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As the software development industry continues to evolve and become increasingly complex, organizations must find new ways to streamline their testing processes. Low-code test automation comes into play here. These platforms provide an efficient and cost-effective solution to test automation, empowering engineering teams to create and execute test scripts without extensive programming knowledge. In this post, we will explore the low-code test automation landscape , including the latest trends and challenges.&nbsp;



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#The_State_of_Low_Code_Test_Automation">1 The State of Low Code Test Automation</a><ul><li><a href="#Trends_in_Low_Code_Test_Automation">1.1 Trends in Low Code Test Automation</a><ul><li><a href="#AI_and_Machine_Learning">1.1.1 AI and Machine Learning</a></li><li><a href="#Cloud_Based_Testing">1.1.2 Cloud Based Testing</a></li><li><a href="#Integration_with_CICD_Tools">1.1.3 Integration with CI/CD Tools</a></li><li><a href="#API_Testing">1.1.4 API Testing</a></li><li><a href="#Database_Testing">1.1.5 Database Testing</a></li><li><a href="#Non-Functional_Automation_Testingnbsp">1.1.6 Non-Functional Automation Testing&nbsp;</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Challenges_in_Low_Code_Test_Automation">1.2 Challenges in Low Code Test Automation</a><ul><li><a href="#Limited_Customization">1.2.1 Limited Customization</a></li><li><a href="#Integration_with_Legacy_Systems">1.2.2 Integration with Legacy Systems</a></li><li><a href="#Security_Concerns">1.2.3 Security Concerns</a></li><li><a href="#Performance_at_Scale">1.2.4 Performance at Scale</a></li></ul></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Conclusion">2 Conclusion</a></li><li><a href="#Suggested_Readings">3 Suggested Readings</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="h-the-state-of-low-code-test-automation">The State of Low Code Test Automation</h2>



In a <a href="https://www.gartner.com/en/customer-service-support/insights/modernizing-quality-assurance" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">poll conducted</a> by Gartner, 88% of leaders say their quality assurance practices are ineffective. Bridging the gap, adopters of low-code/no-code test automation solutions have witnessed a 3X-7X reduction in development &amp; deployment time, a 3X-5X reduction in development costs, and a 30%-35% increase in ROI. Low-code test automation has come a long way in the past few years, with many platforms now offering advanced features and capabilities. These platforms enable quality teams to quickly build and execute <a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">automated tests</a> with minimal coding, helping improve the speed and accuracy of software testing.



One of the major advantages of low-code test automation is its ease of use. These platforms provide a user-friendly interface that allows even non-technical team members to create and execute tests. This means that teams can automate their testing processes without relying on dedicated automation engineers, freeing up valuable resources and reducing the time and cost associated with testing.



Low-code test automation also provides greater flexibility in testing scenarios, with teams able to create and execute tests across a range of devices, browsers, and operating systems. This makes it easier to identify and resolve issues before they impact end-users, ultimately improving the overall quality of the software.



<h3 id="trends-in-low-code-test-automation">Trends in Low Code Test Automation</h3>



As the low-code test automation landscape continues to evolve, several emerging trends are worth paying attention to. Here are some of the most significant trends to keep an eye on:



<h4 id="ai-and-machine-learning">AI and Machine Learning</h4>



According to<a href="https://www.gartner.com/en/conferences/apac/data-analytics-india/featured-topics/data-science-machine-learning-and-artificial-intelligence?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=EVT_IN_2023_BII11_CPC_SEM1_DSA&amp;utm_adgroup=141794023863&amp;utm_term=&amp;ad=632902336019&amp;matchtype=&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiAgaGgBhC8ARIsAAAyLfHquZwu-erNa6Lb1z-vQwC-rwYERD6hHaRJ1TB2jlrI11IBbB5w1sMaApg2EALw_wcB" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow"> Gartner research</a>, companies that use AI engineering methods to create and manage flexible AI systems will perform better than their competitors in deploying AI models faster and more efficiently by at least 25%. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are increasingly being integrated into low-code test automation platforms, enabling teams to create more intelligent and sophisticated tests. AI and ML can help identify patterns and trends in testing data, allowing teams to make more informed decisions about where to focus their testing efforts.&nbsp;



AI and ML can also help identify missed opportunities in testing and uncover parts of your software that the automation suites have not touched. You will see tools get better at identifying incremental changes to your software and auto-transform test cases to reflect the new nature of your product&nbsp;



<h4 id="cloud-based-testing">Cloud Based Testing</h4>



With the rise of cloud computing, it is no surprise that <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/cloud-based-testing-a-testers-perspective/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cloud based testing</a> is becoming increasingly popular. By 2025, 70% of organisations will be running functional tests in the cloud. A majority of the low-code test automation platforms are increasingly offering cloud-based testing options, allowing teams to execute tests across a range of environments without the need for extensive infrastructure.



