Software Engineering basics - DevOps testing

DevOps testing is the testing approach used in a DevOps environment, where development (Dev) and operations (Ops) teams work together to deliver software continuously and reliably.

The main idea is that testing is fully integrated into the CI/CD pipeline so quality checks happen automatically and continuously from coding to production.

1. Core Idea

  • Shift testing both left (early in development) and right (into production monitoring).

  • Automate as much testing as possible.

  • Testing is not a separate phase — it’s built into every stage of delivery.

2. Key Principles

  • Continuous Testing — Tests run automatically whenever code changes are committed.

  • Test Early, Test Often — Prevent defects instead of catching them late.

  • Automation First — Functional, API, performance, and security tests automated in pipelines.

  • Collaboration — Dev, QA, and Ops share responsibility for quality.

  • Feedback Loops — Test results feed directly back to developers in minutes.

3. Where Testing Fits in DevOps

  1. Plan — Define test strategy alongside development and deployment plans.

  2. Code — Unit tests run locally before committing.

  3. Build — CI server triggers automated tests (unit, integration, API).

  4. Test — Automated functional, performance, and security tests in a staging environment.

  5. Release/Deploy — Smoke tests run automatically after deployment.

  6. Monitor — Production monitoring, error tracking, and A/B testing.

  7. Feedback — Issues feed into backlog for immediate attention.

4. Types of Testing in DevOps

  • Unit Testing — Automated developer checks.

  • Integration Testing — Ensuring modules work together.

  • API Testing — Verifying endpoints and services.

  • UI Testing — Automated functional checks on the interface.

  • Performance Testing — Load, stress, and endurance tests integrated in pipelines.

  • Security Testing (DevSecOps) — Automated scans and penetration tests.

  • Production Testing — Canary releases, blue-green deployments, and monitoring.

5. Common Tools

  • CI/CD & Automation: Jenkins, GitLab CI, Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions

  • Test Automation: Selenium, Cypress, Playwright, JUnit, TestNG

  • API Testing: Postman, REST Assured, Newman

  • Performance Testing: JMeter, k6, Gatling

  • Security Testing: OWASP ZAP, SonarQube, Snyk

  • Monitoring: Prometheus, Grafana, New Relic, Datadog