What Is Cloud Testing? Types and Benefits
Applications are developed in-house and deployed to the cloud, developed and deployed on the cloud itself, or even in shared deployment models. We are familiar with the SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS models and how they are combined to make cloud computing.
The cloud has many benefits, beginning with on demand services, multi tenancy, and scalability, which have been widely promoted in recent years. But what is the role of cloud testing, and that too in automated testing? When is it applicable? Is the technique for cloud based applications and on-premises applications the same?
This blog aims to elaborate more on cloud testing and its role in automation testing.
What is Cloud Testing?
Cloud testing is a process of using cloud based resources to stimulate real world user traffic and environments for testing software applications. This method leverages cloud computing environments to provide more diverse testing scenarios.
Cloud software testing is defined by its ability to test programs in a scalable environment that simulates real-world situations without needing costly hardware or software infrastructures. Organizations can employ cloud-based testing services to verify that their applications are resilient, reliable, and ready to meet the demands of their consumers.
Role of Cloud Automated Testing
Cloud automated testing provides a dynamic environment for executing automated tests. It supports continuous integration and CI/CD pipeline with rapid deployment and application testing. Automation testing tools for the cloud enable teams to automate their testing processes efficiently, from simple test cases to complex testing scenarios. It enhances the overall software quality by reducing the manual effort to accelerate the delivery of the final software product.
Types of Cloud Testing
Cloud testing can be broadly categorized based on its unique purpose in the software testing lifecycle.
Performance Testing: Process of evaluating applications' scalability, reliability, and speed in cloud environments.
Load Testing: Tests the application’s ability to perform under anticipated user loads.
Stress Testing: Determines the application’s limit under extreme and complex workloads.
Security Testing: Assesses the security aspects of the applications, including data protection and vulnerability to attacks.
Compatibility Testing: Ensures the application works as required across different environments and cloud services.
Is Cloud Testing Different from Traditional Software Testing?
| Feature | Cloud Testing | Traditional Software Testing |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure | Utilizes cloud-based resources, reducing the need for physical hardware. | Relies on in-house hardware and software resources. |
| Scalability | Highly scalable, allowing for testing under various loads and conditions. | Limited by the physical resources available. |
| Cost | Generally more cost-effective due to pay-per-use models. | Can involve significant upfront and maintenance costs. |
| Environment Setup | Quick and flexible, with environments easily configured and replicated. | Time-consuming and less flexible. |
| Accessibility | Accessible from anywhere, facilitating remote testing efforts. | Typically restricted to the physical location of the infrastructure. |
| Testing Speed and Efficiency | Faster deployment and testing cycles due to on-demand resource availability. | Slower, as resources are finite and may be shared among projects. |
How to do Cloud Testing?
Cloud testing combines several key steps that ensure the effectiveness and quality of the end product.
Testing Requirements: Clear understanding of testing requirements, including performance, security, and usability.
Right Cloud Provider: Choose a provider incorporating all your testing factors, such as scalability, services offered, and cost.
Testing Environment: Configure the cloud environment to mimic real-world scenarios as closely as possible.
Automation testing tools for Cloud: Utilize the cloud automation tools that align with your testing objectives and cloud platform.
Execute Tests: Perform your tests, leveraging the cloud’s scalability to simulate various user loads and conditions.
Monitor and Analyze Results: Continuously monitor the tests for any errors and analyze the results to identify areas of improvement.
Getting into the cloud automation process with proper automation testing tools to significantly enhance testing efforts efficiency and effectiveness.
Cloud Testing Example
A global retail company is preparing for its annual online sale and expects to draw millions of visitors over a few days. The company worries about the load and performance affecting the customer experience with so much traffic.
Challenge
The retailer is required to simulate real world conditions with potentially millions of simultaneous users. And identify and address any performance issues before the sale event.
Solution
The company employed a cloud testing automation tool to create and execute the load and performance testing all the time. It enables the rapid deployment of tests in the cloud environment. This process helps teams simulate high traffic conditions efficiently and analyze the results in real time.
Outcome
The testing helped identify areas for optimization and improvements in the website and app’s infrastructure. It resulted in a successful influx of online traffic during the sale. Ultimately, the company provided a seamless shopping experience for customers worldwide, with minimum downtime and fast page loading times.
This example emphasizes the role of cloud testing in high stress events to deliver an excellent user experience under any conditions.
Benefits of Cloud Testing
Cloud automation testing makes an attractive option for businesses looking to enhance their software testing processes.
Resource-Oriented Paradigm
Testing on Cloud provides continued access to vast resources and optimal usage. However, this is the opposite of traditional testing, which requires a certain number of resources to run a test suite.
Test Automation for Diverse Teams
Automation is one of the core pillars for successful cloud testing. And, when you automate your test suites, you effectively enable test engineers, developers, and even business analysts to do more in less time – even when they’re working across different time zones and operating virtually.
Enhanced Test Coverage
By leveraging the cloud, you ensure that you can cover more testable space and also increase your test coverage. This also paves the way for higher test design efficacy and ensures that your applications are more robust and reliable.
Testing-as-a-Service
Considering the flexibility, scalability, and cost-efficiency that the cloud gives you, test automation becomes a more viable proposition. This, in turn, opens doors for businesses seeking to test their applications at a fraction of the cost and time.
Challenges of Cloud Testing
Despite the multiple benefits, cloud testing has its own set of challenges that organizations need to tackle:
Security issues: While testing in a cloud environment, often sensitive data gets exposed to potential security vulnerabilities.
Integration Issues: Ensures compatibility between cloud services and existing tools, as systems can be complex.
Network Dependency: When you rely too much on internet connectivity, it can introduce latency issues and disrupt testing activities.
Limited Control: Testing on cloud services gives companies less control over the testing environment compared to in house setups.
For tackling these challenges requires careful planning and selection of reliable cloud providers. Using Automation testing tools for the cloud helps mitigate these risks.
Cloud Automated Testing With ACCELQ
ACCELQ offers a cloud software testing platform with an automation testing strategy. It addresses the complexities of testing applications across in-house, cloud, and hybrid environments. Overall, it ensures the software meets the highest quality and performance standards.
- Offers flexibility and scalability for testing in real-world conditions, suitable for cloud-native or hybrid applications.
- Makes advanced testing accessible for team members of any expertise level, demystifying the testing process for complex applications.
- Integrates with development processes to transform testing from a bottleneck into a catalyst for speed and quality.
- Provides agile, on-demand testing services aligned with the fast-paced needs of agile development environments.
With ACCELQ, elevate your cloud testing to new heights and confidently drive forward.
Geosley Andrades
Director, Product Evangelist at ACCELQ
Geosley is a Test Automation Evangelist and Community builder at ACCELQ. Being passionate about continuous learning, Geosley helps ACCELQ with innovative solutions to transform test automation to be simpler, more reliable, and sustainable for the real world.