<h4 id="integration-with-ci-cd-tools">Integration with <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/ci-cd-tools/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CI/CD Tools</a></h4>



Continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) have become essential for modern software development, and <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/the-era-of-low-code-no-code-platforms-what-you-should-know/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">low code test automation platforms</a> are starting to integrate with these tools. These integrations enable quality teams to automate their testing processes as part of the CI/CD pipeline, improving efficiency and reducing the risk of errors.



<h4 id="api-testing">API Testing</h4>



Testing needs will dictate functional testing flows are integrated with API Testing for each release cycle to increase test coverage for various use-case and scenarios. Low-code <a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-api-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">automated API testing</a> will provide an accessible, efficient, and cost-effective testing solution for APIs, enabling a wider range of team members to participate in testing and providing a more comprehensive testing process and increasing the overall test coverage.



<h4 id="database-testing">Database Testing</h4>



Quality teams are increasingly being given ownership of the data quality of their systems. Teams will need to cover data validation, and accuracy and ensure no unknown changes to database systems are made over development and release cycles.



Low-code Database testing tools will enable a broader range of team members to participate in testing, including testers, business analysts, and product managers. This can result in faster testing and better test coverage, as more team members can provide feedback on the system.



<h4 id="non-functional-automation-testing">Non-Functional Automation Testing&nbsp;</h4>



As systems and software scale, non-functional tests like accessibility, performance, load, stress and security testing will take the centre stage. It will become mission-critical to ensure business continuity, handle spikes and increased traffic and repel security attacks using plug-and-play low code automation systems for every release cycle.



<h3 id="challenges-in-low-code-test-automation">Challenges in Low Code Test Automation</h3>



While low code test automation offers many benefits, there are also some challenges that organizations need to be aware of. Here are some of the key challenges to consider:



<h4 id="limited-customization">Limited Customization</h4>



Low-code test automation platforms may have limitations when it comes to customization, which could be an issue for teams with more complex testing needs. Organisations should carefully evaluate the capabilities of a low code test automation platform to ensure it meets their specific requirements.



Thankfully, Testsigma is open-source and available for anyone to customize. Testgima cloud allows customers to create and plug in their custom actions via add-ons.



<h4 id="integration-with-legacy-systems">Integration with Legacy Systems</h4>



Organizations with <a href="https://www.door3.com/modernizing-legacy-systems/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">legacy systems</a> may find it difficult to integrate a low-code test automation platform, as these systems may need to be compatible with newer technologies. This could limit the effectiveness of the platform and make it more difficult to achieve the desired level of automation. Organizations will have to invest in kicking off small POCs to ensure they move with the world to a low-code setup very soon.



<h4 id="security-concerns">Security Concerns</h4>



As with any technology, there are always security concerns when it comes to low-code test automation. Organizations need to ensure that the platform they choose is secure and that any sensitive data is properly protected.



<h4 id="performance-at-scale">Performance at Scale</h4>



As larger enterprises start moving towards low and <a href="https://www.appypie.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">no-code platform</a> solutions, they will need large scalable and performant systems that support the speed and agility they need. Frameworks will have to compete with an organization&#8217;s internal frameworks and allow organizations to extend these solutions to their unique needs.



<h2 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>



According to Gartner,&nbsp; by 2025 70% of organizations will be adopting some form of low-code technologies; Low-code test automation offers a range of benefits for organizations looking to streamline their testing processes. With the latest trends in AI and machine learning, cloud-based testing, and integration with CI/CD tools, low-code test automation is becoming an attractive toolkit in the shift-Left arsenal



<h2 id="suggested-readings">Suggested Readings</h2>



<a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/why-automated-testing-advantages-of-automated-testing/">Benefits of Automation Testing</a>&nbsp;



<a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/roi-test-automation/">How to Calculate ROI Test Automation And What You Need?</a>&nbsp;



<a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/top-automated-testing-practices-to-follow/">Automated Testing Best Practices: 9 Ways to Ensure Efficient Testing</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;



<a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/scope-and-impact-of-ai-in-automation-testing/">Scope of Automation Testing: How AI Plays an Important Role?</a>&nbsp;

Low Code Test Automation Trends to Look Out for

In today&#8217;s world, mobile applications are essential for any business to thrive, and almost all developed products offer web and mobile support. This has made mobile application testing an integral part of the QA life cycle, and adding to it. The onus is on the test automation engineers to develop an E2E automation suite for <a href="https://testsigma.com/mobile-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mobile application testing</a>.



In this blog, I will explain how test automation engineers can start using Appium to automate mobile applications developed using Flutter.



