Software testing is all about creating information. This information is primarily
centered on how well the software satisfies the needs of its intended users. Software
Testing is not just a process of Execution. Execution is a part of Software testing.

Different steps involved In Software testing are

What is End-to-End Testing?

End-to-end testing means verifying and validating the end-to-end functionality of the
software application. Software Testing is a way to assess the quality of Software. and
reduce the risk of Software failure. This blog covers all the concepts of Software
Testing Strategies, and tools, creating moves deep into the Software Testing world and
How to create Test Cases for Software applications in the best way as well as the roles
and responsibilities of a QA Tester in Software Development.

Test Case Writing: Login page

Why do we perform end-to-end testing?

This type of testing approach starts from the end user’s perspective and simulates a
real-world scenario. To ensure the final quality, it is necessary to simulate the user
journey from simple to complex. This is where end-to-end testing becomes crucial in
ensuring that all moving parts of the application work together seamlessly and that
the final product meets the user's expectations.E2E testing ensures that the
application meets the user’s requirements.

Example: Sign-In Form contains Email and Password.
1. Enter a Blank Email and Password.
2. Enter a Valid Email and Password.
3. Enter an Invalid Email and Password.
4. Click the Sign-In button.

End-to-end testing may sound comprehensive, but it’s only one part of a good testing
strategy. There are many other testing methods that you should combine with it to
create a robust continuous integration practice.

Some other testing types you should consider:

Unit testing: Testing performed between different Units individually. Usually
Performed By Software Developers
Integration testing: Testing Integration between different components and
units. It is the responsibility of Software Developers.
System Testing: Testing the system as a Whole.
Acceptance Testing: It is the last step of testing which ensures that the
product is ready for Deployment. It is the responsibility of the Client or Product
Owner or Business Analysts.

Manual Testing: It is a type of Testing that doesn't require Testing tools for Software
Testing. Here Testers write Test cases execute them and give a final Report.

In manual cases, there is no assurance that there will be 100% test coverage as a
result some of the defects may not be detected. To Overcome this problem we use
Automated Testing Tools.

Automation Testing: Automation testing is a type of testing in which we take the
help of tools (automation) to perform the testing. The Tools for Effective Software
Testing.
Testing tools are the tools that are used for testing and verifying the software for the
betterment of the software. It is a tool that supports defect logging, test analysis, and test execution.

Examples of Automation Testing Tools and uses:

1. Selenium: Selenium is one of the most widely used open-source automation
testing tools for web applications. It Supports languages like Python. Java, C#,
Ruby.


2. Appipum: Appium is an open-source tool for automating mobile applications on
Android and iOS.Allows you to write tests in your preferred programming
language.Supports native, hybrid and Mobile Web Applications.


3. Katalon: It offers a wide range of features for web, mobile, and API
testing.Includes a built-in recorder and various pre-built test frameworks.


4. Robot Framework: A generic open-source automation framework that allows
for easy and readable test case creation.Supports keyword-driven testing and
can be extended with libraries.Suitable for web, mobile, and desktop application testing.

5.Cypress: A modern, open-source end-to-end testing framework specifically
designed for web applications.Provides real-time browser preview while writing
tests.Known for its fast test execution and simple setup.


6. Jenkins: An open-source automation server that is often used for continuous
integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD).Integrates with various testing tools,
making it a crucial part of the testing pipeline.


7. Postman: Primarily used for API testing and automation.Offers a user-friendly
interface for creating and managing API tests.Supports both manual and
automated API testing.


8.Testing: A testing framework inspired by JUnit and NUnit, mainly used for Java-
based test automation automation.Supports parallel execution, test
parameterization, and test grouping.


9. JIRA: While not a testing tool per se, JIRA is a widely used project management and
issue-tracking tool.Integrates with many test management and automation tools,
making it a valuable asset for test case management and bug tracking

Key Steps in Setting up End-to-End Tests:

1. Review the requirements before starting to test the software.
2. Set up the test environments and make sure that they work as expected in all
browsers when it comes to Web Applications.
3. Test at the Right Time, in the Right Order.
4. Take a note of Input and Output.
5. Compare Actual Test Results and Expected Test Results.
6. Looking into the issues and Test the bugs once they are fixed.
7. Documenting bug reports, tickets, and any code changes. 8. Perform repeated testing in different stages and make sure that the product is error-
free before being released to production.
9. Perform Tests between Multiple Sections.

Top 6 End-to-End Testing Frameworks

Web development is a fast-paced and dynamic field that requires constant testing and
quality assurance. Web applications can have hundreds of features and functionalities,
as well as multiple integrations with external services and databases. To make sure
that the Application meets user requirements, web developers need to perform end-
to-end (e2e) testing.

Playwright: Playwright is a framework for Web Testing and Automation. It allows
testing Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit with a single API. Playwright provides a unified
API that enables writing browser automation scripts in multiple programming
languages, such as JavaScript, Python, and C#. It aims to simplify cross-browser
testing and provides powerful features for automating web interactions.

The Python code snippet for the Playwright to open Chrome and going to PlayWright
Website and save the screenshot as example.png:

from playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright
with sync_playwright() as p:
browser = p.chromium.launch()
page = browser.new_page()
page.goto("https://playwright.dev")
page.screenshot(path="example.png")
browser.close()

The output will be an image File generated

Cypress: A JavaScript-based e2e testing framework known for its fast and reliable
testing capabilities.It captures screenshots during test case execution to help with
debugging.Cypress offers an easy-to-use API, real-time reloading, and debugging
features. Cypress browser support includes Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and
Microsoft Edge.

