What is Cloud Testing: Benefits, Types and Tools

Cloud testing is an increasingly popular way of testing applications due to its lower maintenance costs compared to on-premises testing. It utilizes cloud-based tools to simulate real-world traffic and measure performance, scalability, security, and reliability.

Through this article, let’s uncover the basics of cloud-based testing, including its types, benefits, and tools.

What is Cloud Testing?

Cloud testing also referred to as cloud based testing, is a comprehensive process of leveraging cloud computing services to validate software applications. These may be in the form of:

• Platform as a Service (PaaS)
• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), and
• Software as a Service (SaaS)

PaaS – It is a comprehensive cloud-based Dev and deployment environment. It enables the teams to deliver solutions for developing, testing, and deploying simple to advanced enterprise applications. Components of PaaS include servers, storage, Dev tools, BI, networking, and database management systems.

IaaS – It is a cloud computing service that offers on-demand computing, storage, and networking resources.

SaaS – These services enable the utilization of cloud-based applications via the network. The infrastructure, data, and applications are in the cloud or data center.

Why is Cloud Testing Needed?

Nobody said that running tests locally is not possible. Everyone just says that it’s complex, requires more than considerable time to set up, and needs regular updates to add thousands of new devices/browser versions within the system.

To top it all, automated testing surely calls for a more complicated setup than manual testing. And when run on local machines, these complications only increase exponentially.

With cloud-based testing, you can:

• Have more testers and individuals setting up their own test environment with varying devices and browsers. There is no need for different QA teams to share the same test environment.
• Re-run and queue the tests without compromising the accuracy of the test cases. Cloud application testing automatically executes the tests if scheduled properly.
• Have access to almost all the necessary aspects of test automation, including test data, test environment, test automation frameworks, test logs, CI/CD tools, and much more.
• Accelerate the QA process by leveraging the collaboration feature across teams. A Cloud testing strategy supports instant and clear communication under one roof without individuals to go around digging for information related to the project.
• Easily install and configure the Cloud testing platform by simply following the instructions. With tools like Testsigma, just login with your details and start using the platform within seconds. No installation required for running Testsigma on Cloud.

Use Case of Cloud Testing

Let’s assume a team worked on developing app features. In case the business has limited availability of resources and infrastructure to perform cross browser testing, it is not advised to release the product by merely testing on a few web browsers.

However, the scenario may be avoided with cloud-based testing. Cloud offers a comprehensive platform for cross-browser testing, ensuring teams can perform efficient testing over a wide range of browsers, OS, and devices.

In this case, the business does not have to worry about the infrastructure as it is not its responsibility to ensure its scalability. As a result, leveraging cloud testing provides improved test coverage, quicker deployments, and the best possible product quality. Next-generation cloud services, namely VPS cloud plans, give you even better stability and increased flexibility. It’s up to you to choose the operating system, customize the virtual instance’s hardware configuration, and set numerous other parameters according to your requirements.

Why Should You Adopt Cloud Testing Automation Tools?

Cloud-based test automation tools provide unmatched and competitive advantages over the traditional tools available for test automation.

• Cost-Effective Alternates: Cloud testing automation tools slice down the Total Cost of Ownership in cloud-based automation tools. Cloud-based tools typically have fewer setup requirements, ensuring the least possible capital expenditure and depreciation. Cloud-based tools offer high reusability of test components. They are highly scalable, which makes them ideal for load and performance testing scenarios. Pay-as-you-use based service model provides ease of scaling up and down based on the business requirements.
• Enables Virtualization: Cloud-based tools bring in the benefits of virtualization. They allow businesses to better streamline their resources through effective and comprehensive testing. With the advancement in the application, companies can also scale up and leverage virtualization to enable resource sharing and keep testing costs low.
• Promotes Collaboration: Cloud-based automation tools enable teams across different locations to collaborate efficiently. Testers can quickly test from other locations and access test reports from anywhere worldwide without the pain of uploading and downloading them.
• Enables Faster QA: Automation tools enable competitive advantages of higher productivity with quicker test cycles. Cloud-based automation tools bring the additional benefits of quick setup deployment. Unlike traditional tools, cloud-based test automation tools do not involve a lengthy structure and installation, ensuring that testing may take place as soon as possible and from anywhere.
• Reduces the Role of IT: Cloud-based tools cut down many dependencies associated with IT management, such as hardware or software installation, licensing, allocating user access, software upgrades, and so on. With the lesser need for IT management, employees have more time to focus on core activities that make a difference in a company’s business.

