Systems | Development | Analytics | API | Testing

February 2022

What is Artifact Review?

Quality software starts with code review, but quality doesn’t begin and end with code. Documents and artifacts need proper attention to make sure nothing slips through the cracks. To ensure quality software, it's essential to review the software artifacts left behind from the code review process. If code review is the unglamorous task of eating your vegetables, artifact review might as well be getting your 10,000 steps in. Both can be downright boring, but they're good for you.

Maintaining End-to-End Testing using Cypress with TestQuality

When you're in the early stages of launching a startup, rapid iteration and determining product-market fit should be your top priorities. Unless you know exactly what you need to build, you should write code quickly only to discard it later. Working on test automation doesn't really fit in at this early stage. However, as you develop your product and gain customers, you will need to expand your testing infrastructure or risk losing customers and acceleration.

Testsigma raises $4.6M from Accel and STRIVE to simplify test automation

I’m happy to announce our financing of $4.6M led by Accel and STRIVE, with participation from BoldCap and a host of well known entrepreneurs and operators 🎉 These include Shanmugam Krishnasamy, co-founder and CTO of Freshworks; Kiran Darisi, co-founder and VP of engineering at Freshworks; Parsuram Vijayasankar, co-founder and principal engineer at Freshworks; Vetri Vellore, CEO of Ally.io; Nitesh Banta, CEO at B12; Ioann Fainsilber, Co-Founder at Pintek, among others.

How Xray helped a bank migrate 58,000 tests from HP ALM with a successful digital transformation

Our customer is a Central European Bank that is a leader in innovation. Last year alone, they became the best digital bank among 300 registered banks from around the world. To this very day, they have received 130 awards from 30 authorities. In the past, this Bank was the first in the country to offer products and services like credit cards and internet banking, which are taken for granted today.

Parameter Binding: Native API/Native Code vs SourcePro DB

In the previous article, we walked through an example of how to query and retrieve data from a MySQL database using the native MySQL C API and then compared that to the clean simplicity of using the SourcePro DB API. In this article, we are going to take that a step further and look at input parameter binding. Building off the system we discussed previously that manages the accounts for a credit card system, we are now going to implement a simple application that can add transactions to an account.

Breaking down the test automation pyramid

When it comes to introducing and scaling automated testing, QA teams can get quickly overwhelmed trying to figure out what processes to automate first, which tests stand to gain the most ROI, and how automation can work with manual testing strategies. Teams often look to general frameworks, like the test automation pyramid, to dive into building their automated testing strategy.

Load test WordPress + nginx on Kubernetes

Why this combination you ask? Load testing is my passion, and I am partial to Kubernetes. I challenged myself to share a use case that many could relate to, focused on a business critical application. Websites came to mind and WordPress is the world’s most popular website management system. Of course, nginx is the most popular web server so let’s throw that into the mix. And Kubernetes? With more than 50% of corporations adopting Kubernetes in 2021, what better system to run in.

The Power of Perforce Digital Twins

What is digital twins like with the Power of Perforce? Find out! Across industries, teams are using digital twin and replica technology to make data driven decisions, revolutionize processes and accelerate time to market. Because they are cheaper than physical prototypes, digital replicas can be used to test thousands of versions of your product or system quickly and inexpensively.

Cut Your Error Resolution Time In Half With Mobile Crash And Error Reporting

Fixing mobile software errors is a collaborative effort. Errors and crashes will be identified throughout the software development lifecycle (SDLC) by QA, testers, customer support, or users themselves. Unfortunately, there is often a time lag and loss of information as these errors get routed to the programmers who can further triage and resolve.

SCA Automotive With the Power of Perforce

What is static code analysis like for automotive with the Power of Perforce? Find out! Perforce static code analysis tools — Helix QAC and Klocwork — have been trusted for over 30 years by global leaders in safety-critical industries — such as automotive, medical device, rail, aerospace, and defense — for their high accuracy and ability to quickly meet rigorous compliance requirements. Perforce SAST is known for compliance and application safety because the tools are certified for functional safety compliance by TÜV-SÜD, including ISO 26262, IEC 61508, EN 50128, IEC 60880, and IEC 62304.

The 4 main factors to consider as part of your test automation strategy

We recently talked to Angie Jones in a podcast episode dedicated to best practices in software testing. In this article, drawing on our previous discussion, we’ll share her thoughts about the main factors to consider to build a comprehensive test automation strategy.

Some websites are just too slow...

Have you ever entered a website and realized how slow things move, you just click a button and you have time to do something else until the requested action is finished. Sometimes I enter on this kind of websites with the idea to purchase their product or service, but when the things move so slow, I start to ask myself, do I really wanna purchase this or shall I find another competitor or website offering the same product.

