With mounting pressure to release software versions sooner, the CI/CD pipeline has become the standard for development teams. Scriptless automation is making this process even more efficient by reducing the need for complex test scripts while ensuring accuracy.
It enables them to integrate and deploy code changes whenever needed, and automation lets them do so accurately and confidently. However, not all automation is equal.
You need a solid plan to integrate automation into your pipeline so that your tests deliver the results you need without constant do-overs. In this blog post, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about CI/CD pipeline automation testing.
Let’s dive in.
An Introduction to CI/CD Pipelines
First, let’s recap how a CI/CD pipeline works.
It’s a sequence of steps to turn your code into a reliable, user-ready product. The steps include:
- Code commit: Developers upload their code changes to a shared repository, which triggers the pipeline into action.
- Build and integration: Unit tests are run on the code, and any bugs or dependencies are addressed. Unit tests are run on the code to identify and address any bugs or unmet dependencies. A thoughtfully planned CI/CD test automation strategy ensures that the test results are consistently accurate and that any issues are caught early.
- Testing: CI/CD pipeline automation covers various tests, such as integration tests, functional tests, performance tests, and so on, to thoroughly vet each line of code.
- Deployment: The validated code moves to a staging or production environment.
You can, in theory, test your code manually. However, it’s a repetitive and time-consuming process that’s too likely to cause fatigue and lead to errors slipping past unnoticed.
With properly implemented CI/CD test automation, you can rest assured that your test results are always reliable. The flip side is that an error at any stage will have ripple effects throughout the pipeline. That’s why a tailored CI/CD automation strategy is crucial.
Types of Tests to Perform in a CI/CD Pipeline
1. Unit tests
Want to validate the smallest units of your software app, such as individual functions, methods, or modules? Unit testing is the way to go. They can be run quickly during the development phase of the test automation pipeline.
To do this properly, start by adding unit tests to any new code you write and then add them to pre-existing code based on your interactions during build.
2. Sanity tests
To ensure your app operates within reasonable expectations, perform sanity checks to validate critical functionality after changes.. Such tests are handy in making quick bug fixes.
3. Smoke tests
Use smoke tests to verify the app’s basic functionality and stability after a build. Don’t forget these especially if you’re planning to release your app and you want to make sure it’s free of all major usage issues.
4. System tests
If you want to check how your app is performing once it’s integrated into the final user environment, such as a phone, conduct system testing. It will show you how the app interacts with other apps and hardware features.
5. Security tests
Identify vulnerabilities, such as insecure APIs or SQL injections, during CI/CD test automation.
6. Integration tests
You want to ensure various modules and functions of your app operate in harmony and that any code changes don’t affect its existing functionality. Integration testing ensures smooth interaction between modules, regardless of your app’s complexity or the number of interdependencies.
7. Functional tests
If you want to run tests in the later stages of your CI/CD test automation pipeline, then opt for functional testing. It checks whether the app’s features function as per the intended requirements.
8. End-to-end tests
End-to-end testing involves simulating real-world user scenarios to check how well the app’s workflow holds up during peak hours or with an unstable network connection.
Such full stack tests are often seen as time-consuming. They can also break if any big changes are made to the user interface. Therefore, if you still want to go ahead with end-to-end tests, you have to carefully plan them in your CI/CD test automation.
How To Set Up Automation in CI/CD Pipelines
By investing in a CI/CD test automation strategy, you’re laying down the foundation for smart, reliable feedback loops. Here’s how to make sure you’re doing it right.
1. Define your goals
What specific objectives do you want your CI/CD automation testing to achieve? Do you want faster feedback on your tests? Are you looking to cut down deployment time? Are you trying to cut down on the number of regressions that go unnoticed?
Be as clear as possible about the problem and improvements you want. Accordingly, set SMART goals to inform the nature, number, and frequency of the tests you run.
2. Integrate automation as soon as possible
Developers call this shift-left testing — you run your tests as close to the code-writing phase as possible so that any issues are caught as early as possible. This saves you countless hours of needless effort trying to fix bugs post-deployment, at which point they’re likely to have accumulated much more.
You can automate unit tests for every code commitment to validate individual functions, add lightweight smoke tests for functionality checks after a build, and integrate static code analysis tools to catch any coding standard violations.
3. Set up a testing matrix
This is one of the best ways to keep your CI/CD test automation pipeline lean and speedy. It gives your team a clear blueprint for what tests to run at which stage. To create a testing matrix, sort all your test types by priority and execution effort needed and map them to each stage of the pipeline. It could look something like this:
- Build stage: Unit tests to validate the smallest components of the code, static analysis to catch coding standard violations
- Post-build: Integration tests to verify that all the modules work together, regression tests to ensure that any updates do not affect existing functionality
- Staging: End-to-end tests to see how the app holds up in real-world user scenarios, performance tests to see how it responds to load conditions
- Production: Smoke tests for final validations before the app is released to end users.
