Automating Testing through the DevOps Cycle
The mission of the modern software enterprise operating with DevOps principles, is to come up with a quality concept, out it into development and roll it out as soon as possible, without compromising on quality of course. The haste is due to the excessive competition in the market caused by technology, and the quality control is due to the risk of rolling out a less than perfect software product. To make sure the latter is achieved, companies turn to testing throughout the development life cycle of the product.
The value-to-production ideology is based on and depends on high quality, which makes for rigorous regression and acceptance testing, and that too at a much faster pace than ever before.
Fortunately, testing methods are developing just as quickly as technologies themselves, and today, a quality control test can be automated, to run at a specific moment in the development cycle of the product, thereby negating the need for human involvement and ultimately, precious hours.
To better understand the concept of automating testing, and its benefits, in this article, we will be discussing the types of testing with DevOps processes in mind.
Test Automation & Automated Testing: Definition and Relation with DevOps
As mentioned earlier, DevOps dictates testing from the start of development, all through the development process itself, and right before launch. On the surface, it may appear as if it is the same concept. Really however, the meanings of the terms are quite different.
Test automation is basically, the process of managing and tracking various other tests in the DevOps cycle. DevOps principles call for continuous input and monitoring to ensure that the software being rolled out has no gaps in quality. This can be achievable if standardized tests, which are obviously, automated on their own ends, can be tracked to gauge performance, and managed in order to intensify testing in one area, as compared to another.
Automated testing, on the other hand, refers to performing a number of tests through the process of automation. This commonly references regression tests, instead of scheduling and performing them manually.
For DevOps managers, and in fact, the production question, automated testing provides some much-needed streamlining, since regression tests are often time-consuming, and if not performed correctly, can push the development schedules back significantly. However, despite the importance of making sure changes to software and systems are running smoothly and without glitches, the necessity of test result and performance management automation cannot be denied.
How Continuous Testing is the Basis for Test Automation
DevOps principles command a continuous delivery model in which the software or product needs to always be in development, to meet the standards and demands of the continuously evolving and expanding market. In order to develop continuously, and have software deployment-ready at all times, there needs to be a testing system in place that goes through the software at various stages of the development cycle, checking to see if the initial project guidelines are being help up and that the software is fully according to the customers’ demands.
Continuous testing is a concept that came into being along with DevOps. It is a new approach to testing software, aiming to maintain optimal quality throughout the production. Traditionally, testing would be left till the end of the development period, which had its own set of problems. Sometimes the software would have problems that would not be so easily mitigated due to deadline constraints and such. What was required, therefore, was a system that made sure each aspect of the software, each internal process was thoroughly tested, to make sure that at no point during development did any internal issues jeopardize final quality.
Also important is the speed of development and testing, which ensures that continuous delivery is maintained, and products are launched faster. Testing management, especially that which is undertaken within a continuous testing environment, can be quite the task. And this is where test automation steps in, managing the requirements of testing, such as tracking when new pieces of code have been integrated, and when said pieces need testing. It also finds out which additional types of tests may be needed to cover the various parts of development.
Test automation has a number of advantages, during the entirety of the tie the software will spend in development, and even long after it has been deployed. Firstly, it will be more consistent with what the end user wants, and needs. Secondly, it will be more in tune with current technological standards. And lastly, it will spell success for the enterprise by forming part of a successful DevOps environment.
DevOps training can help IT development teams get set on their way towards superior continuous delivery systems and process improvements. Make sure you bolster your teams with the right DevOps training to ensure success and quality across the board.