How To Check If Your Test Is Ready To Be Run

When starting to work with a tool like Loadero, there can be many unknowns and things that need to be explored, before you can properly achieve your appointed goals for testing. If you are working on the first test, it’s a good idea to follow our step-by-step guide to configuring a test and check out Loadero’s documentation if something is unclear.

Automated Testing: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Any software application must work properly, generate the right results, satisfy stakeholders, and fit into the organization's overall objectives. Automated testing can help. It may sound easy, but we all know that achieving all of the above takes a lot of effort. Can we take a shortcut without compromising quality or causing costs to explode?

Golang Testing Frameworks for Every Type of Test

While Go provides a testing package and a go test command, the former only offers basic testing capabilities. The package also has some drawbacks, such as missing assertions and increasing repetition with large-scale tests. As a result, several Go testing frameworks have been created to augment it. Go testing frameworks consist of tools and resources for creating and designing tests. Some of these frameworks incorporate the testing package and go test command, while others take a different approach.

A Detailed Comparison of UI Testing Tools and What to Look For

The goal of user interface (UI) testing is to verify that: However, most software testing tools either test the appearance of the application or the functionality—few tools do both well. To test functionality, most automated software testing tools primarily interact with the underlying code of an application, while assuming that the visual layer (what the user sees) is rendering properly.

How to Create a Cypress Test Run & Send Cypress Test Results to TestQuality with GitHub Repo Example

An overview How to Create a Test Run in Cypress Test Automation Framework with Live Github repository code examples and How to Send Cypress Test Results to TestQuality Test Management Tool with Integration with CI/CD DevOps Pipeline.

How manual testing is done on mobile?

Manual testing isn’t going to fade away. Yes, automated tests help save time by running a large number of tests in a short time. Yet, certain tests are still best done manually as trying to automate them is difficult and not cost-effective. The discussion, therefore, shouldn't be about automated testing vs. manual testing. Instead, it should be about how to utilize and balance both in a way suited to your organization's size and development cycle demands to maximize return on investment.

6 Alternatives to Selenium to Complete Your Testing

Although Selenium is the most known framework for test automation, there are other Selenium alternatives. These Selenium alternatives promise to solve the bottlenecks that arise when using Selenium alone, whether it's making automated testing more efficient and accessible, or catering to other demands that Selenium does not handle. Selenium is a lightweight and portable software testing tool designed primarily for web application testing.

Scope of manual testing and career transition options for manual testers

Automation testing is the buzzword everyone is talking about in software industry. Most IT companies and clients are trying to automate their tests as much as possible to reduce the efforts in a longer run. With all the projected and actual benefits, many people think that manual testing is going to go away in near future. However, the reality is far away from this. Manual testing and manual testing jobs are necessary and going to stay.

How to design a workload model in k6, with the k6 Developer Advocates (k6 Office Hours #42)

In this video, k6 Developer Advocates Paul Balogh, Leandro Melendez, and Nicole van der Hoeven talk about workload modeling design in k6, what workload modeling even is, and how you can use scenarios and executors to create realistic load tests.

Xray Cloud - "Whats New 2021" Webinar

✅ See the highlights and new features of Xray Cloud from 2021 including: 🚀 Xray is the leading Quality Assurance and Test Management app for Jira. More than 4.5 million testers, developers and QA managers trust Xray to manage 100+ million test cases each month. Xray is a mission-critical tool at over 5,000 companies in 70 countries, including 137 of the Global 500 like BMW, Samsung and Airbus.

Xray Server/Data Center - "Whats New 2022" Feature Highlights Webinar

✅ See the latest features of Xray Server/Data Center from 2021/2022 including: 🚀 Xray is the leading Quality Assurance and Test Management app for Jira. More than 4.5 million testers, developers and QA managers trust Xray to manage 100+ million test cases each month. Xray is a mission-critical tool at over 5,000 companies in 70 countries, including 137 of the Global 500 like BMW, Samsung and Airbus.

What Is Gherkin & How Do You Write Gherkin Tests?

When it comes to writing and testing software, teams have a lot of alternatives. How do you know what syntax to use and which testing solution is best for you? In this post, we'll look at how to utilize Gherkin and Gherkin tests. We'll go through the syntax, how to construct a test, and the benefits and drawbacks.

Using gRPC with Python

Microservice is now the architecture of choice for many developers when crafting cloud-native applications. A microservices application is a collection of loosely coupled services that communicate with each other, enhancing collaboration, maintainability, scalability, and deployment. There are several options for enabling this communication between microservices. REST is the most popular among developers, sometimes used synonymously with APIs. However, gRPC can be a better alternative to REST.

