Testing a cloud application is not just a single process, it's a participation of different types of methodologies in which, as a tester, you better know about the fundamentals of Cloud application and Cloud Computing. Starting from the scratch, we are going to uncover all related definitions and concepts, and then we move to the step-by-step tutorial of testing a cloud application. Moving forward, Cloud Computing is an internet based application platform where numerous computing devices like hardware, software and other remotely connected devices are connected to access data, data management and storage management. Cloud computing also enables customers and businesses to access the application without installing software to the local machine.
Essential Models of Cloud Computing
SaaS(Software as a Service)
PaaS(Platform as a Service)
IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)
How much to test? and many more such things
Testing a Cloud Application
Testing of Cloud applications basically ensures two major aspects - Securing and Managing performance. The complete testing guide helps you in choosing right tools or techniques for your application. The complete testing is divided into four major categories:
Types of Cloud Testing: For better manipulative results, cloud testing of the application may be further subdivided into following categories:
Testing the Complete Cloud:While testing, the cloud can be seen as Entity and testing can be performed on the basis of its features. It can be performed by Cloud and SaaS vendors or end-users.
Perform Testing Within a Cloud: This type of testing is carried out inside the cloud by validating each of its internal features. It can only be performed by the Cloud Vendors.
Testing Across the Cloud: This type of testing is based on specifications, in which testing is carried out in different types of cloud platforms like public, private and hybrid clouds.
Perform SaaS testing in Cloud: In this type of testing, functional and nonfunctional testing is performed which is based on application requirements.
Cloud Testing Environment: Mainly, there are three types of Cloud testing environments:
Public or Private environment where the quality of applications are implemented and needs to be functionally validated.
Hybrid application environment, where applications are deployed and needs to be validated.
The test environment of cloud, where the quality of application are deployed and need to functionally validated.
Types of Testing Performed In Cloud Application: In this section, we are going to explain various kinds of testing performed in order to test cloud application. Testing cloud application not only ensures the functional requirements, but also provide you the needs of non-functional testing. Let's explore different types of testing one by one:
Functional Testing: The purpose of functional testing is to ensure about the offerings which are used by the end-user and paying for services. Basically, functional testing ensures the business requirements. These are some functional tests described at the below:
System Verification Testing: It ensures about the proper interfacing and working among various modules & functions along with the intended or desired behaviour and response of the system.
Acceptance Testing: The cloud based solutions are tested by the users to ensure the expected and desired working of the application from user’s perspective.
Interoperability Testing: To verify and validate uninterrupted and issue-free working of the application with other external applications and systems across multiple platforms.
Non-functional Testing: Non-functional testing for web based application is also need to be carried out in order to check whether they meet expected requirements or not. Below listed out various non-functional testing methodologies to test cloud applications attributes:
Availability Testing
Multi Tenancy Testing
Performance Testing
Security Testing
Disaster Recovery Testing, and
Scalability Testing
Tasks in Cloud Testing
SaaS based Testing: This testing technique is normally performed by the Cloud vendors. The major objective behind introducing this testing technique is to assure the quality factors and major services offered by SaaS program. Testing performed in this environment is functional, integration, security, integration, unit, system function validation and regression testing to evaluate performance and scalability.
Online based Application Testing: The idea behind conducting online based testing is to measure the exact performance and functional testing of the cloud based services. When applications are connected to the legacy systems, the quality of the connectivity between legacy system and test application on cloud is examined.
Cloud based Application Testing over clouds: In the cloud based application testing, the major aim is to check the quality of cloud-based application across different type clouds and ensure which type of testing needs to be performed.
Benefits of Cloud Testing:
Dynamic Availability: The selective purpose to conduct any testing approach in any organization is to invest in the major component like hardware/software infrastructure required for testing. Usually, it can be seen that most of the test environment provided to the testing teams rarely matches the user’s environment that’s why there is a rapid change in requirements and hence it is very challenging aspect to adapt this approach. The term ‘Cloud’ is like a solution to this problem where users can easily simulate the user’s environment and find the expected defects early in the cycle.
Easily Customizable: Adapting cloud based systems delivers ease to an organization for deploying user-centric environment by customizing and saving huge amount of cost & time. Testing teams can simply perform load and performance testing by applying various set of permutations and combinations like Different Operating Systems, Browsers, Configurations, etc.
Low Cost: In most of the cases, companies invested a lot in the infrastructure but different servers are not utilized completely. Hence, they suffer from additional expenses along with the cost of some license renewals. Transition to cloud helps a lot, the users can commission appliances whenever they want and saves huge amount of cost for an organization.
Scalability: Cloud services comes with the outstanding features, where the computing of resources can be easily increased or decreased when it is required. It can be useful in many situations where business requirements changes frequently.
Challenges
Security and Privacy of Data: The cloud applications are multi-tenancy in nature, there is always a risk of data loss. Cloud application should designed and developed in such a way so that they can provide a better assurance about the safety of the data.
Validation of Interface Compatibility: Upgradation of cloud service provider also upgrade the internal interface which causes difficulties for some subscribers who uses old interface. Cloud or SaaS subscribers should manage the interface versions so that users can select the interface they wanted to use.
Migration of Data: Migrating data from one cloud provider to another is also a challenging factor keeping in view multiple aspects such as different database, fields, relationships and their mapping which required huge amount of effort to functionally understand the SaaS application.
Integration of Enterprise Application: It requires data integration validation for both outbound and inbound data from client to SaaS application.
Live Upgrade Testing Simulation: Lastly, the biggest challenge is to ensure that the live upgrades do not affect the existing SaaS users.
Conclusion:
Compiling as a whole, testing a cloud application is a major factor in Cloud Computing. Nowadays, Cloud applications are used around the world in order to get benefitted of several features like scalability, cost, data availability, etc. This terminology seamlessly helps many organizations to grow their businesses, and provides remarkable options in the utilization of infrastructure and resource.
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
