Types of Automation Testing |Basic Concepts & Explanation

Automation is a way of making the testing process faster, more efficient, and less costly. Testing has been traditionally seen as a labor-intensive task that involves manual manipulation of test cases, executing them, and reporting results. Automation makes this process more efficient by eliminating human error, allowing faster throughput and higher accuracy rates for testing tools. It also reduces repetition errors by automating repetitive tasks such as running the same set of tests over and over again—an important factor when it comes to maintaining systems with high volumes of users or data sets (such as mobile apps).

There are different types of automation testing which can be categorized and subcategorized below:

A. Automation Based on the Phase of Testing

Automation based on the phase of testing refers to the technique of automating tasks when they are performed at different stages in the software development life cycle (SDLC).

Automation can be based on many factors, including the phase of testing and the type of tests. For example, automation could be used to decrease manual effort during the early stages of testing by setting up automated tests that run frequently and check for errors quickly. At the same time, it might also be beneficial to automate late-stage tests where you want to provide more detailed feedback about whether your software works as expected or not.

B. Automation Based on Type of Test:

The second category involves performing automated tests as part of manual testing. This ensures that all possible combinations of inputs are tested and no unexpected results are generated during execution due to faulty scripts or programs. Automation based on the type of tests can be done with functional and non-functional testing.

Functional testing is the process of testing a system’s functionality. Functional tests are designed to verify that the specified features work as expected, and they are often used in conjunction with non-functional or performance tests to ensure that the overall quality of your application meets its requirements. Non-functional testing (also known as system testing) is the testing of a system's ability to perform its intended functions under all conditions. Non-functional tests are used to find defects in systems, but they can also be used to improve the design and stability of a product.

C. Automation Based on Type of Testing:

There can be many automated processes with different types of testing:

Automation with Unit Tests

Unit tests are a form of automated testing. They test a single unit of code, and they're fast and easy to run and write. They're not as thorough as integration tests (which we'll cover later in this guide), but they can be written in any language or framework you choose—so if you've got the time or energy to dedicate to writing them, go ahead.

Automation with Smoke Tests

Smoke tests are a type of automated test. They're run against a running system and can be used to verify that the system is working correctly, as well as verifying that it's working as expected.

Smoke tests are often used in conjunction with integration tests, which test how two components integrate or interact with each other. The two types of testing differ in scope: integration tests cover many aspects of functionality, while smoke tests focus on individual modules or features within an application.

Automation with Regression Tests

Regression testing is the process of retesting software after it has been modified or changed. It's a great way to catch bugs in your code, but it's also important because it can help you find new issues without having any live code running on your production servers.

Regression tests are usually run after each deployment and allow you to test how different changes affect existing features and processes. If an error occurs when deploying a new version, regression testing will often show that problem by showing values that were previously correct but now have been changed by the new version of code being deployed (for example: “The user was logged in yesterday at 8 pm”).

Automation with UI Tests

UI tests are a type of automated test that checks the user interface of a web application. They're used to test the look and feel of the application, including its visual design, layout, and color scheme. 

UI tests can be written in any programming language, but they'll execute much faster with JavaScript than with Java or C++ because it's an object-oriented language that makes it easier for programmers to create reusable code (like libraries). You can also integrate them into any testing framework like Selenium WebDriver or NightwatchJS by using plugins like [Selenium][Selenium] or [Nightwatch].

Automation with Performance Tests

Performance testing is a type of testing that measures the time it takes to execute a program or application. A performance test is often used to measure the speed of a computer system, but can also be used for other purposes such as measuring how much memory you need for your website. Performance tests can be performed in several different ways:

• Throughput tests - The number of requests made by your users during this period (e.g., pageviews per second). This metric should always be compared against previous results from previous runs so you know if there has been any improvement in performance over time.
• Latency tests - The average amount of time it takes each request/response pair before reaching its destination; usually measured in milliseconds (ms).

Wrapping Up:

In this blog post, we went through the very basic concepts of software testing automation and types of automation testing. Automation makes this process more efficient by eliminating human error, allowing faster throughput and higher accuracy rates for test tools. It also reduces repetition errors by automating repetitive tasks such as running the same set of tests over and over again.