Types of Automation Testing: A Beginner’s Guide

What Can Be Automated?

Quite a lot actually! Typically, automation testing is divided into the type of testing, the type of tests, and the phase of testing. (Please note that some of these may overlap and the classification is often dependent on workflow and preferences).

1. Type of testing

There are 2 main types, functional and non-functional:

• Functional: Which tests the real-world, business application of a software solution. For example, a ride-sharing app like Uber must be able to connect end users to drivers when all conditions are met, at the bare minimum.
• Non-functional: Which tests the remaining requirements of the software (for example performance, security, data storage, etc.) With the ride-sharing example, this type of testing will ensure that the app is fast and efficient when performing its most essential functions, like connecting end users to drivers in this case.

Read More: Top 10 Automated Functional Testing Tools For Your QA Team

2. Type of tests

Aside from the types of automation; Smoke Tests, Integration Tests, Regression Tests, Security Tests, Performance Tests, Acceptance Tests, etc. are also common in the field of test automation.

• Smoke Tests:   
  Smoke tests are a type of Functional test that only covers the most crucial features of a software solution to ensure that it could be further tested without “catching fire,” hence the name Smoke Tests. It is quite similar to sanity testing, but simply put smoke testing has a smaller scope and generally easier to automate than sanity testing. Here's a comparison of the key differences between smoke testing vs sanity testing.
• Integration Tests:   
  Integration tests take all the individual pieces and functionalities of a software solution and test them together as a whole to guarantee smooth operation between all of them. Check out the top integration testing tools.
• Regression Tests:   
  Regression tests run a combination of Functional and Non-functional tests to check if the software has “regressed” after a given change.
• Security Tests:   
  Security tests cover Functional and Non-functional tests that screen the software for any vulnerabilities. They reveal weaknesses and any potential exploit in a system. A common type of security test is penetration testing where testers launch an authorized cyberattack on the system to test its strength.
• Performance Tests:   
  Performance tests are often Non-functional tests that help testers evaluate criteria like responsiveness and stability as the software handles load and stress. Read More: A Comparison Between Performance Testing and Load Testing
• Acceptance Tests:   
  Acceptance tests are functional tests that determine how acceptable the software is to the end-users. This is the final test a solution must pass before it could be released.

3. Phase of testing

• Unit: As the name implies, this phase tests the individual components, or units, of software. Unit testing is the very first phase of testing, usually done manually by developers before handing the software off to testers, but it could also be automated.
• API: Application Programming Interface (or API for short) acts as the “middleman” between all of the systems that your software uses, and thus, is then tested after the development process to ensure smooth integration between systems and software. This phase of testing is fairly flexible; it could be conducted either before or after the UI phase, which we will go over shortly, and by either the development or the testing team.
• UI: Last but not least, User Interface (AKA UI) is what the end-users see and interact with and, thus, is usually tested at the very end of the process. This phase of testing is run by testers after the UI of the application has been drafted for the most authentic replication of user experience possible. This is where the business logic of the software is examined and optimized, which also falls under the Functional test classification. Read More: A Guide To UI Testing

Automation Test Frameworks

Once the types of automated testing used in a project have been determined, an automation test framework is then chosen to help testers organize and standardize the process. 

The benefits of standardization are clear in many ways. Having an overarching structure and guidelines makes projects more accessible to newcomers which helps teams scale, especially bigger teams where there are potentially tens to hundreds of individual approaches to automated testing. 

If all of them were implemented haphazardly without any form of control, it would be disastrous for the quality of the product and the success of the team as a whole.

Types of Framework

There are many frameworks to choose from, but here are some of the most common ones.

• Linear Framework (AKA Record and Playback):   
  This is the most basic kind of framework. Testers write and run a test script for each individual test case, like recording and playing back a clip on a screen, hence the name “record and playback.” Because of its simplicity, it is most suited for small teams and test automation beginners.
• Modular Based Framework:   
  As the name implies, this framework organizes each test case into smaller parts called modules, and these modules are independent of each other. Modules of any given scenario are then handled uniformly by a “master script,” saving testers a lot of time and optimizing their workflow. However, prior planning and test automation knowledge are required to successfully implement this framework.
• Library Architecture Framework:   
  Building on top of the Modular Framework, the Library Architecture Framework boasts several advantages over the former. Instead of breaking up the test case, this framework groups similar tasks within the test script into functions and then stores them in a library. Since these functions consist of tasks with common objectives, they can be called upon by the test script whenever a functionality is needed. This kind of structure allows for even greater reusability and flexibility in testing but at the cost of more time writing the script and test automation experience required.

Tools to Use for Your Automated Tests

After choosing the right test automation framework to follow, an automation tool is needed to conduct your tests. Based on specific testing demands, only one or a handful of these popular automation tools may fit your requirements.

1. Selenium

Undoubtedly, the most popular test automation tool currently available. Selenium is great for testing Web applications and offers flexibility unlike any other tool out on the market. It supports a whole host of programming languages (C#, Groovy, Java, Pearl, PHP, Python, and Scala) and runs on the three most common OS’s (Windows, Mac, and Linux).

