ChatGPT vs Tester, BDD in Action, and More

Have you seen the new low-code API testing feature that simplifies the API testing process? 

Do you want to know a proven way to really use BDD correctly? 

And do you know the performance, Golden Rule? 

Find out in this episode of the Automation DevSecOps News Show for the week of April 30th.

Visual Validation Testing

Are you looking to take your automation project to the next level? Look no further than Applitools in that visual AI validation testing. Trust me. It is a game-changer. If you try it out for free, create an account using this unique link. 

First up, Automation news.

I was on vacation and sick for most of April. I'm still recovering, so many of these news items are from the past weeks of April.

API Testing

First TestSigma has announced and launched their new low code API testing feature. And we had the folks from TestSigma on the Test Automation podcast. Last year they talked about TestSigma and all the new features they plan on adding. And so this is just the latest in what they're calling a way to help quality teams perform API testing by simplifying the process and making it more accessible to the whole QA team.

And also, this low-code API testing feature eliminates the need for multiple tools and scripting knowledge, allowing even non-technical users to create and maintain automated, standalone, and integrated API tests.

Users can now easily

• Set up tests by entering the endpoint
• Selecting the API method
• Adding header content,
• Setting a status code.

Some key highlights of this feature include a truly scriptless way to do API test assertions which will help save time on test creation, including your API tests for multiple data sets without changing the script, and has a lot of flexible options for comparing actual response values with the expected API responses.

It has enhanced controls and flexibility for capturing runtime data from API responses for use in subsequent tests. It also supports validating APIs using different REST API methods and creating data-driven API tests from multiple data sources. You can integrate seamlessly with popular CI/CD tools, and real-time test execution reports to help improve your testing efficiency.

I recommend you check out this new feature because API testing is something many people have missed out on.

Automation Illusion

Is test automation an illusion?

Well, according to Paul Grizzaffi, it might be. How do you know? Let's find out.

So once again, Paul has released another must-read blog post. Once again, he released this a few weeks ago. Like I said, I've been sick. I've been out. So that's why I want to show it in this episode. I was in a podcast interview with Paul all about this, and as always, Paul uses music to deliver principles in testing to illustrate how much he can relate to music in general. And in this article, he uses the Styx Classic album, The Grand Illusion, as a thematic backdrop. So Paul shares his insights on the misconceptions surrounding automation testing, the potential pitfalls of blindly following big-name company strategies and the importance of striking the balance between automation and human expertise. He also explores the critical aspects of weighing the cross of benefits when adopting new automation tools. He understands the actual value of automation when placed in the hands of experienced professionals. You want to check this out.

And also, while you're at it, you should listen to the podcast interview where I pit Paul Grizzaffi against ChatGPT to see who wins the battle between music analogies and testing. 

TDD

So another article I found you should check out is by Wayne Roseberry, and it's on test-driven development. And he doesn't talk about if automation is an illusion. But he talks about test-driven development as testing. And so he posted this on LinkedIn once again a few weeks ago. 

I wonder if everyone's ever read Descartes when he says, "I think; therefore, I am." This article reminds me of that.

 I TDD; therefore, I test?

Wayne breaks down test-driven development, his personal experience working with a coding project using TDD, and he describes the process of writing unit tests or writing the code which allows behavior described in the test to drive the design, to develop the strategy he kind of ponders whether he is testing or doing something else. He points out other highlights and learnings around TDD and how it can provide moments of learning and exploration similar to testing or testing activities outside of development activities. Thank you, Wayne, once again for this excellent resource.

BDD in Action

John Ferguson Smart just announced that he had released the second version of BDD in Action. I love this book; this new edition is a total rewrite of the first. So if you like the first one, you'll love the second edition even better.

Many people give BDD a bad rap, and it's because they don't understand BDD correctly or they don't implement it correctly. And if you want to get benefits from behavior-driven development, you need to do it correctly. This is one of the only books I know that accurately explains using BDD and automation.

Selenium 4.90

Also, Selenium announced a new release of Selenium WebDriver, and they announced the release of version 4.90 for Java, .Net, Ruby Python, and JavaScript, as well as the Grid and Internet Explorer driver. And the new version comes with several updates and enhancements to improve your experience.

Automation Awesomeness Book

I wanted to share some progress with you. I've been kicking around this idea of writing a book for a long time and am finally close to releasing it. 

So the book will be called Automation Awesomeness 260 actionable affirmations to improve your QA and automation testing skills. And if you join the book launch team, you'll be among the first few people to learn when the book launches get bonuses. And you also get a discount or a free copy. But I've just returned the copy of how it will be formatted, which you can see here, which is fantastic. So it's a matter of me now getting it fully formatted. Please check it out and let me know what you think.

Golden Rule of Performance

In performance news, I found out about the Golden Rule of performance. This blog post is by Tim Kadlec, who goes over a conversation on Twitter about the performance Golden Rule. 

The performance Golden Rule states that 80% or 90% of the end-user response time is spent on the front end. But a recent analysis found that this Rule still holds strong, with even top sites showing an 85 to 15% or a 90 to 10% split between the front end and back end. However, the line between front-end and back-end performance is increasingly blurry, with server configurations as JavaScript frameworks affecting both aspects. So instead of focusing on one or the other, experts suggest a holistic approach to performance optimization. Targeting improvements in user experience metrics such as large contentful and time for display, and this article by Tim watch a step-by-step process of this entire concept that you definitely should check out.

Think Like a Hacker

I didn't find anything specific to security testing. I found an article you'll find interesting that deals with security in general. So in this recent Harvard Review article, the author argues that managers should think more like hackers if, by adopting a hacker mindset, managers can work around ops goals, find opportunities across silos, cultivate a culture of pragmatism, and immobilize staff from the process, set up and goals.

And it breaks down even more by focusing on essential complexity and stripping away accidental complexity. Managers become more adaptive to evolving challenges and preserve the dynamism of the organization's fantastic read. And I like how it takes hackers in security and how you can use different concepts to help you manage any project, even automation, safety, and performance.

??? Let's Talk

That's all for this week's Automation and DevSecOps News Show! Remember to like, subscribe, and click the links in the comments below to explore these exciting updates further. Stay tuned for more news in the testing world, always test everything, and keep the good!

The TestGuild is a community of 34k of some of the most brilliant automation testers on the planet and the curators of the world's best tools, software, knowledge, and services for all things test automation related. If you're in the DevOps automation/software testing space and want to offer real-world value/solutions that can improve the skills or solve a problem for the Guild community, I'd love to hear from you. Book a call now.