How End-to-End Software Testing Ensure Better Software Quality
Software Testing Benefits
Software testing is the most important stage of the software development process. It guarantees that the software is high quality, reliable, and performs at its best. Without software testing, software could lead a system to a disaster. One of the examples of inadequate software testing in recent history is the Heartbleed bug that showed weakness in millions of systems worldwide. It ended up costing millions of dollars around the world. It makes software testing the most important part of software development. It can save a huge sum of money and human lives around the world in the high-tech world. There are various software testing methods to avoid such disasters. One of the prime methods is end-to-end software testing. It is a process that validates the functionality of the software from start to finish and how it works in harmony with external interfaces. This blog will discuss with example how an end-to-end software testing can lead to a better software quality. Beyond its know-how, it will also cover the process, benefits, and tools to create better software in the tech industry.
Therefore, an end-to-end method ensures that the application will solve the user's problem.
End-to-end testing best practices
Define clear and documented test scenarios to cover the whole user journey and workflow. It ensures that these scenarios reflect real use cases and business requirements.
Use tools to run recurring and time-consuming tests. They will run the tests frequently with timely feedback.
Use reliable data for all E2E tests to make sure the tests give accurate and repeatable results.
You need to run tests in an environment that closely mimics the production setup. It will find issues that can arise in the real world.
Focus on testing important and impactful areas of the software to minimize the risk of major failures.
Identify patterns via E2E test analysis to refine test scenarios and improve the overall effectiveness of the software.
What is end-to-end testing in software engineering?
An end-to-end software testing is an important methodology used in system development life cycle (SDLC). It tests the functionality and performance of the software on the user's end. It guarantees that the software works and behaves as expected from the perspective of the end user. An end-to-end method can create a robust and continuous system integration practice. It goes together with other testing methods i-e unit testing, functional testing, and integration testing. The process starts with QA engineers running test cases based on the end user's behavior. It helps them reduce the time to market by allowing them to validate critical user paths. On the other hand, it is quite difficult for software testers to test all the potential user paths in large software. Software companies reserve end-to-end for high-priority user workflows. A software company knows that users aren't looking for features but want to solve their problems. Therefore, an end-to-end method ensures that the application will solve the user's problem.
Is end-to-end testing the same as automation testing?
E2E and automation testing aren't the same. However, they can overlap. An end-to-end software testing verifies the entire application workflow from start to finish. It guarantees that all the components of the application work as expected. It checks the complete functionality system that includes integration with external systems. On the other hand, automation testing uses tools and scripts to automate recurring test cases and scenarios that include E2E testing. It uses various tests like unit, integration, and regression tests while E2E can be automated.
Selenium
Cypress
TestCafe
Playwright
Puppeteer
Benefits of using End to End Testing
The E2E software testing validates the entire workflow with all integrated components of the application from start to finish.
It guarantees that the application provides an intuitive experience for end-users.
It detects problems between different modules, components, and external systems which cannot be detected in unit or integration testing.
E2E catches issues before the software is delivered or live to prevent any possible failures in operations.
They work together to enhance the reliability and stability of the system.
Automated E2E tests integrate with continuous integration/Continuous deployment pipelines to deliver high-quality software.
Comprehensive E2E testing guarantees software meeting business requirements as expected for more user satisfaction.
What is an end-to-end Software testing Process with an example?
We will take Amazon as an example to explore how E2E software testing can guarantee a smooth user experience. Amazon is a famous ecommerce giant where customers buy online products such as electronics, books, and many other products.
End-to-End Application Testing on Amazon
The objective of the testing:
The QA engineers will validate that a customer successfully searches for a product on the Amazon website. They will add it to their carts and finally buy it.
Steps:
Step 1: Search for a Product on the Website:
Action:
A customer enters a search query (e.g., "Shoe"") in the search bar and hits enter.
Verification:
In this process, the tester will validate that the website retrieves and shows relevant shoe products. Moreover, the tester will also check if the filtering option (e.g., brand, price, and rating) is working correctly.
Step 2: View the Product Details:
Action:
The user will click the shoe from the resulting page to check its details.
Verification:
The tester will validate that the product page shows accurate product information i-e product description, price, and reviews.
Step 3: Add to Cart:
Action:
The user hit the add to cart button to purchase the shoe.
Verification:
In this step, the testing engineer will confirm that the shoe has been added to the cart and that it's updated on the cart icon with the current item number and total price.
Step 4: Checkout Process:
Action:
The Customer head to the Checkout page for making the payment.
Verification:
At this stage, the tester will make sure the customer is redirected successfully to the checkout page to enter their shipping and payment details.
Step 5: Placing Order:
Action:
Customers review the order summary and payment details after hitting the ""Place Order"" button.
Verification:
finally the tester will make sure that the order confirmation page appears. It shows the correct order details and has successfully sent the details to the customers email address.
Step 6: Track the Order:
Action:
The Customer accesses the "Your Order" section to track the shipment status of the order.
Verification:
The tester will validate this step that the status of the order shows correctly to the customers with accurate tracking information.
Step 7: Logout:
Action:
The customers log out of their account.
Verification:
Finally, the QA officer will check that the customers have logged out successfully and are redirected to the homepage.
The E2E testing on Amazon guarantees that the online customers have a smooth and hassle-free shopping journey from start to end. Every step of this testing process verifies that shopping experience from searching to purchasing works correctly and efficiently.
Final Thoughts:
Our discussion about the E2E software testing comes to an end. Now you have enough knowledge of what E2E testing is and why it is important for any software company to embrace. Beyond that, we have also shed a light on what are the processes, tools, and practices to implement the end-to-end testing effectively. Although, manual testing can be a great start. However, automating E2E will make the process more efficient and fast. It will save you time and resources to deliver quick results. Therefore, we urge to use it effectively to create impactful software solutions and create the world a better place through technology.
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