Website: Selenium

GitHub: SeleniumHQ

2. Katalon Studio

If comprehensive testing is what you’re looking for then look no further than Katalon Studio. Built on top of Selenium, it leverages Selenium’s best qualities while also enabling testers to do more. Katalon Studio supports Web testing as well as API, mobile, and desktop application testing, truly an all-in-one automation solution.

Interested? Learn More About Katalon Here
 

Here’s how Katalon makes automation testing a breeze:

• No-code, low-code, and full-code modes: Katalon provides testers with 3 test creation modes. 
  • No-code: With the Record-and-Playback feature, testers can record their on-screen manual actions and turn those actions into an automated test script that they can re-execute how many times they want.
     
  • Low-code: Katalon also provides a library of Built-in Keywords, which are essentially just pre-written code snippets with customizable parameters designed to perform specific actions. For example, a keyword like “Click” would handle the internal logic to locate the element (e.g. a button) and perform the click action on it. The tester only needs to specify the element that they want to perform on, without having to worry about the underlying code.
    
    
     
  • Full-code: testers can easily turn on the Scripting mode and write the test script all by themselves. Of course, they can switch to the no-code and low-code mode whenever they want. The availability of those two modes complements the full-code mode. You get the best of both worlds: the convenience of creating tests with point-and-click mechanisms and the flexibility of full-on scripting. Instead of worrying about how to write tests, they can now focus on what to test, significantly improving productivity.
     
• All testing phases are consolidated within a single workspace with Katalon: From planning and writing tests to organizing them into test suites, executing across various environments, and generating comprehensive test reports – Katalon streamlines these processes

Here's a sneak peek of how Katalon works:

Start Katalon Free Trial and Witness its Power in Action

3. Ranorex

For all of your UI testing needs, Ranorex might prove to be the answer. Ranorex Studio is a comprehensive automation tool designed to streamline the testing process for a wide variety of applications, including desktop, web, and mobile. Known for its user-friendly interface, Ranorex Studio caters to both beginners and advanced users, making it a versatile choice for diverse testing teams. The tool stands out for its robust capabilities in simplifying test automation while ensuring high levels of accuracy and efficiency.

Ranorex supports a wide range of technologies and platforms, including .NET, Java, HTML5, Flash, and Flex, which makes it suitable for testing diverse application environments. The tool integrates seamlessly with various development environments and CI/CD pipelines, facilitating continuous testing and rapid feedback cycles. Its powerful object recognition capabilities ensure that tests remain stable and reliable, even as applications evolve. Additionally, Ranorex Studio supports data-driven testing, allowing testers to execute the same test with different data sets to ensure comprehensive test coverage.

Website: Ranorex

4. Apache Jmeter

When it comes to performance testing needs, you could do much worse than Apache Jmeter. Supporting Web services and applications, Apache Jmeter can simulate heavy loads on a server, a group of servers or a network to evaluate its strength and how well it can handle different load types.

Apache JMeter supports a wide range of protocols, including HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, LDAP, SOAP, and JDBC, making it suitable for testing various types of web services and applications. Its extensive plugin ecosystem further enhances its functionality, allowing users to extend its capabilities to meet specific testing needs. For example, plugins are available for integrating with other tools, generating custom reports, and simulating more complex user behaviors.

The tool also provides detailed and customizable reporting features. After running a test, JMeter offers a variety of reports and graphs that help testers analyze performance metrics such as response time, throughput, error rates, and server resource utilization.

Website: JMeter

Learn More: Top Performance Testing Tools You Need To Know

How To Do Automation Testing Better?

There are usually 2 main approaches when it comes to automation testing:

1. Build approach: Use a test automation framework to build your own automation solution
2. Buy approach: Use a test automation tool built by a third-party vendor

Building your own solution allows you to customize it in whatever ways you want to fit your specific needs. This full control over the development, implementation, and maintenance process is ideal when you want to have your own ecosystem for testing, and you can also easily scale the solution along the way. However, this approach requires a lot of technical expertise, as well as the need to continuously maintain the test scripts, which proves to be a huge challenge as you grow.

On the other hand, commercial tools typically offer a range of features ready for use, saving time on development. It eliminates extensive in-house development, and your team can start testing right away. Commercial tools often come with support, documentation, and training, reducing the need for specialized expertise within the team.

If you don't know which tools to choose, have a look at our updated list. These are all top testing tools on the market widely loved and recommended in the industry:

1. Top Automation Testing Tools
2. Top API Testing Tool
3. Top Web Testing Tools
4. Top API Testing Tools
5. Top Functional Testing Tools
6. Top Integration Testing Tools
7. Top Cross-browser Testing Tools

Conclusion

While not exhaustive, we hope that this brief overview of the different types of automation testing and the variety of test automation frameworks have given you a better understanding of test automation. And perhaps you might even try your hands at some of the tools that we have highlighted here. Should you choose to do so, we wish you the best in your testing journey and that you may help others start their own by sharing this article.

Want To Do Automation Testing Faster & Better? It Starts From Here