&#8220;Appium is a well-known open-source <a href="https://testsigma.com/mobile-testing-tools" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mobile automation framework</a> through which we can automate Android and iOS mobile applications.&#8221;



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><ul><li><a href="#About_Flutternbsp">0.1 About Flutter:&nbsp;</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#How_can_we_Automate_Flutter_Apps">1 How can we Automate Flutter Apps?</a><ul><li><a href="#Appium_Flutter_Driver">1.1 Appium Flutter Driver:</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Appium_Set_Up_and_Walkthrough">2 Appium Set Up and Walkthrough:</a><ul><li><a href="#Installing_Appium_Flutter_Driver">2.1 Installing Appium Flutter Driver:</a></li><li><a href="#nbspFlutter_Finder_Library">2.2 &nbsp;Flutter Finder Library:</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#How_to_Generate_the_Jar_for_Flutter_Finder_Library">3 How to Generate the Jar for Flutter Finder Library:</a></li><li><a href="#How_to_Inspect_Elements_in_the_Flutter_App">4 How to Inspect Elements in the Flutter App?</a><ul><li><a href="#Sample_App">4.1 Sample App:</a></li><li><a href="#Pre-Requisites">4.2 Pre-Requisites:</a></li><li><a href="#IDE">4.3 IDE:</a></li><li><a href="#Mobile_Device">4.4 Mobile Device:</a></li><li><a href="#Have_added_the_following_dependencies_in_my_pomxml_file">4.5 Have added the following dependencies in my pom.xml file</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Can_we_launch_Flutter_App_in_Appium_Inspector">5 Can we launch Flutter App in Appium Inspector?</a></li><li><a href="#Switching_between_Native_App_and_Flutter_App_context">6 Switching between Native App and Flutter App context:</a></li><li><a href="#Conclusion">7 Conclusion:</a></li><li><a href="#Frequently_Asked_Questions">8 Frequently Asked Questions</a><ul><li><a href="#What_is_Appium_Flutter_Driver">8.1 What is Appium Flutter Driver?</a></li><li><a href="#How_can_I_automate_my_Flutter_app_using_Appium_Flutter_Driver">8.2 How can I automate my Flutter app using Appium Flutter Driver?</a></li><li><a href="#Can_I_run_my_Appium_Flutter_Driver_tests_on_real_devices">8.3 Can I run my Appium Flutter Driver tests on real devices?</a></li></ul></li></ul></div>
<h3 id="h-about-flutter">About Flutter:&nbsp;</h3>



<ul><li>An open-source UI development framework created by Google</li><li>Using Flutter, it is now possible for developers to develop cross-platform applications for Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows, Google Fuchsia, and the web from a single codebase.</li><li>Flutter apps are written in Dart programming language and run on Dart virtual machines.</li></ul>



<h2 id="h-how-can-we-automate-flutter-apps">How can we Automate Flutter Apps?</h2>



Flutter framework, by default, comes up with<a href="https://api.flutter.dev/flutter/flutter_driver/flutter_driver-library.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow"> flutter_driver</a>. But using flutter_driver for UI automation has its <a href="https://github.com/appium-userland/appium-flutter-driver#flutter-driver-vs-appium-flutter-driver" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">limitations</a>, and one of the main limitations is that we can write automation tests only in the Dart programming language. This can be quite tedious for test automation engineers without exposure to the Dart programming language.



<h3 id="h-appium-flutter-driver">Appium Flutter Driver:</h3>



The Appium developer community has created a new driver,<a href="https://github.com/appium-userland/appium-flutter-driver" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow"> appium_flutter_driver</a>.This has enabled test automation engineers to automate flutter-based apps just like how they would automate android and iOS mobile apps.&nbsp;



<h2 id="h-appium-set-up-and-walkthrough">Appium Set Up and Walkthrough:</h2>



I assume you have already set up Appium on your machine.&nbsp;



<h3 id="h-installing-appium-flutter-driver">Installing Appium Flutter Driver:</h3>



<ul><li>If you are using Appium 2, use the command &#8220;appium driver install flutter&#8221; to install appium-flutter-driver.</li></ul>



<h3 id="h-flutter-finder-library">&nbsp;Flutter Finder Library:</h3>



The Appium developer community has also developed<a href="https://github.com/appium-userland/finder-kotlin" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow"> a flutter finder library</a> through which we can interact with flutter-based elements. Below are the few locator strategies available in the flutter finder library.



<ul><li>bySemanticslabel</li><li>byValuekey</li><li>byType</li><li>ancestor</li><li>byTooltip</li><li>descendant</li><li>pageBack</li><li>getRenderTree</li><li>text</li></ul>



&#8220;You can also go through<a href="https://api.flutter.dev/flutter/flutter_test/CommonFinders-class.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow"> common finders class</a> documentation to understand more about the locator strategies&#8221;



<h2 id="h-how-to-generate-the-jar-for-flutter-finder-library">How to Generate the Jar for Flutter Finder Library:</h2>



<ul><li>Pull the latest from the repo: <a href="https://github.com/appium-userland/finder-kotlin" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">here</a> to your system.</li><li>Go to the respective folder where the repo is placed and from the terminal, run the command: “gradle clean build&#8221;</li><li>Once the build is over, inside the build directory of the project, i.e., “build/libs/appium-flutter-finder-0.0.6.jar&#8221;, you can find the jar.</li><li>You can add this jar to your automation project.</li></ul>



<h2 id="h-how-to-inspect-elements-in-the-flutter-app">How to Inspect Elements in the Flutter App?</h2>



&#8220;Before trying to identify/inspect elements in the flutter app, request you to quickly go through the<a href="https://docs.flutter.dev/development/ui/widgets-intro" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow"> Introduction to widgets</a> section in the flutter documentation to get an idea of how the UI is basically built out of Widgets.&#8221;



Using Flutter Inspector, one can inspect the widgets and try to identify the elements, but it might not be as easy compared to inspecting elements using Appium Inspector. So here is what you can do: take help from the developers to get all the required locators.



