for functional and regression testing.

JMeter

JMeter is a testing tool for load testing, performance testing, and functional testing. It is an open-source tool that is Java-based.

SoapUI

SoapUI is an open-source tool that is used for functional testing of web services. It supports testing of SOAP and REST web services.

Importance of Automation Testing

The importance of automation testing can be seen in the following benefits it provides:

Cost and Time Saving

Automation testing reduces the amount of time taken to execute tests and saves costs associated with executing tests manually. Automated tests are executed much faster than manual testing, and they can be run multiple times. This saves time and money, and it also helps you get faster feedback on the software’s performance.

Increased Test Coverage

Automation testing ensures that every part of the software is tested. With manual testing, it is difficult to ensure that every path the software can take is tested. Automation testing removes this ambiguity, and you can be sure that the software is secure and bug-free.

Improved Quality

Automation testing eliminates the possibility of human errors such as typos, misinterpretation of requirements, etc. This improves the quality of the software by removing any possible human errors.

Early Detection of Defects

Automation testing can detect defects early in the software development life cycle. This is because automated tests can be run repeatedly and more often than manual tests. This early detection of defects helps in fixing them early, which reduces the cost of fixing them later in the development process.

In Conclusion