Automated Regression Testing: Benefits, Tech Stacks & Best Practices

Maintaining the quality of applications is essential in software development, where frequent updates and code changes occur. Automated regression testing allows software development teams to deliver high-quality software at an accelerated pace. In this guide, we'll explore the world of automated regression testing, its benefits, use cases, tech stacks, and best practices—and look at some examples.

Defining automated regression testing

Automated regression testing is a software testing technique that involves executing pre-written test scripts to validate an application's functionality after code changes, updates, or bug fixes. The primary goal of regression testing is to ensure that new modifications haven't introduced new defects or caused existing features to break.

Did you know that 73% of testers use automation testing for functional and regression testing? Or that 60% of companies have seen a positive ROI after implementing test automation?

In the past, regression testing was a manual and time-consuming process, requiring testers to re-execute numerous test cases after every code change. However, with the development of automated testing tools and frameworks, this process has become significantly more efficient and reliable, especially now that we have AI that can also be used for this cause. 

Benefits behind automated regression testing

Automated regression testing offers numerous benefits that make it a common practice in modern software development. Let’s go over the main ones.

1. Increased test coverage. Manual regression testing can be tedious and prone to human error, often leading to gaps in test coverage. Automated regression testing, on the other hand, allows you to execute a comprehensive suite of test cases consistently and thoroughly, ensuring that no functionality is left untested.

2. Faster feedback loops. By automating the regression testing process, you can obtain rapid feedback on code changes, enabling developers to identify and fix issues early in the development cycle. This accelerates the overall software delivery process and reduces the cost of fixing defects later in the pipeline.

3. Improved accuracy and consistency. Automated tests eliminate the risk of human error and inconsistencies that can occur during manual testing. Test scripts are executed precisely, ensuring reliable and repeatable results across multiple test runs.

4. Time and cost savings. Manual regression testing can be a significant time and resource drain. Automated regression testing significantly reduces the effort required, freeing up valuable resources that can be allocated to more strategic tasks, such as exploratory testing or usability testing.

5. Continuous Integration and Delivery. Automated regression testing seamlessly integrates into modern software development practices like Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery (CD). This enables teams to automatically trigger regression tests after every code commit, ensuring that the application remains stable and functional throughout the development lifecycle.

When to choose manual testing over test automation

While automated regression testing offers numerous advantages, it is important to recognize that not all testing scenarios are suitable for automation. In certain cases, like the ones mentioned below, manual testing may be the more appropriate choice.

Exploratory testing. Exploratory testing is a software testing approach that relies on the software tester's creativity, intuition, and experience to design and execute tests. It involves investigating the application from an unscripted and exploratory perspective and is best suited for manual testing. The human input required for this type of testing makes it challenging to automate effectively.

You might be interested in: Exploratory Testing Strategies to Improve Your Product

Usability testing. Evaluating the user experience and intuitive design of an application often requires human judgment and perception. Automated tests may struggle to accurately assess subjective factors such as ease of use and visual appeal.

Rapidly changing requirements. Maintaining and updating automated test scripts can become daunting if the application's requirements or user interface frequently change. In such cases, manual testing may be more efficient, at least during the initial development phases.

Small or short-lived projects. For small-scale or short-lived projects, the upfront investment required to set up an automated testing framework may not be justifiable. Manual testing could be a more cost-effective approach in these scenarios.

You might be interested in: Manual Testing vs Test Automation: A Practical Guide on When to Choose Each

Commonly used tech stacks for automated regression testing

The choice of tools and frameworks for automated regression testing depends on the type of application (web, mobile, or desktop) and the programming languages used in the project. Here are some of the most popular tech stacks for various application types. 

Web applications

• Selenium: A widely adopted open-source tool for web application testing, with support for multiple programming languages like Java, Python, C#, Ruby, and more.
• Cypress: A modern JavaScript-based end-to-end testing framework designed specifically for web applications.
• Puppeteer: A Node.js library for automating Chrome, Chromium, and Firefox browsers, offering a high-level API for web automation.

