What Is Automation Testing With Example? Explained

Automated software testing uses various tools and scripts to automatically run tests that human testers would normally do. These tests, such as ensuring that your software works correctly, checking the workflow, and reporting any problems that arise as soon as possible, all have advantages over the more traditional way of testing.

For teams working in Agile and DevOps, it helps test early, test often, and release with confidence, without wasting hours on the same activities over and over again.  But here's the thing: automation only works well if you know what to automate, when to automate, and how to do it the proper way.

Within this article, we will look at what 'Automation Testing' is, how it fits into the Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment pipeline, where manual testing may be helpful, and what the most common types of automated testing are. All these are explained in a way that doesn't require technical knowledge or familiarity with industry language.

What Is Automation Testing? 

Automated testing mimics the manual process, allowing you to execute tests that could usually be performed manually using scripts and automation testing tools. The automated process will continually execute the same testing sequence(s) that a person would complete manually. So, you do not have to repeat the same operations over and over again to verify they were all completed successfully.

One of the key objectives of utilizing automated testing is to enhance manual testing, rather than to change or alter it. Test automation enables faster feedback on whether the developer's code meets standards through automated testing (known as regression testing). Tests can be run at night, as part of a CI/CD pipeline, or immediately after code changes, enabling developers to catch issues before they impact the customer.

The efficiencies gained through automated testing allow teams to provide more comprehensive test coverage and speed up the deployment process by conducting automated repetitive tests with computers. Testers are thus able to concentrate on Exploratory Testing (i.e., Testing to discover defects), exception handling and usability improvements, as well as applying their critical thinking skills to the testing of new features instead of performing routine re-testing of previously verified applications to ensure they are still working properly.

Test automation in software engineering is important to maintain a high level of quality, while also allowing for speed in the development process. Automated testing ensures that the code is checked at all times, enabling rapid deployments, and ultimately allows teams to create quality software without putting excessive stress on their Quality Assurance (QA) team.

What Are The Skills Needed For Automation Testing?

To become an excellent automation tester, it isn't just about learning the software tool or writing a script for testing. It is necessary to create a robust combined set of skills, including both technical skills (technology) and non-technical skills (collaboration).

In addition to excellent collaboration abilities, the most valuable skills for an automation tester are:

• Analytical Thinking - The ability to analyze a product, understand how the product works, and to break down complex workflows into manageable components are vital skills for an automation tester. This ability will help guide the automation tester on what to automate and how automation can create maximum benefit.

• Programming Proficiency - Although an automation tester is not required to be an experienced developer, automation testers must have a basic understanding of programming languages such as Java, Python, and Ruby in order to create maintainable test scripts and troubleshoot them effectively should an error occur.

• Functional Testing - You also need to know how to do functional testing. Automation should help with quality, not just run scripts.  To become an expert, you need to learn how to build a strong base for manual testing, test scenarios, and the software testing lifecycle.

• Writing Test Scripts- An automation tester needs to know how to write Test Scripts in addition to doing functional testing. This means learning how to use different tools and frameworks to write scripts that can be used again and again, and keep them up to date as the program changes.

• Business Skill - An understanding of the business requirements of an organisation will help ensure that the test scripts are a reflection of real user behaviour and not just following a technical path. It is also beneficial if the automation tester possesses a basic understanding of Agile, DevOps and CI/CD methodologies; this will provide an advantage when working within a fast-paced environment.
  

• Communication & Risk Management - Communication and risk management skills will assist in working with others, being able to communicate issues before they escalate and maintaining the reliability of automation testing. All of the above will contribute to creating effective Production Quality Testing through the use of automated testing.

What are the Types of Automation Testing?

Automation testing should not be considered separate from all forms of testing, but rather as a framework. Therefore, any type of test can be automated if you are able to run it multiple times, knowing what will happen each time.

In terms of software testing, teams will typically focus on areas of testing that require significant time to validate or are critical to their confidence during a software release. The following are the most frequently used types of automated tests:

1. Smoke Testing: Smoke Tests are used to verify the basic functionality of an application after it is built. For example, if you deployed a new version of an e-commerce site, an automated Smoke Test could check that the user can access the homepage, login, and see product listings. If these tests fail, then further testing of other features would be irrelevant.

2. Regression Testing: Regression Tests ensure that new code-integration does not cause problems with existing feature-functionality of an application. For example, when adding a new payment approach to the application, automated Regression Testing re-validates the Login process, Cart function, Checkout process, Order History, etc., to ensure these processes were not adversely affected.

3. Unit Testing: Unit Tests check a single Function or Component of an application without looking at any other Functions or Components. For instance, a Unit Test could check that a Tax Calculation Function is giving the right answers for different prices and regions. Most of the time, the tests are fairly quick and are run for every piece of code that is modified.