Introducing Grafana k6 Cloud for Education, a free program to help teach performance testing

Grafana k6 is our open source tool to help you ship reliable applications by doing performance testing in a modern and developer-friendly way. Performance testing is still unknown to many, but it is not a new topic. In fact, performance testing courses are everywhere — even at colleges and universities. One of our passions is to educate others on the best practices of performance testing, working together with the k6 community.

A Comparison of the Best Automated Testing Tools for Beginners

Automating your software tests can speed up testing and provide more reliable test results. For most software teams, automation is necessary to achieve adequate test coverage. If you’re just getting started with automated software testing, you may be overwhelmed by all the options and have a hard time figuring out which tools are right for your team.

Getting Started with Skaffold for Kubernetes Deployments

Kubernetes has experienced rapid growth over the years, with a recent post from the Cloud Native Computing Foundation reporting a userbase increase of about 67% in just the past year. Kubernetes is a container orchestration platform that automates how containers are deployed, how they communicate, and how traffic is routed between them; it also scales configurations for both the containerized workloads and the underlying infrastructure that comprises the cluster.

The Best 10 Test Management Tools to Use in 2022

There are important advantages of using Test Management Tools for an effetive product release, for locating and managing critical defects and for allowing you to focus on developing better software and a more efficient development process. Having a platform to handle all rounds of testing is crucial, especially as more software developers use cycle methodologies like Test-Driven Development.

Testhouse MS Dynamics 365 Quality Assurance - A quick preview of the virtual roundtable discussion

Testhouse MS Dynamics 365 Quality Assurance - A quick preview of the virtual roundtable discussion This video is a preview of our virtual roundtable discussion on the topic 'Is your Dynamics 365 a 'Trojan Horse' or an 'Arabian Horse'? In the full video, you will learn about.

Amplify your relationship with testers this valentine's day!

Valentine’s day is a day to express your love to the other person 💞. You need not explicitly do this through words. Showing gratitude, care or making them comfortable all are signs of expressing love. But is it the same with people doing jobs together? Relationships other than romantic ones often overlook this aspect of work that keeps people happy and make them stay for long – just like what happens in a relationship.

Getting started with using xk6 extensions, with Paul Balogh (k6 Office Hours #41)

Paul Balogh, Developer Advocate, talks to Nicole van der Hoeven about what k6 extensions are, how to use them, and why extensions are so important for a load testing tool like k6. Paul also shares his experience in being one of the newest members to join the k6 team.

Announcing the Sauce Labs App for Sumo Logic

Sauce Labs is excited to announce a new integration with Sumo Logic, the Sauce Labs App! We first announced our partnership with Sumo Logic last year, and are now pleased to share the news of this integration, one that delivers standardized charts and tables to provide an overview of how certain tests and applications are running.

How Parallelization Can Improve Visual Testing

Harder, better, faster, stronger: depending on your age, these words will probably get Daft Punk or Kanye West stuck in your head. This mantra can apply to web app testing as well: the better and faster your test scripts run, the faster you can fix bugs, release better code, and deliver a stronger web app to make customers happy.

Why & How to Contribute to Open Source Projects?

Open-source projects or open-source software is probably not a new term. In the past decade, open-source software contributions have been on a steady rise resulting in frequent releases, improvements and newer software. This is what open-source is. The software is for everybody to use, contribute or provide any help that they want. Keeping development and usage aside, a lot of people do want to contribute to open-source projects but are not sure where to start.

Auto-generate Postman Collections from traffic

Postman is a great tool for API testing during development. It’s GUI is simple to learn and ubiquitous. However, manually writing test cases for local development gets tedious fast if you have a lot of endpoints. Meticulously entering every detail for every use case takes forever. Also, if you get one HTTP Header or parameter wrong, it can take hours to diagnose. And even when it’s done, the API tests are almost immediately out of date because the API contract changes.

Introducing Build Insights Pro for build- and test analytics

Track your build and test performance to get unstuck, get on track and accelerate your pipelines. Visualize performance and identify bottlenecks by using historical build and test performance tracking. Today, we introduce Build Insights Pro, a new awesome extension to help you achieve more.

Keeping Customers Safe: Sauce Labs Achieves Both ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type 2 Certification for Entire Portfolio

The software testing landscape is a dynamic ecosystem, always evolving and changing as new technologies are harnessed to improve quality and the overall customer experience. As Sauce Labs is dedicated to providing its customers with the digital confidence needed to compete in today's competitive landscape, we are always looking for ways to validate that commitment. One of the ways we put our words into action is by protecting the data of our customers and doing everything we can to keep them safe.

Ensuring Quality in Microservices Architecture with Support for gRPC Testing

Microservices architecture. Many organizations today recognize it enables faster and easier software changes over more traditional monoliths. Microservices have become the backbone for how organizations develop cloud-native applications – programs that run independently in containers designed for cloud computing architectures.

Why Your Digital Transformation Strategy Must Include Continuous Testing?

