In the last few years, in the context that the world has witnessed unprecedented development of technology, leading to an explosion in the demand for testing software and applications, the term Cloud testing is no longer a stranger to testers thanks to the great benefits that this service brings. Cloud testing, also known as cloud-based testing, moves the entire testing procedure online, saving QAs the trouble of dealing with issues like geographical restrictions, limited device/browser/OS coverage, time-consuming setup and maintenance procedures, etc. Testing is made faster, simpler, and vastly more manageable with cloud testing.The following article will give us an overview of Cloud testing.
What is Cloud testing?
The term “cloud testing” describes the process of cloud-based software quality assurance. This basically means using a cloud computing environment with the necessary infrastructure to do manual and automated testing. This can relate to the use of cloud tools as a component of quality assurance (QA) strategy or the testing of cloud resources, such as architecture or cloud-native software as a service (SaaS) offerings.
Cloud testing, also known as cloud-based testing, moves the entire testing procedure online, saving QAs the trouble of dealing with issues like geographical restrictions, limited device/browser/OS coverage, time-consuming setup and maintenance procedures, etc.
Testing is made faster, simpler, and vastly more manageable with cloud testing.
Cases where Cloud Testing is needed
To better understand the concept of cloud testing, we can look at the example of cloud testing tutorial as follows:
Take the example of your team creating a feature for a web application (or website). However, your company’s cross-browser testing infrastructure is not very robust. As a result, you are unsure whether to market a product that has only been tested on well-known browsers.
In this situation, cloud testing can be used to go around those constraints. Testing can be done remotely and securely across various combinations of browsers, devices, and platforms using a cloud-based cross-browser testing platform (or operating systems).
Of course, one might set up an internal device lab, keep it updated with the thousands of new devices issued annually, and make considerable financial investments to operate it at desired uptime and security standards. But that sounds extremely expensive and labor-intensive.
In order to test without the costs involved with an internal device lab, it is much simpler to employ cloud testing tools and platforms or a cloud device farm. Tests can be done remotely and on a far wider variety of devices, operating systems, and browsers. It would save QAs the time and effort required to maintain and update device labs, and it would almost always result in lower costs for the company creating the software that needs to be tested.
Therefore improved test coverage, quicker turnaround times, and significantly higher product quality are the end results.
Types of Cloud testing
While cloud testing in broad terms refers to testing applications through cloud computing resources, there are three main types of cloud testing that vary by purpose:
– Testing of cloud resources: The cloud’s architecture and other resources are assessed for performance and proper functioning. This involves testing a provider’s platform as a service (PaaS) or infrastructure as a service (IaaS). Common tests may assess scalability, disaster recovery (DR), and data privacy and security.
– Testing of cloud-native software: QA testing of SaaS products that reside in the cloud.
– Testing of software with cloud-based tools: Using cloud-based tools and resources for QA testing.
In terms of functionality, both automated functional and non-functional testing can be done in the cloud:
* Functional testing: Testing to make sure that the needs of the company are addressed.
Below is a description of a few of the functional tests:
System Verification Testing: This checks whether various modules interact with one another, ensuring that their behavior is consistent with expectations.
Acceptance Testing: Cloud-based solution that is given to users for acceptance testing to make sure that their expectations are satisfied.
– Interoperability testing: Any application must be flexible enough to operate faultlessly not just across many platforms, but also when switching from cloud infrastructure to another platform.
* Non-functional testing: Non-functional testing usually focuses on tests based on web applications to make sure they meet the required specifications.
A few examples of non-functional testing are as follows:
1) Availability testing: The cloud provider must guarantee that the cloud is accessible at all times. Since there could be a lot of mission-critical tasks, the administrator needs to make sure that the consumer won’t suffer.
2) Performance testing: Two crucial types of performance testing are stress testing and load testing. It guarantees that the application won’t suffer from severe load or stress from numerous concurrent users.
3) Multi-user testing: Here, there is a plurality of users using the cloud service. When numerous users utilize a single instance, testing must be done to make sure there is enough security and data access control.
4) Security testing: Since the cloud makes everything instantly accessible, it is crucial to make sure that all critical user data is protected from unwanted access and that user privacy has not been compromised. The accuracy of user data must be checked when maintaining cloud-based applications.
5) Disaster recovery testing: Using this testing technique, you can be sure that if the power goes out, you won’t lose any data or have any other negative effects.
6) Scalability testing: Checks to see if the service can offer scale-up or scale-down extensions as necessary.
Cloud Environments for testing:
There are 3 existing kinds of cloud testing environments:
– a public or private environment: where the effectiveness of apps put there must be verified.
– a hybrid environment: where the applications’ quality before being deployed must be verified.
– a cloud-based testing environment: where the reliability of cloud-deployed apps must be confirmed.
Cloud Testing Forms
Based on their objectives, cloud testing may be roughly categorized into four different categories:
– Whole cloud testing: Based on its features, the cloud is regarded as a whole, and testing is done as a result.
– Testing inside a cloud: This testing is done within the cloud by examining all of its internal characteristics.
– Cross-cloud testing: Here, testing is done on several cloud types, including public, private, and hybrid clouds, based on the standards.
– Cloud SaaS testing: Depending on the needs, functional and non-functional testing is carried out.
Benefits of cloud testing
Given the advantages we get from it, cloud testing is clearly necessary. The advantages that most succinctly illustrate why cloud services are in high demand are as follows:
– In terms of speed and cost
Testing on the cloud is helpful in removing schedule delays caused by the environment. Environments for test provisioning in the cloud may be created rapidly and effectively, negating the need for teams (and team members) to share environments (or infrastructure).
Any organization’s standard testing procedure involves purchasing the hardware and software infrastructure needed for testing. The majority of you will concur that due to constantly shifting needs, the environment given for test teams very rarely mirrors the environment of the consumer, making it challenging for businesses to manage. The only solution to this issue that allows users to quickly reproduce the client environment and identify defects early in the development phase is the cloud.
Cloud-based test automation tools have a far lower total cost of ownership than internal infrastructure. The majority of cloud-based testing services have a “pay as you go” business model, allowing you to save money when tools are not being used or when you intend to reduce pilot activity for operational reasons.
– In terms of time and efficiency
Almost any device with a network connection can access resources. The location of QA testing operations is not a restriction. This can facilitate real-time collaboration for testing teams combined with built-in collaboration capabilities.
Additionally, by personalizing cloud testing, businesses can quickly replicate the central environment of an end user. By altering and mixing various operating systems, browsers, configurations, etc., test teams may simply carry out load and performance test scenarios.
– In terms of scalability
One of the most alluring aspects of the cloud is its ability to scale up or down its processing capacity as needed. This is typically employed when company requirements are fluid.
In short, cloud testing revolutionizes the testing sector in general and the programming industry in particular. Utilizing the cloud for testing is a great way for businesses to receive the infrastructure, tools, and licenses they need at a very low price without having to put it up and then worry about whether it is used at the largest capability.