![[Differences] Continuous Testing vs. Automation Testing](https://kiwiqa.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Continuous-Testing-vs-Automation-Testing-100.jpg)
KiwiQATable of Contents
Over the years there has been a tremendous change in the manner in which software products are architected, designed, built, tested, and shipped to the market. The traditional waterfall model is all gone, it is replaced with the Agile model of development and testing.
On similar lines, monolithic software architecture where a unified software design was used to build products has given way to the microservices architecture. In simple terms, microservices is an architectural approach where a complex piece of software is broken down into numerous independent services with each service designed to do predefined tasks. It is akin to LEGO-styled software development that makes it easy to build, modify, remove, as well as scale complex pieces of software blocks.
Like software development, testing methodology and approach has also changed drastically as there is a laser-sharp focus on TTM (Time to Market). Automation testing is no longer enough to ship quality code, as tests have to be run in a continuous fashion. This is where continuous testing can play a major role in ensuring that the automated tests reap the maximum benefits in terms of locating & reporting bugs and improving the test coverage & overall product quality.
In this particular blog, we look at the following aspects of development and testing:
By the end of this blog, you would be in a position to use the continuous approach to automated testing. We would also into some of the important reasons when you might need to onboard an experienced automation testing services company for your project.
Automation testing is the process of using automated testing tools (or frameworks) for testing aspects like scalability, reliability, security, functionality, etc. of the product. For instance, Selenium and Cypress are some of the prominent open-source frameworks that are used for front-end testing of web applications (or websites). Cloud-based grids that leverage these open-source frameworks can be further used for scalable front-end testing.
On similar lines, there are tools and frameworks to perform load testing, security testing, API testing, and more. All of these tests can be performed using the manual and automated approach but automation is preferable since it is a more scalable and reliable approach to testing.
Since DevOps (Development Operations) has become an integral part of the development and testing strategy, it is recommended to run automation tests in a continuous CI (Continuous Integration) pipeline.
Continuous testing is the process of leveraging automated testing tools in the software delivery pipeline for achieving faster developer feedback. The tests are run as a part of the CI pipeline where a set of tests (or test suites) are automatically triggered whenever any new piece of code is pushed to the repository.
Since the tests are run continuously, it helps in catching the errors at a faster pace thereby enabling the developers to fix them at a quicker pace. On the whole, continuous testing has a significant impact on the product quality since it minimizes the business risks that are associated with quality.
Business risks can be minimized to a large extent by leveraging the benefits of automation testing and continuous testing.
As mentioned earlier, the software industry is changing at a faster pace as enterprises are focussing on faster TTM. Monolithic architecture is a thing of the past, with microservices-based architecture taking the center stage. On similar lines, the benefits of automated testing tools are multiplied when used in a continuous manner.
Here are some of the major advantages of continuous testing:
This is where the combination of DevOps, Agile, Continuous Integration, Continuous Delivery, and Continuous Testing can be leveraged to ensure that quality code is shipped to the end-users.
Lastly, it minimizes the application-related risks as continuous testing has a significant impact on the overall quality and delivery timelines.
Many companies that are trying to test the waters of continuous testing need support in accelerating the process, this is where partnering with an experienced automation testing company like KiwiQA makes perfect business sense.
It is all about reaping the maximum benefits of automated continuous testing for your project!
Now that we have covered all the important aspects of automated testing and continuous testing, let’s deep dive into what is the difference between both of them.
Automated testing is about using the right set of tools and frameworks for automating repetitive tasks. The test could be about verifying the functionalities of the front-end/back-end or even testing the non-functional aspects of the product e.g. load, security, etc. You can still verify the product features and functionalities through automated testing but running tests in a continuous fashion has major benefits.
On the other hand, Continuous testing is the process of improving the quality of the product by triggering tests (or suites) in a continual manner. You can think of it as running tests at scale for accelerating developer feedback and improving the product quality at every step!
Automation testing in different avenues (e.g. UI, API, back-end, etc.) helps in scalable testing of the product but its impact becomes massive when it is used in a CI pipeline. The combination of both can be beneficial in the era where DevOps, Agile, CI/CD, DevSecOps, etc. are used for improving product quality and accelerating delivery processes.
To put it in Black & White (B&W):
Continuous testing encompasses much more than automation testing.
In today’s hyper-competitive times, release cycles have shortened as many enterprises release features (or fixes) ‘several times’ in a single day. This is where continuous testing can do wonders as every single line of code change gets tested with the tests in CI pipeline.
Though automation testing is an integral part of continuous testing, there is a vast amount of difference between both of them. Having said that, it is recommended to leverage automated testing with CI to accelerate release processes.
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