4. Integration Test: The purpose of Integration Testing is to validate that the interaction between the different modules will be successful. When a user places an order; Integration Tests will ensure that the order module gets data from Inventory, Payment, and Notifications as expected.

5. Functional Testing: Functional Test ensures that the features that users see and the functionality that they use meet what was specified in the requirement document. For example, a functional test would confirm that a user registration flow was complete automatically, including registration, email confirmation, and login.

6. Data Driven Testing: Data Driven Test validates the same scenarios across multiple sets of data; for instance, validating the results of a Login test with multiple sets of valid Credentials, Invalid Passwords, Locked Accounts or Empty Fields.

7. API Testing: API testing verifies that the back-end services function independently of the use of any user interface. For example, an automated test for the creation of a new user via the create-user API can validate the correct status code and response body that are returned from the API when valid input values are submitted.

8. Cross-Browser Testing: Cross-browser compatibility testing checks to make sure that a web app functions properly on all browsers and devices. Automated cross-browser compatibility tests can be used to verify that a website displays correctly in multiple desktop and mobile versions of popular web browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Apple Safari.

9. Performance Testing: This is the process of evaluating how effectively your application will perform under heavy load, such as 10,000 concurrent users on your ticketing website. By using automation, you can conduct performance tests that simulate high traffic loads and measure the amount of time it takes for your application to respond to requests.

10. Security Testing: It is designed to identify vulnerabilities in your application that can be exploited to compromise its security. Automated tools can run security tests to discover potential vulnerabilities, such as SQL injection; and they can verify whether unauthorized users can circumvent your authentication process and gain access to your system.

What Is an Automation Testing Framework?

Automation Frameworks are a systematic way to define, design, and run automated test cases. They act as a guideline that provides your automated test cases with a specific location for storage, as well as the method for execution and synchronization with the latest features in your program.

Frameworks also provide a code-based infrastructure that allows for the greatest flexibility and reusability in establishing a long-term strategy for managing automated testing. In contrast, Automation Tools provide instructions on the methods for performing a specific set of actions that have been predetermined.

Frameworks assist teams in keeping their tests clean, scalable, and easy to maintain in software engineering automation testing. Without them, tests can evolve into tangled scripts that break every time the application changes.

Let's go over the most prevalent sorts of automated testing frameworks and then look at some real-world instances.

Linear Framework

This is the easiest framework since testers write down activities and then play them back as test scripts. It's simple to use and great for modest tasks or people who are just starting out. But it's hard to keep up with and can't be used again, so it's not good for big or changing apps.

Modular-Based Framework

In this case, the program is split into several modules, and each module has its own test script. A master script regulates how things are done. This method makes maintenance easier, but it needs preparation and experience with automation.

Library Architecture Framework

This method builds on the modular structure by putting typical tasks, such logging in or navigating, into reusable functions that are kept in libraries. It makes things easier to use again and keeps things the same, but it takes longer to plan and build at first.

Popular Automation Testing Framework Examples

• Selenium is a popular web automation platform that works with many languages and browsers using WebDriver.

• Appium is the best tool for testing mobile apps on both Android and iOS using the same WebDriver-based method.

• Cypress is a fast, JavaScript-based framework for testing the whole web. Developers love how easy it is to set up.

• Playwright is a contemporary framework endorsed by Microsoft that lets you test across browsers and run several tests at the same time.

• Puppeteer is a Node.js framework that automates Chrome. It is often used for headless testing and CI pipelines.

How to start automation testing?

If you haven't already started, you're in the same place that most testers begin when it comes to automation testing—no worries! You don't need to have all of the answers on Day 1; just think of it as teaching your computer to perform your manual tests for you automatically so that you can focus on additional tasks.

Here are some simple steps to follow to begin your journey into automation testing:

1. Understand What You Are Automating

Before you start working with any tools/software, ensure you have a solid understanding of the fundamentals behind Manual Test Automation. Be able to define the expected behaviour of a feature you are testing, how the feature works, and what the reasons are for failing a particular Automation Test. Automation Testing is simply taking the Manual Test Automation Steps and converting them into repeatable instructions for the computer.

Step Two: Select a Tool or Framework 

Before starting to learn about Automation Testing, you need to identify what approach best suits your needs. There are various Automation Testing Frameworks (e.g., Cypress, Junit, and Selenium) from which you can choose. 

All Automation Testing Frameworks give you the flexibility to create your Automation Testing Environment according to your preferences (i.e., how much you want to code, etc.); however, you should keep in mind that all Automation Testing Frameworks require you to be knowledgeable about programming in order to properly use them, and you will need to continually update and maintain your Automation Testing Framework to ensure that it continues to operate correctly.