Puppeteer: A Node.js library developed by Google that provides a high-level API for
controlling headless Chrome or Chromium browsers. It enables e2e testing by
automating user interactions, taking screenshots, generating PDFs, and more.
Puppeteer is commonly used for web scraping, UI testing, and generating
performance reports.

Selenium : Selenium is a free (open-source) automated testing framework used to
validate web applications across different browsers and platforms. It supports multiple
programming languages, including Python, Java, C#, Ruby, and more. It allows testers
to automate browser-based interactions and supports various browsers like Chrome,
Firefox, and Safari. Selenium WebDriver, Selenium Grid, and Selenium IDE are
different components of the Selenium framework.

Nightwatch: A Node.js framework that enables fast and reliable e2e testing for web
applications and websites. It uses the W3C WebDriver API to control various browsers
and verify the functionality and performance of web apps. Nightwatch has a simple
but powerful syntax and intuitive commands that make testing an easy and enjoyable
experience.

TestCafe: An open-source JavaScript testing framework designed for automating
web application testing. It allows for cross-browser testing and runs tests on various
platforms, including Windows, macOS, and Linux. TestCafe provides an easy setup,
and built-in assertions, and supports modern web technologies like React, Angular,
and Vue.js.

Above popular browser automation testing libraries that can be used for
end-to-end testing of web applications and websites:

Cross-browser testing: support testing on multiple browsers such as Chrome,
Firefox, Safari, and Edge, using the W3C WebDriver API or their own custom
protocols.
JavaScript support: allow writing tests in JavaScript or TypeScript, using
simple and intuitive syntax and commands. They also provide various assertion
libraries and testing frameworks to write and run tests.
Headless mode: They all support running tests in headless mode, which
means without opening a browser window. This can improve the speed and
performance of the tests, especially in CI/CD environments.
Screenshots and videos: They all provide features to capture screenshots and
videos of the test execution, which can help with debugging and reporting.
Some of them also provide tracing and logging features to capture more
information about the test run.
Cloud testing integration: They all can be integrated with cloud testing
platforms such as BrowserStack, Sauce Labs, LambdaTest, etc., which can
provide access to a large number of real devices and browsers for testing.

Best Practices to Improve Software Testing :

1. Documentation: Test processes should be well-planned, defined, and
documented. Good documentation is the tool that builds efficient communication
within the software team. So, effective planning entails the creation of quality and
test plans for a project. So that errors can be detected at an early stage and fixed.
2. Employ test-oriented software development management: Implementation
of test-oriented management approaches is a good way to improve the quality of
software. One of the ways to achieve this is by using extreme programming (XP) – a
software development methodology that aims to produce higher-quality software with
the ability to adapt to changing requirements. Check this article to learn more about
extreme programming practices, principles, and values.
3. Use a shift-left approach to start testing early and often: We have already
described a test-driven programming practice inside an extreme programming
framework. A shift-left testing approach reflects this idea and suggests conducting
testing activities from the very beginning of the development process instead of
making it a final step as traditional methodologies typically suggest.
4. Conduct formal technical reviews: A formal technical review (FTR) is an activity
performed by software engineers to reveal functional and logical errors at the early
stages. An FTR is a group meeting at which attendants with certain roles ensure that
developed software meets the predefined standards and requirements.
5. Ensure a suitable work environment for the QA team: The work environment
directly impacts employees’ productivity and attitude toward their job. Here are some
ways to create comfortable work conditions and keep your team happy, engaged, and
productive.
6. Implement user acceptance testing: In product development, we have user
personas to identify a perfect customer or a typical user for your product. A user
persona is a fictional character that has the behavior patterns and goals of your
product’s target audience. QA teams use personas to identify where and how to seek a bug. But, following personal guidance can’t predict the entire spectrum of behavior
patterns. To ensure that your application meets user needs, consider engaging end-
users in testing.
7. Use of automated tests: If you really want to improve the quality of your
software, then automated testing or using automation tools to run the tests is
definitely worth taking into consideration. According to the World Quality Report 2020-
2021 by Capgemini, Sogeti, and Micro Focus, two of three key trends are increasing
test automation and widespread adoption of Agile methodologies. Test automation
saves time, reduces human errors, improves test coverage and test capabilities, and
does batch testing and parallel execution.
8. Implement exploratory and ad hoc testing: With all the obvious benefits of
testing automation, it still has certain limits. When a product has to be reviewed from
a user’s perspective, automation is not the best option, giving way to other testing
methods.
9. Communication Between Software Team: Conducting Standup calls or Setting
up Periodic Meetings can be one of the effective ways of fixing the issues to improve
Software Quality at the earliest.
10. Report bugs effectively: A good bug report will help make software testing
more efficient by clearly identifying the problem and in this manner navigating
engineers toward solving it. It must be a cornerstone and an efficient form of
communication between a QA specialist and a developer. A badly written report can
lead to serious misunderstanding.

Below are the Benefits of End-to-End Software Testing:

1. Customer Satisfaction.
2. Ensuring Quality.
3. Improving Performance.
4. Security.
5. Early Error Detection.
6. Cost-effective.
7. It covers all components and interactions.