Traditional approaches to enterprise IT – typically reliant on time-consuming, manual processes – have been overtaken in recent years by more agile, efficient, outcome-orientated models. And with that shift putting an emphasis on faster cycles of development for software products, DevOps and Agile methodologies are now essential for any business looking to succeed with a meaningful digital transformation initiative.

Reasons to Choose an Open-Source Test Automation Tool

Today’s competitive world demands “Quality at Speed with minimal costs.” To meet this demand, tester’s rely on test automation tools to rapidly roll out high-quality software. Open-source software development has grown increasingly popular over the last two decades. Popular OS like Linux and Android; Browsers like Firefox and Chrome; Programming languages like Python and JavaScript; Automation tools like Selenium and Appium; are all Open-Source.

What Is Low-code Test Automation?

It’s hard to overstate how challenging software development is today. The market for web and mobile applications is more competitive than ever. Customers expect their applications to deliver a flawless, beautiful, and intuitive experience every time. Hiring and retaining high-quality software developers and engineers feels next to impossible given the low unemployment rate for IT professionals (just under 2% in the U.S. according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

For Every Github Action...

On Nov 13, 2019 Github made it’s CI/CD solution GitHub Actions generally available to the world. Since then tens of thousands of shared workflows have been published. It is now the default for most Github projects given how easy it is to integrate with an existing repo. Projects of all sizes have adopted it from our homegrown Terraform module to the Docker Cli. This is why at Speedscale we’ve published a template for how to use Speedscale in conjunction with GitHub Actions.

Using executors and stages in k6 with Théo Crevon (k6 Office Hours #40)

Théo Crevon, Senior Software Engineer on the k6 OSS team, joins Nicole van der Hoeven to talk about how executors and stages work in k6, and how they can be used to create load profiles. Théo only recently joined k6, and he's already started working on how to improve scheduling in k6 and making other improvements to how the k6 engine performs.
Sponsored Post

Top 5 Kubernetes Load-Testing Tools and How They Compare

It's not for nothing that Kubernetes is a popular choice for running a cloud workload. It can be a powerful tool for orchestrating your applications. However, one thing that can often be a last thought in a production workflow, or maybe forgotten altogether, is load testing. It might be tempting to think that Kubernetes can handle it all. In many cases it can, but it's always smart to know how much your application can take. After reading this article, you'll be equipped to determine which tools would best serve you for load testing your application.

Chaotic Performance Tests

Building performance tests that conform to a very specific level of load and concurrency is a standard approach to performance testing. You determine your peak levels of load and concurrency, and you build a test that meets this. You build soak test and scalability tests that conform to pre-determined levels of load and concurrency, and you execute these alongside the other scenarios you build to meet your performance requirements.

How to Develop a Structured Exploratory Testing Strategy

However, the flexibility of exploratory testing comes with the risk of ad hoc, random outcomes with no structure or consistency between testers, test managers, and projects. While testers should not be limited in their exploratory testing efforts, having a disciplined approach is a fantastic tool for gathering feedback, detecting errors, and enhancing UX.

Fused Testing: Manual + Automated Testing from Testlio

Fused testing brings together automated and manual testing as a direct response to the tension between quality, speed and coverage in the software development process. Testlio is the first company to provide the quality engineering talent, industry partnerships, holistic platform and strategic services needed to deliver fused testing.

How to take your QA test cycle from two weeks to two days

Pressure to rigorously test software under strict launch times leaves over 54% of software teams struggling to meet demands for new and updated products. But even as the software development lifecycle shifts to incorporate testing, it’s hard to iterate quickly. Developers need a standard two-week cycle to ship code over the wall for QA teams to run with, but how long do QA teams need to release a final report?

Store k6 metrics in TimescaleDB and visualize with Grafana

​ TimescaleDB is a open-source database that extends PostgreSQL for better storage, processing, and analysis of time-series data at scale. If you want to know more about TimescaleDB, I recommend you look at the official documentation. k6 is an open-source and extensible load testing tool that generates the results of the testing (k6 metrics) as time-series data. k6 can send metrics to various formats and systems.

[Webinar] How to Optimize Katalon Test Automation With SeaLights

As projects grow, the build-up of automated tests can extend test cycles and become a bottleneck in software development. Watch our webinar to learn how SeaLight’s Test Optimization can be a powerful tool to help Katalon Studio users shorten test cycles and achieve higher productivity.

Five Things Testers Wish Every CIO and CTO Understood About Testing

In a perfect world CIOs, CTOs, devs and QA teams would be perfectly aligned. Software would always function the way it was intended, security breaches would be a thing of the past and the movie Top Gun 2 would stop being delayed. Unfortunately, the world is imperfect, but there is a silver lining. Today’s CIOs understand the importance of quality, speed and the value of software testing.