4. Configure your CI/CD pipeline
A robust CI/CD pipeline has a clear set of steps, is free of redundancies, and has reliable tests to minimize the risk of false positives and negatives. Here’s how to configure your pipeline for success:
- Choose a reliable CI/CD tool that’s compatible with your stack, such as CircleCI, Jenkins, or GitHub Actions.
- Divide your pipeline into clear steps, such as build, post-build, staging, and production
- Set up scripts or plugins to automate all the steps, such as by using Jenkins to trigger tests on the latest code or using Docker to set up test environments
- Configure your CI/CD pipeline so that it can handle parallel tests to save time
5. Keep monitoring and maintaining
No matter how robust your CI/CD pipeline is, it needs regular maintenance to avoid becoming outdated or delivering flaky test results.
Schedule periodic audit sessions to evaluate your test performance, the length of each stage of the pipeline, and whether your testing aligns with your software goals.
This is particularly important as you update your software to meet changing market needs, and it becomes more complex. Be sure to fix any flaky tests as soon as you see them and update your CI/CD tools and frameworks whenever relevant.
The Best CI/CD Test Automation Tools
1. Appium
Appium is an open-source framework for testing mobile applications on Android and iOS. You can write the tests using popular programming languages like Python or Java and then integrate them into your pipeline. It comes with platform-specific automation capabilities available under a cross-platform, standard API.
2. Selenium
This popular open-source automation framework supports multiple programming languages, including C#, JavaScript, Python, and others.
Whether you want to create robust, browser-based regression automation suites and tests, generate scripts for automation-aided exploratory testing, scale by distributing and running tests on several machines, or manage multiple environments, Selenium is an apt tool.
3. Jenkins
When added to your CI/CD pipeline, Jenkins can run automated tests and generate reports on the results. It’s an extensible automation server that can be set up and configured through a web interface featuring on-the-fly validation and built-in documentation. It also has plugins to integrate with testing frameworks like JUnit, Selenium, and TestNG.
4. Cucumber
This is one of the most popular tools for supporting behavior-driven development (BDD). It runs automated acceptance tests written in plain language, which can be read by anyone on the team, including testers, developers, and business stakeholders.
Cucumber uses reporter plugins to generate reports containing information about scenarios that have passed or failed.
The Realities of CI/CD Pipeline Automation Testing: Challenges To Be Aware Of
1. The need for faster feedback loops
In CI/CD test automation, your tests run immediately after a developer has committed the code. This means that your changes are validated almost instantly, allowing you to address any bugs as soon as they crop up and ensure that the development cycle moves smoothly.
The catch? If your tests are flaky or unnecessary, they could hold up the pipeline and cause frustration. So, it’s vital to have your full team commit to regularly monitoring your test suit and optimizing it for performance and stability whenever needed.
2. Consistency and reliable results
CI/CD test automation eliminates the biggest problem with manual testing — variability. You no longer have to worry about misinterpretation, missed steps, or overlooked errors. Automation will run the same tests in the same way and catch errors with the same precision every time.
However, there’s a risk that your test scripts could become outdated or irrelevant as your app evolves. We thus recommend regularly auditing your test suite to ensure it aligns with your requirements and has a clear process for making updates so that they do not disrupt other tests or integrations.
3. Scalability without slowing down
CI/CD automated testing is designed to handle the higher workloads of a growing team without compromising on speed.
Of course, scaling up introduces its own complexity, especially when evaluating how well your original tool suite and integrations hold up in the new pipeline. You can address this by choosing standardized processes and adaptable tools from the get-go so that you can run distributed tests and configure across teams and deployment stages as needed.
4. A workflow that prioritizes quality
A CI/CD test automation strategy is built on layered tests that catch different types of issues at various stages of development. This helps safeguard your app’s reliability. However, the challenge lies in managing your tests and testing environments when using live systems.
Simplify this by isolating dependencies, minimizing resource-intensive tests, and leveraging mock data when applicable.
5. Deploying with confidence
Software developers trust CI/CD pipeline automation because they can rest assured that any app or update they release has been validated in and out. But this kind of trust only happens when your tests are robust, your testing environments are consistent, and your staging and production workflows are properly aligned.
Achieving this involves carefully building your initial test suite and consistently monitoring outcomes to see where improvements are needed. For instance, if your deployments show errors in production, you could incorporate smoke and sanity tests to weed out any last-minute bugs.
6. An investment that pays off
CI/CD test automation is expensive; there’s no doubt about it. There’s also the time commitment of writing scripts for your test cases and maintaining them as you go. If that feels intimidating, start by incorporating it into high-impact areas, like unit tests, where you’ll see the results much sooner.
As you adjust to the process and start seeing the benefits of faster feedback and fewer regressions, you’ll likely agree that the benefits far outweigh the costs.
Final Words
CI/CD test automation is much more than just running a series of tests. It’s an entirely new way to approach software development, emphasizing teamwork, continuous improvement, and adaptability to change. It can and will require some effort to get used to, but with time, you’ll see how much it empowers your team.
It’s the best way to continue delivering better software in shorter time frames, and it’s a must-have for standing out in today’s fast-paced market.
Source: This blog was originally published at testgrid.io.
Top comments (0)