Automation Testing Tools (e.g., Katalon, TestComplete, Playwright) provide all the necessary functionality for automating tests quickly and easily, while still permitting customizations and flexibility through code-writing as needed.

When evaluating which approach to Automation Testing is most appropriate, consider your team's programming skills, timing constraints, and the complexity of your project.

Step 3: Choose the right test cases to automate first

Don't automate everything. Start by automating repetitive, easy tests like the following:

1. Visiting a website

2. Signing into an account

3. Testing whether a page or button loads properly.

Tests that need to be manually executed repeatedly would make excellent candidates for automation.

Step 4: Get your test environment ready

Choose where your tests will take place. This includes things like browsers, devices, operating systems, test data, network circumstances, and tools. You can run tests on your own computer, on distant computers (like Selenium Grid), or on cloud platforms like AWS Device Farm.

Start out easy. Use only one browser on your own laptop to run tests. As you get bigger, look into remote setups like Selenium Grid or cloud platforms like AWS Device Farm to reach more people.

Step 5: Write and run your first test.

Make test scripts that may be used in many ways and run them often. Look closely at reports, not just failures, but also patterns. This feedback loop is where automation testing in software engineering really pays off.

Step 6: Review results and improve

Read the test findings, correct the broken stages, and slowly add more tests. As you learn more about automation testing in software engineering, you'll see how it helps teams test more quickly and lets people undertake creative, exploratory testing.

What are the Benefits of Automation Testing?

In addition to increasing the speed of your tests with automation testing, you can improve the testing experience for your team by automating repetitive tasks. Below is a simple explanation of some of the main advantages.

Higher Accuracy and Fewer Mistakes 

Testers performing manual tests are often not aware of all the steps needed when doing a manual test or may make small errors while repeating the same test many times. By automating a test, you ensure that the same test is executed the same way every time without the risk of becoming fatigued or distracted.

Quicker to Run Automated Tests

When you automate a test, you can run the automated tests concurrently on multiple browsers, devices, API's etc which allows you to reduce the time of a manual test from days to minutes or in some cases, within hours.

Consistent and Dependable Results

Automation takes out the need for subjective interpretation. The same logic is used to conduct every test and thus generate the same expected repeatable outcomes.

More Tests in More Aspects

Automation allows more features, more scenarios, and more environments to be tested much more easily than is scalable out of manual testing. 

Long-Term Savings

Automating requires some initial investment; however, automating greatly reduces the amount of repetitive manual work being done over time, allowing the team to spend less time re-checking the fundamentals and more time providing value.

Easily Scalable

Testing will continue to scale as more applications are developed, with the rapid changes that will naturally come along with the creation of new technologies and combinations of technologies. 

Speed of Feedback

Automated tests provide instantaneous feedback to teams on every change made to a piece of software, which helps teams catch bugs early and fix them prior to shipping.

More Time for Meaningful Testing

Automated testing covers all of the repetitive checking requirements, which frees testers up to perform exploratory testing and usability, accessibility, and edge case testing that only require human intervention to complete.

What are the Challenges of Automation Testing? 

Automation Testing is Growing, but QA Professionals Face Significant Challenges Hurdling them from Automation Efforts

According to the 2025 State of Quality Report, Automation Testing is not growing as quickly as anticipated because QA professionals are facing very real human issues. A survey of 1,400 QA professionals found that the predominant reasons for Automation Testing being slow to evolve are significant dependency on Manual Testing and too few automated testing processes available.

• The largest percentage of QA professionals (82%) indicated that they rely upon Manual Testing to complete their daily tasks. Although there is increasing interest in Automation Testing, the reliance upon Manual Testing inhibits the speed at which releases can occur and the extent to which Automation Teams can scale their solutions.

• Almost Half of Testers Use Automation only for Regression Testing. The report found that 45% of QA professionals who participated in the study depended upon Automation to automate regression testing, and the majority of QA professionals expressed difficulty with automating any other types of testing, including Performance Testing, Security Testing, and Exploratory Testing.

• The most common challenge faced by testers was not having enough time to run the complete testing process (55%). Teams are pressured to meet tight deadlines, and so they often resort to manual testing and simply moving on.

• Most testers utilize various automation software, including Selenium, Postman, Katalon, and Cucumber, to execute tests. The challenge testers face when working with automation software is how to continue to keep their script(s) up to date and the difficulty of determining which software to use for performing their testing activities.

• AI tools such as ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot have been employed for over 72% of test cases, but testers are still learning how to effectively utilize AI tools in an appropriate manner for automated testing in the real world.

• The most important focus areas of the test automation industry are increasing the overall automation coverage and investment in AI & ML; however, there are significant obstacles that make it challenging for testers to grow their automation coverage sustainably without adequate time, training and leadership support.