Mobile applications

• Appium: An open-source test automation framework for mobile apps, supporting iOS and Android platforms, with support for various programming languages like Java, Python, C#, and Ruby.
• Espresso: A testing framework provided by Google for Android app automation, offering a fluent API for creating UI tests.
• XCUITest: Apple's native testing framework for iOS applications, allowing for automated UI testing and integration testing.
• Maestro: Maestro is an open-source UI automation framework for mobile applications. It allows automation of end-to-end scenarios on major development platforms such as iOS, Android, React Native, and Flutter. It uses a human-readable YAML language that is stored in .yaml files. 

Desktop applications

• TestComplete: A comprehensive automated testing tool for desktop, web, and mobile applications, supporting various programming languages and offering record-and-replay functionality.
• AutoIt: A freeware automation tool for desktop applications, providing a BASIC-like scripting language for automating Windows GUI applications.
• PyAutoGUI: A cross-platform Python library for automating GUI interactions, suitable for desktop applications across various operating systems.

Multi-platform tools

• TestRay: A CLI tool developed by TestDevLab that simplifies and streamlines the automation of testing processes across various platforms. TestRay supports creating automation pipelines for browser UIs (like Chrome and Firefox), desktop applications on macOS and Windows, and mobile tests for Android and iOS. It also handles API calls.
• Katalon Studio: A comprehensive test automation solution supporting web, mobile, and API testing with a user-friendly interface and support for various programming languages.
• TestProject: A cloud-based test automation platform that supports web, mobile, and desktop applications, offering a codeless approach and integrations with popular tools like Selenium and Appium.

API testing

• Postman: A popular tool for API testing, providing a user-friendly interface for creating and executing API requests, as well as automated testing capabilities.
• SoapUI: An open-source tool for testing SOAP and RESTful APIs, offering advanced features like load testing, data-driven testing, and mock service creation.
• RestAssured: A Java-based library for testing RESTful APIs, providing a domain-specific language (DSL) for writing API tests.

It's important to note that the choice of tools and frameworks should align with your team's skill set, project requirements, and existing technology stack. Additionally, many organizations opt for a combination of tools to cater to different testing needs and application types.

Best practices for automated regression testing

To maximize the benefits of automated regression testing and ensure its long-term success, it's essential to follow the best practices:

Maintainable test scripts. Write clear, modular, and well-documented test scripts that are easy to understand and maintain. Adopt coding standards and practices that promote code reusability and extensibility.

Test data management. Implement a robust test data management strategy to ensure consistent and reliable test data across different test runs. This can include techniques like data masking, data generation, and data virtualization.

Parallel test execution. Leverage the capabilities of modern testing frameworks and tools to run tests in parallel, significantly reducing overall test execution time and accelerating feedback cycles.

Continuous integration and delivery. Integrate automated regression testing into your CI/CD pipelines, enabling continuous testing and ensuring that code changes are thoroughly validated before deployment.

Test reporting and analytics. Implement comprehensive test reporting and analytics mechanisms to gain insights into test execution results, identify bottlenecks, and track trends over time. This data can inform decision-making and help optimize the testing process.

Collaboration and knowledge sharing. Foster a culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing within your team and the whole company. Encourage team members to contribute to the automation framework, share best practices, and cross-train on testing tools and techniques.

Regular maintenance and refactoring. Review and refactor your automated test suite regularly to ensure it remains aligned with application changes and adheres to best practices. This proactive approach prevents technical debt and ensures the long-term sustainability of your automation efforts.

The bottom line

With the right test automation strategy, automated regression testing is a powerful technique that empowers software development teams to deliver high-quality products with confidence and efficiency. By automating the repetitive and time-consuming task of regression testing, teams can achieve faster feedback loops, improved test coverage, and significant time and cost savings.

However, it's important to recognize that automated testing is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and manual testing still plays a crucial role in certain testing scenarios. By balancing automated and manual testing and following best practices, organizations can maximize the value of QA activities, shorten release cycles, and maximize their ROI. 

Check out our case study: TestDevLab Helps Kriptomat Streamline Their Testing Efforts and Improve Product

Whether you are just starting your QA and test automation journey or optimizing an existing setup, investing in automated regression testing can be a game-changer for your software development organization. Gain a competitive edge over your competition andstart delivering good customer experiences today! Get in touch and let’s discuss test automation and how it can benefit your product.