Software Test Automation
Building a Testing Playground
As a QA engineer with experience in automation, API, and IoT testing, I’m setting up a Docker-based playground to explore, test, and document various testing frameworks and tools. This space will serve as a hub for hands-on tutorials, best practices, and real-world implementations across different domains.
I have built multiple automation frameworks using diverse technology stacks, including:
- Web UI Testing: Selenide + Maven + Cucumber + JUnit 5 + Report Portal
- API Testing: Rest-Assured, Karate, Postman, and more
- Mobile Automation: Appium and other mobile testing tools
- Cross-Browser Testing: Playwright, Cypress, and Selenium Grid
- IoT & Embedded Testing: Testing connected devices, firmware validation, and automotive software
- Automotive Industry Experience: Software validation for in-vehicle systems, infotainment
This blog will cover step-by-step guides, real-world test automation scenarios, and how to integrate these tools efficiently in CI/CD pipelines. Additionally, I will explore IoT device testing and automotive software validation, providing insights into how to test embedded systems and connected technologies.
Stay tuned as I break down how to leverage Docker to streamline test execution, scale environments, and optimize automation workflows across web, mobile, APIs, and IoT. 🚀
GUI-Based API Testing Tools
Postman
- Popular tool for manual and automated API testing.
- Supports collections, scripting, and CI/CD integration.
Insomnia
- Lightweight alternative to Postman.
- Great for REST & GraphQL testing.
Swagger (OpenAPI)
- API documentation with built-in testing.
- Supports API mocking and contract validation.
CLI-Based API Testing Tools
cURL
- Command-line tool for making HTTP requests.
- Supports REST, GraphQL, and file uploads.
HTTPie
- Human-friendly CLI API testing tool.
- Alternative to cURL with better readability.
Java API Testing Libraries
Rest-Assured
- Most popular Java library for REST API testing.
- Supports JSONPath, XML, and request chaining.
Karate
- API testing framework using Gherkin syntax.
- Built-in support for REST, GraphQL, and database testing.
TestNG + Rest-Assured
- Combines TestNG’s assertions with Rest-Assured for API automation.
- Supports parallel execution and CI/CD integration.
JUnit + Rest-Assured
- Uses JUnit’s structure for organizing API tests.
- Ideal for projects already using JUnit.
Browser & UI Automation for API Testing
Selenium
- Industry-standard for web automation.
- Supports multiple browsers and programming languages.
Selenide
- Java wrapper for Selenium with a fluent API.
- Simplifies web UI testing.
Playwright
- Next-gen automation framework by Microsoft.
- Supports multiple browsers and API testing.
Cypress
- JavaScript-based, but widely used for UI and API testing.
- Built-in test runner and parallel execution support.
Appium
- Mobile automation framework for iOS and Android.
- Supports native, hybrid, and web applications.
Performance & Load Testing Tools
JMeter
- Most widely used open-source load testing tool.
- Supports HTTP, WebSockets, SOAP, and database testing.
k6
- Modern load testing tool for APIs.
- Scriptable in JavaScript, integrates well with CI/CD.
Gatling
- High-performance load testing tool for Java & Scala.
- Built-in assertions for performance benchmarking.
Locust
- Python-based, scalable load testing tool.
- Uses user-defined test cases for API benchmarking.
Security API Testing Tools
OWASP ZAP
- Open-source security scanner for web applications.
- Identifies vulnerabilities in API endpoints.
Burp Suite
- Commercial-grade API penetration testing tool.
- Used for security assessments and vulnerability detection.
CI/CD & API Test Automation
Newman
- CLI tool to run Postman collections in CI/CD.
- Supports JSON reporting and parallel execution.
PyTest + Requests
- Python-based API testing framework.
- Great for CI/CD automation with GitHub Actions or Jenkins.
Selenium Grid
- Run Selenium tests in parallel across multiple environments.
- Ideal for distributed API and UI testing.
Summary
- Best for Java API testing: Rest-Assured, Karate, JUnit + Rest-Assured.
- Best for UI/API integration: Selenium, Playwright, Cypress.
- Best for performance testing: JMeter, k6, Gatling.
- Best for mobile: Appium.
- Best for security testing: OWASP ZAP, Burp Suite.
- Best for CI/CD automation: Newman, Selenium Grid.