When to Move to Cloud Testing?

Every project/ software/organization is different and have different requirements. We need to answer the below questions when we think about adopting cloud testing in a project.

1. Is there a possibility that moving testing to the cloud may lead to a change in the test strategy or foundation of testing? The Foundation of testing is always going to remain the same – the testing skills, curiosity, enthusiasm are a few of them.

2. Do we need to learn new skills? Definitely, cloud testing will involve some new technology and the testers will need to learn them.

3. How is it going to affect the current testing tasks? Will it be beneficial or pose problems?

4. What are the different testing types that will be needed to execute?

5. What are the tools that will be required to perform cloud testing?

6. What risks should be considered?

Cloud Testing Environment

When it comes to testing, the use of the Cloud has become a popular choice. Be it for staging or production test environments, cloud-based application testing is being adopted by almost every business. But what is it?

A cloud testing environment refers to a virtual space where applications are tested using cloud computing resources. Cloud environments offer scalable, flexible, and cost-effective solutions for running tests without the need for physical hardware. Testers can perform various types of testing, including functional, performance, security, and compatibility testing.

These testing environments are useful in simulating real-world scenarios to assess how applications perform under different conditions. Additionally, they can quickly scale up or down based on testing needs, making them ideal for load and stress testing.

There are four types of cloud testing environments available:

• Public Cloud: Resources are shared among multiple users.
• Private Cloud: Dedicated resources for a single organization with a focus on offering more control and security.
• Hybrid Cloud: A combination of public and private clouds to strike a balance of cost efficiency and control.
• Community Cloud: Shared infrastructure for specific communities or organizations with common goals.

Test Cases for Cloud Testing

Test Scenario	Test Cases
Functional	User Authentication Verify user login functionality with valid credentials. Verify user login functionality with invalid credentials. Verify user logout functionality. Data Storage and Retrieval Verify data can be successfully stored in the cloud. Verify data can be retrieved accurately from the cloud. Verify data integrity during storage and retrieval. API Testing Verify cloud service APIs respond correctly to requests. Verify APIs handle invalid requests gracefully. Verify data exchange between the cloud and other applications via APIs. User Role Management Verify user role creation and assignment. Verify access control based on user roles. Verify role-based restrictions and permissions. Scalability Verify application performance under varying user loads. Verify that the application can scale up resources as demand increases. Verify that the application can scale down resources when demand decreases. Data Backup and Recovery Verify data backup functionality. Verify data can be restored from backups. Verify integrity of restored data.
Non-Functional	Performance Testing Verify response time under normal load conditions. Verify system behavior under peak load conditions. Verify throughput and latency metrics. Security Testing Verify data encryption during transmission and storage. Verify protection against unauthorized access. Verify compliance with data security standards and regulations. Availability and Reliability Verify system uptime and availability. Verify failover mechanisms in case of service disruptions. Verify system behavior during cloud outages. Load Testing Verify system performance under high user load. Verify system behavior with simultaneous user requests. Verify resource utilization under load conditions. Usability Testing Verify user interface and user experience. Verify ease of navigation and user-friendliness. Verify the responsiveness of the application across different devices. Compatibility Testing Verify compatibility with various browsers and devices. Verify functionality across different operating systems. Verify integration with other cloud services and third-party applications. Compliance Testing Verify adherence to industry-specific regulations. Verify compliance with data privacy laws. Verify compliance with service-level agreements (SLAs).

How to Start with Cloud-Based Testing?

When we decide to start cloud-based testing in a project then we need to decide how we are going to manage the whole process of cloud-based testing. What are the areas which will be affected and need proper planning and management during this process? Few major points to think about will be:

1. Process: Chalking out the strategy to make a move to cloud-based testing.

2. Activities: Evaluation of the testing activities that will need to move to the cloud. Examples are Agile testing, TDD, automation testing, regression testing, etc. Together with the evaluation of the testing activities, we need to estimate the cost involved as well.

