A Beginner’s Guide to Automated Regression Testing

Introduction

The development of software is an iterative and dynamic process. As software developers continue to improve and modify applications, it is critical that these changes do not bring new defects or break existing functionality. This is when regression testing comes into play. Regression testing is the practice of ensuring that previously designed and tested software continues to work as expected following changes or upgrades. Manual regression testing becomes time-consuming, error-prone, and wasteful as software applications get more sophisticated. This is where automated regression testing may help.

What is Regression Testing?

Regression testing is a software testing technique that involves retesting existing software features or capabilities to ensure that any changes or alterations do not cause new faults or have a negative influence on the existing behavior. The fundamental purpose of regression testing is to identify and correct any regressions, which are unintended changes in software that impair its functionality. It is carried out following a change, such as bug repairs, feature enhancements, or software updates. This form of testing is essential to ensure that the product operates smoothly with new functionality and that any changes or repairs do not introduce new defects. It entails re-running previously executed test cases to assess the impact of the modification and ensure that the application’s previous functionality is still operational. Even a single bug fix or significant change in the original functionality might trigger regression testing to assure the software’s stability and dependability.

Why do you Need Regression Testing?

Regression testing tools create software applications by modifying, adding, or removing existing features or functions. As an example:

Adding a new feature:

When a software application is downloaded, the user is able to log in using their email credentials. However, the new option allows you to check in using Facebook as well. In such a case, regression testing helps to determine whether or not the old log-in using email credentials works correctly.

Change Requirements and defects are fixed:

You log in with your user id and password; however, for a faster and more straightforward login, the password option is eliminated from the initial page; this is a change that is implemented. If the login button displays an error message while logging in, the developers will fix the problem. Following that, automation regression testing is performed to ensure that the fixed log-in features are operational.

Resolving operating issues:

If the software application runs slowly, a few codes are changed, and the load time is reduced, say from 7 seconds to 3 seconds. This may have an impact on the software and cause functional issues. Again, regression testing tools are used to check for any issues that are interfering with the software’s operation and performance.

Benefits of Automated Regression Testing

Time and Effort Saving: Automated regression testing considerably decreases the time and effort necessary for testing by automating the execution of test cases. When compared to manual testing, test cases can be executed more rapidly and consistently, allowing teams to better manage their time and resources.
Improved Test Coverage: Automation technologies are capable of running a huge number of test cases, including complicated scenarios that would be difficult to cover manually. This results in increased test coverage, ensuring that a greater range of features and interactions are adequately evaluated. It aids in the identification of potential issues that may have been missed during manual testing, hence improving the overall quality of the product.
Faster Feedback Coverage: Automated regression testing gives immediate feedback on the behavior of software once changes are made. Developers can immediately detect any regressions or unforeseen side effects caused by changes or upgrades. Early bug detection provides for faster bug fixes and avoids problems from spreading farther into the product, lowering the overall cost and work necessary to address faults.
Reusability and Maintainability: Automated regression testing can be used across numerous programs iterations or versions. Once the test cases are automated, they may readily repeat as needed to ensure consistency in testing. Test scripts can be maintained and modified as the program evolves, allowing teams to successfully adjust their testing methodologies.
Increased Accuracy: Automation eliminates the risk of human errors during test execution, resulting in higher test result accuracy. Automated regression tests consistently follow established processes, which reduces the likelihood of missing major issues. The dependability of test results means that developers may make well-informed decisions based on correct data.
Continuous Integration: Continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) pipelines can be smoothly coupled with automated regression testing. It enables the automatic execution of regression tests whenever new updates to the software are introduced. This integration facilitates early problem detection, faster feedback, and ensures that the program remains stable and functioning throughout the development process.
Higher ROI on testing: Since software development and maintenance is a continuous process, automated testing, although it often results in larger initial expenditures, may frequently help save a great deal of time and money for the near future whilst yielding bigger benefits over the long term.
Less staff costs: Teams just require one QA (Quality inspection) engineer to test scripts when using an automated test platform. Manual regression testing, in comparison, will take a team of experts to provide comparable findings. Automation thereby significantly decreases the overall time and staff expenses needed for regression testing.
Repeatability: No matter if the QA team has the time or the energy, automated regression testing may be carried out whenever it is necessary. As opposed to automated testing, manual testing needs enough QA personnel for every new project.

