Feet on the Street: STARWEST

With the importance of shift left and continuous testing at the forefront of the software development lifecycle, it is no doubt that these are exciting times in the application quality sphere. Which is why my recent talk at the STARWEST event with fellow speaker Bharath Vantari was so timely.  

We discussed a wide range of topics related to application quality, from how to overcome barriers to implementing continuous testing while adopting the testing pyramid to selecting the right cross-browser testing platform to meet your needs in today’s ever-changing market.  

Here is a closer look at our main topics of discussion and how they impact dev teams and testers looking to achieve superior application quality. 

Mastering Cross-Browser Testing with Selenium, Cypress, and Playwright

In my talk on cross-browser testing platforms I led participants through a discussion on the main benefits and considerations for using Playwright vs. Cypress vs. Selenium, helping participants gain a clear understanding of the differences between the platforms and how to build these three continuous testing tools into their continuous testing plan.  

With the growing adoption of Cypress and Playwright test frameworks that appeal to front-end developers, I went over how these platforms interact with Selenium, the de-facto cross-browser testing tool. The advantages of each platform depend on what criteria you value and require in your testing process.  

Playwright, the newer platform in the testing landscape, offers fast and efficient testing aligned with the modern web. Cypress, a JavaScript-based platform, excels at offering developer-focused testing. Selenium, the tried-and-true testing platform, is a reliable solution that supports multiple browsers and languages.  

Related Reading:Learn more about the differences and similarities between Playwright, Cypress, and Selenium >> 

Incorporating the Entire Testing Pyramid

When it comes to creating a successful mobile testing strategy, testers need a reliable platform that allows them to test early in the development lifecycle. For this, testing teams require a scalable, on-demand continuous testing platform that covers both web and mobile applications.  

In his STARWEST talk, Bharath Vantari took participants on a deep dive into the benefits of the Perfecto and BlazeMeter testing platforms and delved into the importance of adopting a complete continuous testing platform that covers the entire testing pyramid.  

Many dev teams are familiar with the testing pyramid, which groups tests into three categories for quality assurance. Tests on the lower section of the pyramid are generally faster and more automated, while tests at the top of the pyramid are more manual.  

Though there will always be a need for conducting manual tests, incorporating continuous testing into your process will allow you to shift left earlier, enabling actionable, data-driven decision making with unparalleled testing insights and visibility.   

Key Themes and Takeaways from STARWEST 2022

In addition to the highlights above, there were some key themes discussed at STARWEST this year, including: 

• Performance Testing and Performance Engineering – Both performance testing and engineering are a growing trend and teams are planning to invest more in these processes to test their apps earlier in the software development lifecycle in order to increase performance and enhance user experience. 

• Test Optimization – Adopting test optimization ensures that teams learn from one test cycle to the next and can maintain as well as modify their test suite scopes as needed. Test optimization is a critical practice to ensure lean and highly effective test suites and eliminate redundancies.  

• Quality Visibility and Test Reporting – As teams scale their tests, quality visibility and accurate test reporting becomes critical for highly productive development and testing teams, allowing them to act upon test results and make data-driven decisions. 

Bottom Line 

Whether or not you were able to attend STARWEST 2022, our team is here to solve your application testing challenges. With Perfecto and BlazeMeter you can maximize continuous testing to seamlessly shift left and release high-quality apps with ease.  

See for yourself how Perfecto and BlazeMeter can help dev teams and testers experience a complete continuous testing platform and overcome barriers to shift-left testing, from mobile to mainframe.  

Try a free 14-day trial today. 

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