Let&#8217;s now try to <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/automated-login/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">automate the login</a> flow in a flutter app.&nbsp;



<h3 id="h-sample-app">Sample App:</h3>



<ul><li>Provider Shopper&nbsp;</li><li>You can also download more sample flutter apps from<a href="https://flutter.github.io/samples/#" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow"> here</a></li></ul>



<h3 id="h-pre-requisites">Pre-Requisites:</h3>



After downloading a sample flutter app, we need to do certain prerequisites so that the flutter app becomes feasible to automate.



Browserstack has elaborately mentioned the prerequisites <a href="https://www.browserstack.com/docs/app-automate/appium/test-hybrid-apps/test-flutter-apps#preprocess-flutter-app-for-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">here</a>. You can go through this to complete the pre-requisite and to build the app. 



<h3 id="h-ide">IDE:</h3>



<ul><li>IntelliJ IDEA</li></ul>



Programming Language:



<ul><li>Java: Open JDK 17.0.3v</li></ul>



<h3 id="h-mobile-device">Mobile Device:</h3>



<ul><li>Android Emulator</li></ul>



<h3 id="h-have-added-the-following-dependencies-in-my-pom-xml-file">Have added the following dependencies in my pom.xml file</h3>



<ul><li>Appium java client: 8.1.1</li><li>TestNG: 7.5</li><li>Kotlin standard library for JVM: 1.3.40</li><li>Kotlin multiplatform serialization runtime library: 0.14.0</li><li>And do not forget to add the flutter finder jar to your project.</li></ul>



public class FlutterAndroidShopper {

 private AndroidDriver driver;
 private FlutterFinder find;

 @BeforeTest
 public void setUp() throws Exception {
 DesiredCapabilities caps = new DesiredCapabilities();
 caps.setCapability(MobileCapabilityType.PLATFORM_NAME, &#8220;android&#8221;);
 caps.setCapability(MobileCapabilityType.AUTOMATION_NAME, &#8220;Flutter&#8221;);
 caps.setCapability(MobileCapabilityType.NEW_COMMAND_TIMEOUT, &#8220;3000&#8221;);
 caps.setCapability(MobileCapabilityType.DEVICE_NAME, &#8220;emulator-5554&#8221;);
 caps.setCapability(MobileCapabilityType.APP, &#8220;&#8221;); //mention your app path here
 driver = new AndroidDriver(new URL(&#8220;http://localhost:4723/wd/hub&#8221;), caps);
 find = new FlutterFinder(driver);
 }
 @Test
 public void login(){
 find.bySemanticsLabel(&#8220;Username&#8221;).sendKeys(&#8220;username&#8221;);
 find.bySemanticsLabel(&#8220;Password&#8221;).sendKeys(&#8220;Password&#8221;);
 find.text(&#8220;ENTER&#8221;).click();
 Assert.assertEquals(find.text(&#8220;Catalog&#8221;).getText(),&#8221;Catalog&#8221;);
 }
 @AfterTest
 public void tearDown(){
 if(driver!=null){
 driver.quit();
 }
 }
}



As you can see from the above code, I have created a new object for FlutterFinder class, and with that, I can interact with the elements in the flutter app.



Similarly, you can also run automation on your iOS device as well.



An important point to be considered here is:



For running the <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/mobile-automation-testing-tools-appium-testsigma-testcomplete-and-more/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">automation in Android</a> and <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/3-steps-automate-mobile-applications-using-testsigma/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">iOS mobile applications</a>, AUTOMATION_NAME should be &#8220;Flutter&#8221;



<h2 id="h-can-we-launch-flutter-app-in-appium-inspector">Can we launch Flutter App in Appium Inspector?</h2>



We cannot launch the flutter app in Appium inspector with the automation name: &#8220;Flutter,&#8221;



But if the app has both native and flutter-based components:



<ul><li>We can launch the app in Appium inspector by mentioning the automation name &#8220;UIAutomator2&#8221; for android and &#8220;XCUITest&#8221; for iOS.</li><li>Only native elements can be found in the inspector; we will not be able to find flutter-based elements.</li></ul>



<h2 id="h-switching-between-native-app-and-flutter-app-context">Switching between Native App and Flutter App context:</h2>



If the app has both native and flutter-based components, here is what you need to do:



