CloudQA FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the questions teams ask most about CloudQA: what it is used for, how codeless tests are created and run, browser support, setup, and our managed QA-as-a-Service. Can’t find your answer? Contact us.
General questions about CloudQA
What is CloudQA Used for?
CloudQA is used to automate functional end-to-end UI testing on web sites/apps, i.e. to check that the features which are visible to end users work as expected. CloudQA includes regression testing and performance monitoring.
CloudQA is codeless. How are the automated tests created?
Test cases are created by interacting with your site as your users would. A test case includes steps like clicks on buttons, typing in fields and checks (elements which are visible on the page, e.g. text). CloudQA records these interactions into modules that can be reused, thus building a highly maintainable automation test suite for your application’s user interface.
How does CloudQA differ from Selenium?
CloudQA is built on top of Selenium. CloudQA test cases are modular similar to programming parameterized modules, and test cases can be updated separately. CloudQA combines the benefits of programmable tests with the ease of record & playback.
Why would I use CloudQA instead of Cucumber or RSPEC+Selenium (or some other framework for a different language)?
Most teams don’t have the required skills for scripted test automation. The teams that do have these skills struggle to have the time for testing: when software is released daily, scripted tests constantly lag behind development. A simplified testing tool which allows easy test creation and maintenance without programming is needed. However, traditional record & playback tools are inadequate for agile teams due to their maintenance burden. CloudQA brings concepts from scripted testing and make it available to non-programmers.
Is CloudQA a replacement for tools like Watir?
Yes. CloudQA performs end-to-end tests like Watir and Selenium; however, CloudQA does not require programming skills.
Is the iframe element supported by the recorder?
CloudQA transparently handles iframes and you don’t have to worry about them when recording traces.
What platforms are my tests run on?
Tests run in the CloudQA cloud in Linux and Windows environments, on Chrome, Firefox and Edge.
Do I have to run tests on my production site?
No, you can record your tests from any URLs you choose. You could use, for example, a staging server — as long as that URL is accessible to CloudQA. The starting URL of a test can also be edited at any time. You could record a test on your live site, and then point it to a staging server, or vice versa.
What constitutes a “success” or a “fail” for any given trace?
If a test case executes all the steps recorded in it without failing, it is considered a success. If any one step fails, the entire test case run is considered a failure.
Do you support browsers other than Chrome for recording the user activities?
Currently, the only supported browser for the initial recording is Chrome. In future, we might add other browsers to the recording list.
Installation related Questions
Where can I download the CloudQA Chrome Extension?
1. Register @ CloudQA.io
2. Download chrome extension from here (to start recording your tests in chrome browser)
3. There is a video that will show how to configure and run CloudQA
4. For any issues/questions, send us an email or respond via feedback button located on the application.
Where can I learn more about how CloudQA works?
Please check out the videos in the How it Works section.
How long does it take to set up CloudQA for an existing web project?
You should be able to create your first test case in 5 to 10 minutes after registration.
Testing as a Service
I am interested in your managed Testing Services? What do I have to do?
Yes, we provide managed testing services. We would analyze your web application and tell you what coverage of automated testing can we provide and what would be the manual testing component.
We will assist you in setting up the initial test cases. For this, we will require the following
1. The URL of the application to test
2. Optionally, provide links to 3-5 areas of the application to be tested. Else we will randomly pick the test cases.
We will provide you with the following:
1. A video link of tests executions performed with CloudQA
2. An analysis of how effective automated testing is for your web application and how much time & effort you can save.
3. Metrics from the initial tests.
What testing services do you provide?
- Functional Testing (Manual & Automated)
- Load / Stress Testing
- Performance & Benchmark Testing
- Regression Testing
Regression testing automation
What is regression testing automation?
Regression testing automation uses software tools to re-test an application automatically after it has been changed or updated, to confirm that existing features still work.
What are the advantages of automating regression tests?
Automated regression tests catch bugs introduced by enhancements or defect fixes, and side effects of changes in the environment such as data, operating systems, browsers or screen resolutions. They can run on every release without adding manual effort.
Why is regression testing automation needed?
Modern teams release often. Re-testing every feature by hand before each release is slow and error-prone, so automated regression suites let teams test and re-test changes quickly before they reach production. See automated regression testing with CloudQA.
Contact us for more information about your application environment.