Learn Automated Testing At Home: A Beginner's Guide
Published: 2024-04-04 08:16:36


Jump into automation testing with ease and learn at your own pace from home. This guide highlights the essentials.

How Does Automated Website Testing Work?
Automated testing tools interact with web elements like buttons, forms, and links, just like a user would. These tools can validate whether expected outcomes occur in response to specific actions, such as submitting a form or clicking a button.

Popular Automated Testing Tools:

1.**Puppeteer**:
Puppeteer is a Node library that provides a high-level API to control headless Chrome or Chromium using the DevTools Protocol.
 Key Features:
More control over Chrome.
Enables web scraping.
Allows taking screenshots and generating PDFs for UI testing.
            [Measures load times through the Chrome Performance Analysis tool](https://pptr.dev/)

2.**Cypress**:
 Cypress is an open-source test automation platform.
  Key Features:
  Provides an intuitive API for interacting with web browsers.
  Supports end-to-end testing.
        [Offers real-time reloading and debugging capabilities](https://www.cypress.io/)   

3.**WebdriverIO**:
WebdriverIO is another popular open-source test automation framework.
Key Features:
Integrates well with popular testing frameworks (e.g., Mocha, Jasmine).
 Supports both synchronous and asynchronous commands.
        [Works with various browsers and platforms](https://webdriver.io/)
 
4.**Playwright**:
  Playwright is a browser automation library by Microsoft.
  Key Features:
  Supports Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit.
   Provides cross-browser testing capabilities.
        [Allows automating web, mobile, and desktop applications](https://playwright.dev/)

5.**Cucumber**:
 Cucumber is a behavior-driven development (BDD) tool.
 Key Features:
 Enables collaboration between technical and non-technical team members.
Uses plain text scenarios written in Gherkin syntax.
[Integrates with various programming languages and test frameworks](https://cucumber.io/docs/installation/javascript/)

6.**NightwatchJS**:
NightwatchJS is a Node.js-based end-to-end testing framework.
 Key Features:
 Simplifies writing test scripts using a simple syntax.
  Supports parallel test execution.
  [Integrates with Selenium WebDriver for cross-browser testing](https://nightwatchjs.org/)
            
 7.**Selenium**:
 Selenium is an open-source framework that enables automated testing of web applications across different browsers and platforms.
It provides tools like Selenium WebDriver, Selenium IDE, and Selenium Grid.
        WebDriver allows you to interact with web browsers programmatically, while IDE offers simple record-and-playback functionality.
 Selenium Grid facilitates parallel execution of tests across multiple machines.

> At our company webship.co, we have developed a new tool called webship-js that greatly simplifies the automated testing process:

**8. Webship-js:**

Webship-js is an Automated Functional Acceptance Testing tool designed to ease and accelerate the work related to end-to-end testing features in web applications or projects. It leverages the power of Nightwatch.js and Cucumber-js to provide a robust testing solution.
Here are some key points about Webship-js:
Purpose:
Webship-js simplifies the process of functional acceptance testing by automating various testing scenarios within web applications.
It focuses on ensuring that end-to-end features work as expected.
Components:
Nightwatch.js: A popular Node.js-based testing framework that allows interaction with web browsers programmatically.
Cucumber-js: A behavior-driven development (BDD) tool that enables collaboration between technical and non-technical team members through plain text scenarios written in Gherkin syntax.
Features:
Custom and Advanced Step Definitions: Webship-js provides custom step definitions, allowing testers to create specific and reusable test steps.
Cross-Browser Testing: Utilize different browsers (such as Chrome, Firefox, or Edge) for comprehensive testing.
Parallel Execution: Webship-js supports parallel test execution, improving efficiency.
Documentation: Detailed documentation is available in the [Webship-js Docs](https://webship.co/docs).


Getting Started with Automated Website Testing:
Choose the Right Tool: Depending on your project's requirements, select a suitable automated testing tool.
Write Test Cases: Define the scenarios you want to test and create scripts that automate those interactions.
Run Tests: Execute your automated tests regularly as part of your development process to catch bugs early.
Analyze Results: Review test reports to identify any failures or regressions that need addressing.

Keep Learning and Exploring
The world of automation testing is always evolving. Keep yourself updated and explore new areas within the field to broaden your skill set.
Stay Updated: Regularly follow tech news and participate in testing community forums to stay ahead of the latest trends and tools in automation testing.

**Conclusion**
learning automation testing at home can be an enriching and accessible journey. Begin with the basics, put your knowledge to the test with real projects, and continuously seek out new learning opportunities. This path will lead you to mastery in automation testing and open up a world of possibilities in the tech industry.