<ul><li>Start the <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/mobile-automation-testing-tools-appium-testsigma-testcomplete-and-more/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Appium</a> session with automation_name as &#8220;Flutter&#8221;</li><li>driver.getContextHandles() =&gt; will give “NATIVE_APP” and “FLUTTER”</li><li>You can then set the context accordingly using driver.context(&#8220;NATIVE_APP”) and interact with the respective elements.</li></ul>



public class FlutterAndroidShopper {
 private AndroidDriver driver;
 private FlutterFinder find;

 @BeforeTest
 public void setUp() throws Exception {
 DesiredCapabilities caps = new DesiredCapabilities();
 caps.setCapability(MobileCapabilityType.PLATFORM_NAME, &#8220;android&#8221;);
 caps.setCapability(MobileCapabilityType.AUTOMATION_NAME, &#8220;Flutter&#8221;);
 caps.setCapability(MobileCapabilityType.NEW_COMMAND_TIMEOUT, &#8220;3000&#8221;);
 caps.setCapability(MobileCapabilityType.DEVICE_NAME, &#8220;emulator-5554&#8221;);
 caps.setCapability(MobileCapabilityType.APP, &#8220;&#8221;); //mention your app path here
 driver = new AndroidDriver(new URL(&#8220;http://localhost:4723/wd/hub&#8221;), caps);
 find = new FlutterFinder(driver);
 }

 @Test
 public void login(){
 switchContext(&#8220;NATIVE_APP&#8221;);
 RemoteWebElement username = (RemoteWebElement) driver.findElement(By.xpath(&#8220;/hierarchy/android.widget.FrameLayout/android.widget.LinearLayout/android.widget.FrameLayout/android.widget.FrameLayout/android.view.View/android.view.View/android.view.View/android.view.View/android.widget.EditText[1]&#8221;));
 username.click();
 username.sendKeys(&#8220;Username&#8221;);
 switchContext(&#8220;FLUTTER&#8221;);
 find.bySemanticsLabel(&#8220;Password&#8221;).sendKeys(&#8220;Password&#8221;);
 find.text(&#8220;ENTER&#8221;).click();
 Assert.assertEquals(find.text(&#8220;Catalog&#8221;).getText(),&#8221;Catalog&#8221;);
 }

 public void switchContext(String context) {
 Set contexts = driver.getContextHandles();
 for (String appContext : contexts) {
 if (appContext.contains(context)) {
 driver.context(appContext);
 break;
 }
 }
 }

 @AfterTest
 public void tearDown(){
 if(driver!=null){
 driver.quit();
 }
 }
}



<h2 id="h-conclusion">Conclusion:</h2>



Thus, by using the Appium flutter driver and flutter finder library, you can now start writing <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/8-top-test-automation-mistakes-and-tips-for-qa-teams-to-avoid-them/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">automation tests</a> using the Appium Java client for flutter apps and also for flutter+native apps.&nbsp; Despite the support and the capabilities offered, the Appium flutter driver is still in the early stages of development and due to this, there might be <a href="https://github.com/appium-userland/appium-flutter-driver/issues" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">issues</a> and limitations in using the same for flutter <a href="https://testsigma.com/mobile-testing-tools" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">app automation</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;



So before adopting the appium flutter driver, do thorough research, understand the pros and cons, and then make the call! Happy testing.



<h2 id="frequently-asked-questions">Frequently Asked Questions</h2>



<h3 id="what-is-appium-flutter-driver">What is Appium Flutter Driver?</h3>



 Appium Flutter Driver is a testing tool that allows you to automate Flutter apps using Appium. It helps you interact with the UI elements of your Flutter app, such as buttons, text fields, and dropdowns, and perform various actions on them, such as clicking, typing, and selecting. With Appium Flutter Driver, you can write automated tests for your Flutter app and run them on real devices or emulators.



<h3 id="how-can-i-automate-my-flutter-app-using-appium-flutter-driver">How can I automate my Flutter app using Appium Flutter Driver?</h3>



 You need to follow a few steps to automate your Flutter app using Appium Flutter Driver. First, you need to set up your environment by installing the required software, such as Flutter, Android Studio, and Appium. Then, you need to create a Flutter project and add the necessary dependencies for Appium Flutter Driver. After that, you can write your automated tests using your favorite programming language and run them using Appium. To simplify this process, you can use a test automation platform like Testsigma that provides a user-friendly interface for creating and running automated tests.



<h3 id="can-i-run-my-appium-flutter-driver-tests-on-real-devices">Can I run my Appium Flutter Driver tests on real devices?</h3>



Yes, you can run your Appium Flutter Driver tests on real devices and emulators. Appium supports a wide range of devices and platforms, including iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS. To run your tests on real devices, you can just connect your device to your computer and configure the Appium settings accordingly. With Testsigma, you can easily set up your test environment and run your tests on real devices without hassle.

