Issue 256

COMMENT

Welcome to the 256th issue!

Today, I want to highlight three views on AI in testing:

First, a discussion among testers about The Role of AI in QA: What Are Your Thoughts?.
Moreover, Jason Arbon draws a vision of AI-enabled Bionic Testing future.
Finally, some testers have already started feeling that "AI is exhausting, I'm out".

Different views, different opinions and different experiences.

But there's no denying that AI is changing something — either for the better or for the worse. We're yet to see.

In the meantime, happy testing! 🙂

NEWS

API Fundamentals in Layman's Terms

Whether you're new to API testing or want to refresh the basics, Kaushik Gopal put together a simple guide that concisely describes all its aspects.

Speaking of fundamentals, Callum Akehurst-Ryan shared some thoughts on how A lack of standard (testing) terms hurts us all.

Breaking the Monolith: A Quality Engineer's Journey to Micro Frontends

This is a good read if you're interested in learning about the test strategy Ivan Tadeu Sales and his colleagues came up with for a web app after moving away from a monolith.

Four Frames for Testing, Part 6: Development and Testing Are Fractal

In this part of the series, Michael Bolton describes how four complimentary testing practices can be applied at any stage of the development process.

Furthermore, Nikos Gkogktzilas shortly answers this question: Can a high quality software test suite let you get away with low quality code?.

From Overwhelmed to Expert: A Tester's Roadmap to Continuous Learning

Mona M. Abd El-Rahman offers some great, pragmatic advice for testers on growing their skills and careers.

Also, Cassandra H. Leung shares some handy Onboarding Tips for Testers.

How do I Test AI?

James Thomas lists a series of activities that can be performed to validate and verify AI-based systems.

AUTOMATION

Automation tests timing

Someone on Reddit is wondering how to optimise the test execution of the big test suite runs. Testers share some tips and advice.

Consumer-Driven Contract Testing in Practice

In this step-by-step guide, Eleonora Belova shows a detailed example of writing and executing a contract test.

Is Test Generation There Yet?

Gil Zilberfeld brings up a few examples of test generation features from the past and contemplates how they can evolve in the age of AI.

At the same time, Patrick Prill shares his view on The Downside of Automation in general.

WebSocket Testing Essentials: Strategies and Code for Real-Time Apps

Are you working with WebSockets? Irfan Mujagić explains how they work and how to test them, using examples.

What Is Prompt Engineering and How to Master It in Generative AI

Following the increasing presence of generative AI in software development and testing workflows, it's important to know how to use prompts effectively. Volodymyr Andryushko gives some advice.

TOOLS

How can Selenium 4.0 help capture JavaScript errors and automate assertions with TestNG?

As the title says, Thananjayan Rajasekaran shows the features of Selenium and TestNG, which allow you to verify web app errors in the web browser.

You can also check out Lana Begunova's guide to Fine-Tuning Browser Context Automation with WebDriver BiDi.

Say Goodbye to Flaky Tests: Playwright Best Practices Every Test Automation Engineer Must Know

Having problems with flaky Playwright tests? Samuel Sperling listed useful practices that can help you reduce it.

Search for Fluent Assertion alternative in a Shouldly library

If you write tests in C#, you might be familiar with Fluent Assertions library. The new version is paid for commercial use, so Kostiantyn Teltov is exploring another free option — Shouldly.

Watch Mock And Reload

Following the release of the cypress-magic-backend, Gleb Bahmutov shows how to use it for easy mocking. And here's another example of using it to Mock But Verify.

VIDEOS

AI Agents Explained: Effortless Automation Testing Starts Here

What are AI agents and how can they be used in test automation? Karthik K.K. explains it all in this 20-minute recording.

Furthermore, Karthik also shares interesting thoughts about 89% Accuracy in AI Browser Automation with BrowserUse — Is This AGI?.

AND...

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Thanks for reading!

If you like this newsletter and it helps you become a better tester, you can say thanks and buy me a coffee.

Issue 256 February 4th 2025