What is End-to-End Testing?

エンドツーエンド（E2E）テストは、SaaSアプリケーションの開始から終了までの全操作を評価し、統合されたすべてのコンポーネントがスムーズに連携して動作することを保証するプロセスです。このタイプのテストは、アプリケーションが現実世界でどのように使用されるかを示し、あらゆるインタラクションポイントでユーザーの期待に応えることを保証するため重要です。実際のユーザーシナリオをシミュレートすることにより、E2Eテストは開発プロセスの早い段階で潜在的な問題を特定し、リソース管理の全体的な有効性に貢献する可能性があります。

Think of it this way: you’re examining the entire process in a scenario where a user creates an account in your cloud-based application. In this case, an end-to-end test would simulate the entire process: entering information in the registration form, receiving a confirmation email, clicking the activation link, logging in, and accessing the user profile.

However compared to other testing methods, E2E testing can be more complex. It is more of a time-consuming process to establish and implement. Hence, careful planning is required to be efficient. This is particularly relevant in cloud environments where parameters such as network latency, data security, and data handling scalability are critical. Hence, it is advisable to determine the benefits and scope of E2E testing before proceeding with it.

It is important to run both E2E and unit testing, as they cover different stages of the testing pyramid, ensuring comprehensive coverage of both individual components and the entire system.

Unit testing verifies the accuracy of individual code units, such as a single function or module. This process entails offering feedback during development and enabling the early identification of bugs.

E2E testing verifies that the application works as expected in real-life situations by testing how the whole system functions from the user’s point of view.

Integrating both testing approaches assists in exposing certain flaws that may not come up when using any of the approaches singularly. For instance, unit tests may not detect integration problems between various modules, while E2E tests may not identify the specific line of code that led to an error. Altogether, they influence the overall quality of the software produced.

E2Eテストのアプローチを他の手法と組み合わせる能力は、テストピラミッドの知識に基づいています。

• 単体テストを優先する: 基本的に、開発プロセス中のエラーを迅速に特定するために、多くの高速な単体テストを行うことを目指します。
• 結合テストで補完する: 結合テストを使用して、異なるモジュールやコンポーネントがどのように相互作用するかを確認し、互換性と機能性を確保します。
• Strategically Apply E2E Tests: Run E2E tests only where necessary to capture primary user interactions and verify that the system works correctly in real-life simulations.

The following factors play a key role when finding the balance:

• 複雑さ： If the application is more complex, then more E2E tests are required.
• リスク: More risky applications require a more extensive level of E2E testing.
• リソース: Be careful not to overload the processes of E2E testing since the time and resources required for creating and maintaining such tests can be significant.

In other words, it is about how to create an effective testing plan that uses the advantages of various testing methodologies to cover more testing grounds and meet your development needs at the same time.

When you want to write effective end-to-end tests, follow these steps:

1. Define your testing goals and scope: Identify the user flows and the functionally that you consider most important for performance testing.
2. Identify key user scenarios: ユーザーがアプリケーション内で実行できる具体的な手順を説明してください。たとえば、SaaSビジネスでは、製品の閲覧、カートへの商品の追加、商品の購入、注文の処理などが重要なユースケースとして挙げられます。
3. 適切なテストツールとフレームワークを選択してください: アプリケーションと、それらが実行されるクラウド環境に適した効率的なツールを特定してください。考慮すべき重要な要素には、アプリケーションの実装で使用されているテクノロジーの種類、チームの技術力、プロジェクトの予算などが含まれます。

広く使用されているオプションには以下が含まれます:

• Selenium: A popular software tool that allows for the programming of web browsers. The software is cross-platform and commonly indicates options for programming languages.
• Cypress: A JavaScript-based framework that focuses on rapid execution and development capabilities. It’s designed for web applications; its features include time-travel debugging and automatic waiting.
• Cucumber: This tool focuses on behavior-driven development (BDD) and writing tests in plain language. This allows non-technical parties involved to better understand the evaluation.
  

• Write your test scripts: Create and maintain understandable and unambiguous test scripts that replicate a user’s actions and contain assertion pairs to check expected results.
• Execute your tests and analyze the results: It is recommended that you run your tests frequently and then analyze the results to determine if there is a problem. Modify the process as needed to maximize test coverage and the accuracy of tests.