Automated Regression Testing Tools

Automated Regression Testing is a testing domain in which we can automate the majority of the testing work. When we receive a new software build, we execute all the test cases that were previously run. This indicates that we already have a collection of test cases available, but running these test cases manually takes time. Automating these test cases saves time and is an efficient regression test technique because we know what the expected results are. The degree of automation is determined by the amount of test cases that will remain applicable throughout time.

If test cases change from time to time, the application scope expands, and automation of the regression approach becomes a waste of time. The majority of regression testing tools are of the record and playback variety. You can record test cases by browsing through the AUT (Application Under Test) and determining whether or not the expected outcomes are arriving.

Avo Assure: It is a 100% no-code and hybrid test automation solution that simplifies and accelerates regression testing. Its cross-platform connectivity allows you to test on the web, mobile, desktop, Mainframe, ERPs, related emulators, and other platforms. The test automation solution allows you to run end-to-end regression tests without writing a single line of code, ensuring speedy, high-quality delivery.

BugBug: It is an easy-to-use application that facilitates regression testing automation with its “record & replay” function, which allows users to quickly generate test scenarios by capturing interactions with their website and replaying them as test steps. It is a less complicated alternative to Selenium since it is easy to understand, does not involve code, and allows for the speedier implementation of production-ready regression tests. BugBug is also reasonably priced, with a free option for local browser testing and a $49 monthly cloud service for performing regression tests every hour, giving it an accessible and cost-effective alternative for automating regression testing.

LambdaTest: It is an all-in-one test automation platform with a user base across 130 countries. The platform offers free and codeless regression testing solutions. It has an easy-to-use setup process as well as capabilities such as Record and Playback, test object management, and test asset reuse for efficient test production and scalability. To fulfill the needs of advanced testers, advanced capabilities such as built-in keywords, self-healing, cross-browser testing, and CI/CD integration are offered in this.

TimeShiftX: TimeShiftX provides a substantial competitive advantage to enterprises by shortening test cycles, meeting deadlines, and reducing required resources, resulting in a speedier release cycle with great software reliability.

Virtuoso: With self-healing tests that respond to changes in the application’s DOM, Virtuoso alters regression testing, ensuring reliability and eliminates the need for manual test maintenance. Testers can focus on identifying issues rather than test fixing by employing bots that analyze the DOM and a Machine Learning technique to detect unexpected changes. The program provides an intuitive authoring experience with natural language scripting in plain English, combining the adaptability of coded methods with the speed and accessibility of a code-less tool.

DogQ: DogQ is a no-code automation testing solution that is suited for both beginners and experts. It includes advanced regression testing capabilities like cloud-based execution, AI-based text recognition for understandable test results, and simple management via a customized interface. It is a low-cost solution with variable price plans starting at $5 per month, making it ideal for startups. All customers get access to advanced features such as integration, parallel testing, and scheduling without the requirement to increase their plans.

Conclusion

Regression testing is an important practice in assuring the delivery of high-quality software by ensuring that code modifications have no negative consequences on current functionality. Automation technologies provide key benefits like time and effort savings, increased test coverage, and faster feedback. Automated regression testing improves software development workflows by increasing productivity, optimizing resource utilization, and detecting unintentional faults or changes.

LambdaTest provides a comprehensive platform with code-less solutions and seamless connection with CI/CD pipelines. Development teams can optimize their testing operations and provide stable software applications more effectively by implementing the suitable automated regression testing tool. This enables organizations to exceed customer expectations, keep ahead of the competition in the software development market, and assure overall project success. LambdaTets’s unique features and capabilities cater to different project requirements and user expertise levels. Organizations may improve testing efforts, reduce manual work, and provide high-quality software that meets user expectations by utilizing the testing platform. Automated regression testing is a powerful method for increasing productivity and instilling trust in software stability, allowing firms to prosper in a competitive market.

The platform is trusted by an AI-powered smart visual UI testing Cloud, with a real-time offering on 3000+ desktop and mobile environments, backed by the trust of over 2 million users, 500+ enterprises, and 130+ countries. Other notable features include SmartUI’s GithHub App Integration that helps in automatically triggering test executions for each code commit or pull request with Smart Visual UI Testing and GitHub Actions; and detailed insights of your automation tests in your CI/CD pipelines by integrating with your most used DevOps tools. Begin with a free testing trail today.