Testing Strategies

[lissakariuki]

Question: Testing is a developers' safety net, but which nets do we cast? Dive into unit tests (jest), integration tests (cypress), and end-to-end tests (Puppeteer)

How do you strike the right balance and avoid testing fatigue?

[kooya3]

Testing the guardian of code quality, comes in various flavors. Let's untangle the threads of unit tests, integration tests, and end-to-end (E2E) tests, and weave a safety net that won't suffocate us. 🕸️

1. Unit Tests (Jest, Mocha, etc.)

• Purpose: These tiny nets catch bugs at the granular level—individual functions or methods.
• Balance Beam:
  • Coverage: Aim for high coverage, but don't chase 100%. Prioritize critical paths.
  • Mocks and Stubs: Use them judiciously. Over-mocking can lead to false confidence.
  • Speed: Keep unit tests fast. They should sprint, not crawl.

2. Integration Tests (Cypress, TestCafe, etc.)

• Purpose: These nets span across modules or services, ensuring they play well together.
• Balance Beam:
  • Scenarios: Cover common user journeys. Think login, checkout, and profile updates.
  • Data Setup: Realistic data, not just happy paths. Simulate edge cases.
  • Feedback Loop: Balance thoroughness with execution time.

3. End-to-End Tests (Puppeteer, Playwright, etc.)

• Purpose: The widest net—catches issues from UI to backend interactions.
• Balance Beam:
  • Scope: Cover critical user flows. Avoid testing every pixel.
  • Maintenance: E2E tests are fragile. Update them judiciously.
  • Parallel Execution: Distribute the load. Don't make E2E tests wait in line.

Avoiding Testing Fatigue

1. Strategic Selection:

   • Prioritize areas with high business impact.
   • Not every button needs an E2E test.

2. Test Pyramid:

   • Imagine an inverted pyramid:
     • Base: Unit tests (many, fast).
     • Middle: Integration tests (fewer, broader).
     • Top: E2E tests (fewest, widest).
   • Maintain this balance.

3. Test Data Management:

   • Generate test data dynamically.
   • Avoid hardcoded data that ages poorly.

4. Parallel Execution:

   • Speed up feedback loops.
   • Run tests concurrently.

5. Continuous Refinement:

   • Regularly review and update tests.
   • Prune obsolete ones.