Automating Flutter Apps with Appium Flutter Driver

Automating Flutter Apps with Appium Flutter Driver using Appium Java Client

Mobile Application Testing vs Web Application Testing image

Mobile Application Testing vs Web Application Testing – Key Differences

As rapid technological advancements drive the digital era, providing customers with the latest and most intuitive applications has become a necessity. To ensure high application quality and reliability, businesses need to leverage testing and staging environments. Where a testing environment ensures each application component does its job, the staging environment ensures the components still perform well when deployed in a live environment. Let’s have an overview of the staging environment vs test environment, their best practices, and more.
<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#What_is_a_Test_Environment">1 What is a Test Environment?</a><ul><li><a href="#Elements_of_Test_Environment">1.1 Elements of Test Environment</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Why_Do_You_Need_a_Testing_Environment">2 Why Do You Need a Testing Environment?</a></li><li><a href="#Best_Practices_for_an_Effective_Test_Environment">3 Best Practices for an Effective Test Environment</a></li><li><a href="#What_is_a_Staging_Environment">4 What is a Staging Environment?</a></li><li><a href="#Why_Do_You_Need_a_Staging_Environment">5 Why Do You Need a Staging Environment?</a></li><li><a href="#Best_Practices_for_a_Reliable_Staging_Environment">6 Best Practices for a Reliable Staging Environment</a></li><li><a href="#Staging_Environment_vs_Test_Environment_What8217s_the_Difference">7 Staging Environment vs Test Environment: What&#8217;s the Difference?</a></li><li><a href="#Summary">8 Summary</a></li><li><a href="#Frequently_Asked_Questions">9 Frequently Asked Questions</a><ul><li><a href="#What_is_the_difference_between_staging_and_QA">9.1 What is the difference between staging and QA?</a></li><li><a href="#What_comes_first_UAT_or_staging">9.2 What comes first, UAT or staging?</a></li><li><a href="#What_are_the_different_types_of_testing_environments">9.3 What are the different types of testing environments?</a></li><li><a href="#How_many_environments_are_there_in_QA">9.4 How many environments are there in QA?</a></li></ul></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="uoip">What is a Test Environment?</h2>
Every application developed needs to be validated to ensure it performs as per the end user’s expectations. <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/test-environment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Test environments</a> are platforms that help design and run multiple test cases on the application as well as the associated hardware and network configurations. This environment consists of all the required resources needed to execute the tests, such as OS, servers, drivers, and so on.
Basically, a test environment is a setup that brings together hardware, software, data, and a combination of configurations to perform testing. These are configured according to the needs of the software being tested to ensure it performs well in all conditions.
Test environments are not one-size-fits-all in nature. It is the component that dictates the environment setup. The main aim of setting up a test environment is to enable QA teams to validate the application and find underlying bugs that are fixed to prevent any negative user experience.
<h3 id="5899g">Elements of Test Environment</h3>
Certain factors are required to perform testing in a test environment. These are mentioned below:
Servers and Databases for Testing
Servers are environments where <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/what-are-the-kpis-of-software-testing-and-qa-testsigma/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">software is deployed for testing</a>. Databases store massive datasets in the form of test results from the executed tests.
Team of Testers
A setup for a testing environment features different types of people who create test cases to find all possible bugs and defects. These are:
<ul>
<li>Dev team, which develops the software</li>
<li>Testers who run various <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/top-software-testing-trends-to-look-out-for-in-2022/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tests to validate the software</a></li>
<li>System admin, who provides backend support.</li>
</ul>
Network for Testing
The network acts as a channel to transfer test data. The <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/test-management-process/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">software testing process</a> generates a significant amount of data in the form of inputs, outputs, simulation data, etc. An ideal testing network features a network, LAN setup, or private network.
Tools for <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/bug-report-template/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reporting Bugs</a>
Reporting the bugs is as critical as detecting them. The test environment should use reliable and effective defect-logging tools so that the developers can easily understand what needs to be fixed. Some examples of popular bug-reporting tools are Bugzilla and JIRA.
<a href="https://testsigma.com/test-management-tools" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Managing Test</a> Environment
Management of the test environment is critical to ensure they can be utilized whenever required. This includes test beds according to the needs of the QA team. Test management also includes setting up a test repository and supporting software and ensuring these are updated through version control. Test environment management also means creating adequate documentation for the setup details, testing history, and outcomes. This helps in making future test cases and may be used as reference points in fixing similar bugs.
<h2 id="86b1a">Why Do You Need a Testing Environment?</h2>
A well-designed test environment is essential to ensure the investment in creating robust test cases pays off. A test environment enables testers to have comprehensive feedback about the application quality. In other words, a test environment provides teams with the necessary setup to run the test cases.
A test environment further helps in providing a dedicated environment to isolate the code and verify the application&#8217;s behavior. This ensures that no other activities that can influence the output of the tests are running on the server.
Moreover, a test environment can replicate the production environment, which is crucial for being confident about the testing outcomes. The testing engineer needs to ensure that the application behaves the same way in the test environment as in the production environment.
<h2 id="88a5j">Best Practices for an Effective Test Environment</h2>
Creating a software testing environment is essential for any organization that wants to ensure the quality of its software applications. This helps testers run various tests to identify and fix defects early in development.
Setting up a proper test environment needs experience, resources, and effort. Here are a few best practices for setting up an effective <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/test-environment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">software testing environment</a>:
<ul>
<li>Define the testing goals. It should be clear what the testers want to achieve with testing.</li>
<li>Identify what <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/the-different-software-testing-types-explained/">types of testing</a> would be required. Some of the critical kinds of testing are Unit testing, Integration testing, Acceptance testing, Regression testing.</li>
<li>Determine the scope of software testing. It should be clear which parts of the software will be tested.</li>
<li>Create test cases while keeping in mind the requirements and features.</li>
<li>The test environment should feature a comprehensive software, hardware, and network configuration setup.</li>
<li>Ensure the testing environment is secure.</li>
<li>The environment should be scalable to incorporate the increasing volumes of user traffic and app data.</li>
<li>Ensure the code changes are validated periodically before the updates are pushed to production.</li>
<li>Ensure the test environment is updated and includes the latest software and hardware configurations.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="e4eh5">What is a Staging Environment?</h2>
