What is End-to-End Testing?
End-to-end (E2E) testing is a comprehensive software testing methodology used to validate the entire workflow of an application from start to finish. It involves testing the application's functionality, performance, and integration with other systems, simulating real-user scenarios.
Why should you use it?
- E2E testing ensures that the software meets the business requirements and behaves as expected from the user's perspective.
- It verifies that all the integrated components of the system work together smoothly.
- It detects issues arising from interactions between different components or sub-systems.
However, the prioritization of each testing method will vary depending on the project's requirements. When selecting the appropriate testing strategy, here are some things to consider: the size of the system, the likelihood of encountering problems, available test data, budget constraints, and time limitations...
E2E Testing Objectives
- The main objective of E2E testing is to cover the entire application workflow, from user interface interactions to backend processing and data storage.
- Cross-System Testing: To identify issues when integrating inconsistent systems, E2E testing often includes testing across multiple systems, such as databases, APIs, servers, and third-party services.
To get a clearer understanding of E2E testing, let's consider a real-life example:
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- Scenario: A customer buys products on an eCommerce site.
- Steps in E2E testing:
- Browse the website.
- Sign in with a registered account.
- Search for desired products.
- Add selected items to the shopping cart.
- Move to the checkout process.
- Choose a payment method (third-party services).
- Review the order details and complete the purchase.
- Ensure the customer receives a confirmation email (another system).
- The E2E testing is performed by testing each step mentioned above to verify that the entire process works as expected.
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The differences between System Testing and E2E Testing
| System Testing | E2E Testing |
| Perform after the integration testing | Perform after the system testing |
| Cover all functional and non-functional testing | Cover the complete workflow of the system from start to end |
| Testers should have a clear understanding of the system | Testers should have a deep understanding of the system and sub-systems, including the business flow and data flow |
| Can be executed in both manual and automation testing | Automation testing is very complex to perform. So manual testing is preferred |
In summary, E2E testing plays a crucial role in ensuring the quality and reliability of software applications by validating their entire workflow and integration with other systems. By simulating real-world scenarios, E2E testing helps to identify and fix issues early in the development lifecycle, ultimately leading to a better user experience and higher customer satisfaction.
Reference image
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