What is End-to-End Testing?

O teste end-to-end (E2E) é o processo de avaliação de toda a operação de um aplicativo SaaS do início ao fim, garantindo que todos os componentes integrados funcionem juntos sem problemas. Este tipo de teste é importante porque mostra como o aplicativo será usado no mundo real, garantindo que ele atenda às expectativas do usuário em todos os pontos de interação. Ao simular cenários reais de usuário, o teste E2E identifica problemas potenciais no início do processo de desenvolvimento, o que pode contribuir para a eficácia geral no gerenciamento de recursos.

Pense desta forma: você está examinando todo o processo em um cenário onde um usuário cria uma conta em seu aplicativo baseado em nuvem. Nesse caso, um teste end-to-end simularia todo o processo: inserir informações no formulário de registro, receber um e-mail de confirmação, clicar no link de ativação, fazer login e acessar o perfil do usuário.

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.

The ability to combine E2E testing approaches with the other techniques is based on the knowledge of the testing pyramid:

• Prioritize Unit Tests: Essencialmente, nosso objetivo é ter muitos testes unitários rápidos para a identificação rápida de erros durante o processo de desenvolvimento.
• Complemente com Testes de Integração: Use testes de integração para verificar como diferentes módulos ou componentes interagem, garantindo sua compatibilidade e funcionalidade.
• Aplique Testes E2E Estrategicamente: Execute testes E2E apenas onde necessário para capturar as interações primárias do usuário e verificar se o sistema funciona corretamente em simulações da vida real.

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

• Complexidade: If the application is more complex, then more E2E tests are required.
• Risco: More risky applications require a more extensive level of E2E testing.
• Recursos: 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: Describe the specific steps that a user can take within your application. For instance, in a SaaS business, some important use cases could be viewing products, putting items into a cart, purchasing items, and handling orders.
3. Choose the right testing tools and frameworks: Identifique ferramentas eficientes para suas aplicações e o contexto de nuvem em que elas serão executadas. Alguns dos fatores importantes que podem ser considerados incluem o tipo de tecnologia utilizada na implementação da aplicação, a competência técnica da equipe e o orçamento disponível do projeto.

As opções mais utilizadas incluem:

• Selenium: Uma ferramenta de software popular que permite a programação de navegadores da web. O software é multiplataforma e geralmente indica opções para linguagens de programação.
• 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.