Staging environments consist of software, hardware, and configuration similar to the production environments. It is through these similarities testers can mimic the real-world production environment.
Staging environments are replicas of the production environments. It imitates the production environment as closely as possible to ensure application quality. The purpose of setting up a staging environment is to validate the application approaching the production stage to ensure the app will perform well post-deployment.
Simply put, it is a stage where Dev and QA teams can perform various tests on the software and identify its best version. It ensures that the users are always provided with the best software experience.
<h2 id="1d6kj">Why Do You Need a Staging Environment?</h2>
Working with a staging environment allows testers to verify all assumptions made before development and ensure that application deployments are successful. Also, testing new changes takes care of the risk of bugs hampering the end-user experience because the bugs are resolved before going to the live environment.
It is also recommended to deploy the staging environment as part of a release. This ultimately allows the Dev and QA teams to identify any coding, integration, or data bottlenecks.
There are several benefits of using a staging environment:
<ul>
<li>A staging environment allows the testers to validate the application in a near-production environment.</li>
<li>A staging environment offers a medium for performing QA checks to ensure the application is of the best possible quality.</li>
<li>The developers release the new versions of the application in the staging environment to ensure everything is working as intended.</li>
<li>This environment may be used to share product and services demos with the customers.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="c18qa">Best Practices for a Reliable Staging Environment</h2>
Have a dedicated database server
The database features the entire content of the application. Hence, it is crucial to prevent the staging database override over the live database. It is recommended to use a dedicated database server for staging. Testers can refresh the staging database from scratch if they make any mistakes.
Ensure comprehensive testing
When updates are made to software, it is critical to ensure that they do not break anything. Testing assures that the updates and modifications made in the staging environment do not break the live product. A comprehensive <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/test-strategy-vs-test-plan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">test strategy plan</a>, which includes both automation and manual testing, should be made before making any updates to the staging environment.
Monitor the testing environment
Monitoring bears many benefits in a pre-production environment, the foremost being ensuring that code updates do not hamper the production environment. Testers can know the possibilities of failure when the code is deployed by monitoring the testing environments and cases. It is difficult for testers to follow every possible user path and bug. Here, monitoring enables error tracking and ensures quicker code modifications.
Perform debugging and testing
Effective testing and debugging procedures ensure that high-quality code is produced consistently. These include <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/test-automation-by-smes-qa-analysts-for-continuous-delivery-and-devops/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">automated testing</a>, regular logging, and bug tracking.
Clone the exact infrastructure
When creating the staging environment, ensure that the same resources are used. These include:
<ul>
<li>Cloud provider</li>
<li>Virtualization tools</li>
<li>API gateways</li>
</ul>
Ensure a secure environment
Since a staging environment imitates a production environment, both share the same data. If a staging environment is compromised, it may also put the production environment at risk. To prevent any security incidents, testers should use a different domain for staging with restricted access. Data should be encrypted in transit, and complex credentials should be utilized to access the staging environment.
Create backups
When working with a staging environment, any data loss in the staging environment can lead to data loss in the production environment. Hence, it is critical to have data backups of the staging environment to enable quick data recovery in case something goes wrong. <a href="https://docs.aws.amazon.com/aws-backup/latest/devguide/whatisbackup.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">AWS backup is a recommended way</a> to create effective data backups for staging environments.
Above we have discussed all about Test environment and staging environment, best practices and more , now lets look into staging environment vs test environment differences.
<h2 id="1qsa2">Staging Environment vs Test Environment: What&#8217;s the Difference?</h2>
A staging environment and a testing environment differ in the levels of resemblance these provide to testers. In a staging environment, versions are kept up to date to ensure everything resembles the live version except for the recently pushed updates from the Dev environment. This allows testers to deploy the software updates to a live environment while ensuring that nothing breaks in the process.
This may only sometimes be the case with a testing environment. Rather than testing everything end-to-end, testers often work on assumptions of how the software will work and test the changes made to the source code. The testing environment ensures that the code updates are tested faster and without needing to imitate the entire live environment, as in the case of staging environments. Now lets check out the table given below with staging environment vs test environment differences.
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td colspan="2">
Staging Environment VS Test Environment
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>A staging environment mimics the production environment to perform final QA checks on application.</td>
<td>A test environment validates each component of application under test.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>It replicates all requirements and configurations of the production environment.</td>
<td>It is dynamic and requires specific configurations to test each component.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>It validates the complete application. </td>
<td>It tests the Individual components or functions.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2 id="dscsk">Summary</h2>
Both testing and staging environments play a critical role in ensuring the application performs as expected in real-life scenarios. On the one hand, the testing environment ensures each application component performs its job well. On the other hand, the staging environment ensures the application&#8217;s features work well with everything connected around it.
<h2 id="6fsjh">Frequently Asked Questions</h2>
<h3 id="7s9is">What is the difference between staging and QA?</h3>
The significant differences between staging and QA are found in the scale of the test as well as the agenda of finding bugs. The staging environment replicates the requirements and configurations of the production environment, whereas the testing environment validates a particular part of the product.
<h3 id="3s9sj">What comes first, UAT or staging?</h3>
UAT comes first in a software development life cycle, followed by staging.
<h3 id="dn7nj">What are the different types of testing environments?</h3>
<ul>
<li>The Dev environment &#8211; This is where apps are deployed and <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/unit-test-vs-e2e-test/">unit tested</a> by the Dev team.</li>
<li>Test/QA Environment &#8211; In this environment, the versioned QA builds are deployed, followed by testers executing the tests and reporting test results to the Dev team.</li>
<li>Staging Environment &#8211; It validates the application approaching the production stage to ensure the app will perform well post-deployment.</li>
<li>Production Environment &#8211; This is a live environment where real users use the app.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="9gqqh">How many environments are there in QA?</h3>
There are four QA environments: the Development environment, Test environment, Staging environment, and Production environment.
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Staging Environment vs Test Environment: Differences You Should Know

