7 Node.js Best Practices For Automation Testing
If you are a web developer, then you definitely would have heard about Node.js. It currently is among the most popular frameworks in JavaScript, and is used extensively to develop thousands of projects across the world.
Unlike many other frameworks, Node.js enables developers to use JavaScript as a powerful and robust programming language in its own right. However, all serious programming requires automated test frameworks, including Node.js. The more you develop through this framework, the better testing shall you need to deliver a seamless and smooth web application.
Automated testing for Node.js has especially become easy today, with the advent of platforms like LambdaTest. This basically is quite easy to use, a cloud-based cross browser testing tool. With the LambdaTest Selenium automation grid in particular, you can perform end-to-end automation tests with the help of the scalable and secure Selenium infrastructure. This platform allows you to conveniently run your Node.js automation test scripts on more than two thousand browsers, as well as operating system environments.
Without proper Node.js testing, bugs might sneak into your web application, which can both be difficult and expensive to remove in the long run. By carrying out automated testing through platforms like LambdaTest you can easily expand your test coverage range, while reducing long term expenses. Proactive testing would ensure the stability of your web application, and minimize the risks of any severe error or bug that can cause the whole software to break down.
To make the best use of Node.js. Automation testing, there are certain important practices that you must try to follow. Here are a few of them:
- Isolated and Atomic:js test must be isolated and automated. You must make sure to run each test in an independent manner, without having any relation or dependence on one another. In case of independent testing, even if one of the tests fails, the others won’t be affected in any manner. Apart from this, you must see to it that the tests are following the atomicity property. They should not fail suddenly in between the testing procedure. The tests should typically give a proper pass or fail result.
You must also see to it that the data you are testing upon is separate for each and every test. Having the same data for more than a single test would reduce the effectiveness of the procedure, and not deliver the right results.
- Naming the test: While being among the most vital aspects of writing a proper test case. Your Node.js must have a name that is meaningful, as well as easily understood even by other departments and professionals who are not actively participating in the test, such as the web design team. The name of the test additionally must not be chosen at random. You should determine the ideal name for the test based upon certain factors, which include what is being tested, the diverse scenarios under which the test is being conducted, as well as the results you would be expecting from the test.
- Usage of Assertions: When it comes to a programming language, an assertion implies to a statement for which you have to make a declaration at the time of coding. The declaration you make might or might not be proved, and therefore would provide the boolean output with a true or false result. This declaration additionally features the meaning of the test code, like expect (‘age’).to.be.equal(23). This is quite self-explanatory, and tends to cut the logic of code lines to quite an extent. In case the variable ‘age’ equals to 23, then True shall be printed. Otherwise, the result will come False. Assertions already provide a statement in the test case, making them much more effective and beneficial than typical tests. Moreover, as you choose to run an assertion, you shall not need to know what its response was and why. It would just provide an easy to understand pass or fail result.
- Make use of a test runner: Having a test runner means using a set of tools or library that takes a source code directory containing the unit tests, and subsequently runs tests on it. As the tests are executed, it would write the results on the log files or console. You must always try to be a good test runner, especially with databases. It can take real or dummy database values, and execute diverse tests on it. It also has the capability to load fixtures. Mocha is a good example of a test runner, which can provide you with a programmatic way to run the tests. Automation testing with mocha test framework and selenium can easily be done through LambdaTest. For this, one would just need their LambdaTest authentication credentials, and set them up as their environment variables.
- Lay emphasis on test coverage: While writing the tests, the amount of source code you end up covering in it would be your test coverage. In much simpler terms, it implies to the amount of application as a whole, which you are covering for in the test. This is among the most vital factors to work upon when writing tests.
The percentage of your test coverage shall be dependent wholly on the nature of your web application. In case you are developing not much of a complex application, then you typically would need not have full 100% test coverage, as with the increase in its extent, it shall also become more expensive. However, if your application is extremely important or complex, such as a platform dealing with crucial real-time data, then it is vital that you have 100% coverage, to eradicate any chances of error.
- Providing logical inputs: It shall always be a prudent move to make use of pragmatic and realistic inputs when it comes to automated test cases that are in relation to real-life scenarios, and have chances to take place when the application is actually in use. There are instances where testers use various random values as inputs that do not have any correlation with real-life scenarios. Hence, evaluating the exact performance for them is not possible, and testers end up living in the false assumption that the web application is working correctly. Faker Library is among the most common libraries that generates such real-time inputs and gels well with Node.js. It tends to provide an expansive set of such data that you can leverage to deliver better results.
Another important aspect of Node.js testing to keep in mind is to not get content with just few inputs only like in real life. The web application must have a large number of inputs. These inputs should be varied in nature, but be processed by the same function and logic.
- Testing the exceptions: Choosing to test the exceptions and being properly ready for them would be a great practice in regards to automating test cases. Typically, when writing tests, you shall focus on test cases, as well as the scenarios providing proper code coverage. However, there is a good chance that you forget to add exceptions to be verified in these cases. As any such exception takes place, then it may lead to unexpected outcomes or behavior for the application, which can ultimately prove to be harmful for your company. Many refer to this process as chaos testing. A few examples of this would be:
- Kills the servers systematically, and tests all the functionalities in order to properly gauge the performance and stability of the application, as well as the impact suffered by it.
- Another way to carry out this test would be to pass different response codes forcefully from the side of the server, so as to check the application behavior.
Even if Node.js appears a bit too challenging and complex for you at first glance, it is not too hard to understand. Once you acquire a basic knowledge of the framework and start working on it, you are sure to get habituated to it in next to no time. The above mentioned best Node.js practices for automation testing can surely make your journey way smoother and provide you with a confidence boost to work on this framework.
LambdaTest would be your perfect partner in this process, and help you to run Node.js tests on Cloud Selenium Grid in a seamless and hassle-free manner. Selenium is a popular open-source for cross browser testing. However, there are certain limitations associated with it, especially in regards to the number of browsers and machines you can get access to for setting up your Selenium grid. To avoid these limitations and ensure comprehensive rounds for cross browser testing, LambdaTest would be a smart choice.
To get started with the process, you would first need to download and install node.js and node package manager or npm. For the best results, it would be a good idea to use the latest version of the framework. Your next step shall be to install Selenium dependencies for Node.js using npm. Subsequent to installing the relevant dependencies and making sure that they are up-to-date, you would be all set to run the Node.js automation scripts on LambdaTest Selenium grid.
