End-to-end testing in software testing

Introduction

Ever wondered how your favorite apps or software work so smoothly?

Well, there's a behind-the-scenes hero called End-to-end testing that makes sure all the different parts of the application is working as expected..

In this Article we'll explore What is E2E Testing , It's Advantages , it's disadvantages and many more...

Excited Right? Me too!

So,Without delaying further Let's dive deep into the Topic!

What is End-to-End Testing?

End to end Testing is a popular testing method where it validates the whole application from the start to end along with it's dependencies and checks if it correctly works or not.

In E2E testing, we create an environment identical to the one that will be used by real users. Then we test all actions that your users might perform on our application.

End-to-end testing is typically performed by quality assurance (QA) teams and is executed in dedicated test environments.

Types of E2E Testing

There are two types of End to end testing:

1. Horizontal :

   Horizontal end-to-end testing focuses on confirming whether a user can navigate through a system, if it works as expected, and if there are any unexpected bugs or exceptions. It is the most commonly used approach and builds confidence in the system from the user's perspective.

2. Vertical

   Vertical end-to-end testing refers to testing in layers, where each component of a system or product is tested from start to finish. It is frequently used to test critical components of a complex computing system that do not typically involve users or interfaces.

Testing Pyramid

The Test Pyramid is a software development framework that helps to ensure high-quality code. It makes it easier for developers to check if changes impact existing code quickly. It also supports building a stronger test suite.

The three tiers of the testing pyramid are:

1. Unit Testing

2. Integration Testing

3. E2E Testing

Advantages of E2E Testing

Because of it's unique advantages, E2E Testing is a popular testing approach for Testers and QA Engineers.

1. It checks if all components of the system work together to deliver the desired outputs and fulfill requirements.

2. It checks the entire application workflow, from user interactions with the UI to the interactions between different components and systems. This comprehensive approach helps identify integration issues and ensure that the application functions seamlessly as a whole.

3. It focuses on the user experience, and ensures that the software application meets user expectations and requirements.

4. By simulating real-world scenarios, E2E testing can uncover bugs that might not be detected by unit or integration tests.

5. It is performed in environments similar to production,which ensures that the system remains stable and capable of handling edge cases.

Disadvantages of e2e testing

While E2E testing offers various benefits, it comes with certain drawbacks which we should keep it mind before using it.

1. E2E tests becomes more complex compared to other testing methods due to their comprehensive nature.

2. When E2E tests fail, it is hard to understand the exact reason of the failure since they cover multiple layers of the application.

3. E2E tests typically take longer to execute compared to unit or integration tests because they involve testing the entire application flow.

4. E2E tests often rely on external systems such as databases, APIs, or third-party services. Any changes or disruptions in these external dependencies can impact the reliability and consistency of E2E tests.

Conclusion

If you found this blog post helpful, please consider sharing it with others who might benefit. You can also follow me for more content on Javascript, React, and other web development topics.

To sponsor my work, please visit: Arindam's Sponsor Page and explore the various sponsorship options.

Connect with me on Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube and GitHub.

Thank you for Reading :)