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When Tricentis acquired TestProject and continued to offer it as a “free” tool for its customers, it seemed like a good fit, given the cost-effective nature of TestProject. However, after years of being “free,” the recent news announcement on &#8220;TestProject End of Life (EOL) on March 31, 2023,&#8221; has not really come as a surprise to many.



Acquisitions by larger businesses are usually done as part of the growth strategy, and it is therefore not always sustainable to continue keeping up with the free promise. And this really makes one ask the good old question &#8211; is free software free as in free beer, or free as in free speech?



And this is exactly why we decided to open source Testsigma earlier this year. We do have the cloud version that our customers sign up for and pay a subscription for. But if needed, one can always go to our Github project and not just use Testsigma for free, but also own it.&nbsp;



<h2 id="h-so-what-s-next">So what&#8217;s next?</h2>



If you are a TestProject user, I would love to invite you to check out Testsigma for your test automation needs. You have multiple options to get started &#8211;&nbsp;



<ul><li>There is the <a href="https://github.com/testsigmahq/testsigma">open source version of Testsigma</a> you can get started right away with</li><li>And as I mentioned above, if you need to achieve the same with less maintenance, you can <a href="https://testsigma.com/signup">sign up for the cloud version</a></li></ul>



Either way, rest assured that you are in great company. Here is what one of our customers had to say about migrating to Testsigma.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote" style="text-align:justify; padding:0px 5%;">
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 </svg>We were looking to migrate out of TestProject because of stability issues and the fact that the tool was placed in maintenance mode &#8211; which meant it just wasn’t just as usable anymore. We are glad we found Testsigma &#8211; Testsigma is faster, way more stable and the QA team is now able to author test cases at a speed never seen before, thanks to Testsigma’s true no-code solution.&nbsp;</blockquote>





<blockquote class="wp-block-quote" style="text-align:justify; padding: 0px 5%;">Testsigma is highly recommended if you are looking to replace Testproject.
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Mohan Krishna, 
Director of QA, OvalEdge 
(Migrated from TestProject to Testsigma)
</blockquote>



Testsigma offers many (and many more) of the same features as TestProject. We have built it with an immense focus on user experience and quality. Plus Testsigma is open source &#8211;&nbsp; and we definitely are here to stay!



And for those who would like us to help with your maintenance, there is always the cloud version. <gwmw style="display:none;">



And we are happy to offer 1 year of free testing (local execution) with 1 parallel on the Pro plan for all Testproject users.



We are also working on a migration that will let you import all your TestProject data and continue where you left off, even finer.&nbsp;



With more than 5 million successful test cases created in a span of just 9 months, see for yourself how different Testsigma does the job from this <a href="https://testsigma.com/testproject-alternative" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Testproject alternatives</a> Guide.

End of life for TestProject – what next for the community?

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