3. Technology: We need to decide what technologies we will be using for cloud testing. Examples are DevOps, AWS, Big Data, Testing as Service, testing environments.

4. People: What people in the team will need to quickly adapt to cloud testing by learning new technologies. Testers need to perform testing on many levels – unit, integration, UI, services, security, governance. It becomes necessary to provide them with proper training and knowledge to be a perfect fit for starting cloud testing.

How to Test in the Cloud?

Instead of setting up a physical testing environment, you can use cloud computing and its resources. This offers scalability, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness compared to on-premises testing. You must choose a reliable and secure cloud provider for your tests, manage the resources you use for testing carefully, and ensure that your test environments are well-configured for optimal performance.

Manual cloud testing involves manual processes like manually writing scripts, configuring the system, and verifying data. This can take time and money but gives you more control over what’s being tested.

On the other hand, automation uses tools to run tests in a cloud environment. This is faster as it can run multiple tests at once, allowing multiple users to access the application and giving detailed reports about how everything went. Automated testing on the cloud saves money; you don’t need extra people or hardware resources.

When doing this type of testing, it’s important to think about things like scalability (how much you can increase or decrease usage), performance (how well it runs), security (keeping your data safe), reliability (it works when you need it to), availability (it’s always there when you need it), cost-effectiveness (how cheap is it?), scalability across different platforms, compatibility with existing systems, and how well the application or service links up with other apps/services. It’s also vital that any changes made during development don’t mess up the rest of the system.

Advantages of Cloud Testing

Cloud testing is software testing that uses cloud computing resources to test applications and services. It has become increasingly popular in recent years due to the cost savings and scalability offered by cloud computing. This testing offers many advantages over traditional testing methods, including:

1. Enables Testing from Anywhere and Anytime

With project teams becoming more distributed, they must be able to collaborate and work on the same task simultaneously. Cloud testing provides the tools to manage the process through Dev, QA, deployment, and more. Cloud testing makes it possible to collaborate and meet project deadlines in real-time.

2. Higher Scalability for Testing

For a higher level of scalability, the cloud environment is a recommended resource for testing. A test cloud’s capacity is limitless, meaning businesses can upscale and downscale their QA process per the project requirements.

3. Comprehensive Test Coverage

Cloud application testing elevates the testing coverage. To ensure the seamless performance of the application over a wide range of platforms, it is essential to test the application over various devices, browsers, and OS versions. It also provides access to all the required resources to test the application and ensure a top-notch user experience.

4. Facilitates Real User Conditions

Software testing is restricted when performed on premises. QA engineers must continuously face limitations such as on-premises restrictions, network availability, device availability, etc. Moreover, there is always a need to keep the infrastructure updated. Alternatively, a cloud-based testing infrastructure enables infinite testing possibilities without limitations, as in the case of on-premises testing. Testers could validate the software like real users and leverage simulators and emulators for targeted and accurate testing. During cloud testing, testers can facilitate actual user conditions like:

• Location
• Preferred devices
• Network coverage
• Other apps running in the background
• Degraded network conditions
• Conflicting apps
• Call and text interruptions

5. Ensures Timely Releases

It is always a task for QA engineers to keep up with the project timelines. In the case of on-premises testing, testers might have to wait for their devices to be available and ensure they have regular network connectivity while performing application testing. Cloud testing is a relatively better option here, as testers can use the network and devices whenever they need and ensure seamless test coverage. Testing across various devices, networks, and operating systems ensures the application is validated on multiple user scenarios before the final release.

6. Improves Infrastructure Security

Cloud testing is more secure than an on-premises software testing setup. A dedicated cloud that features the testing devices and network ensures a safe and secure platform for testing and adherence to security compliance regulations.

7. Enables Faster Feedback

Analyzing the test reports is critical for yielding the maximum ROI from testing. Cloud testing comes with analytics and customized reporting to efficiently manage test data. Custom and prompt test reports provide actionable insights to the stakeholders for making the necessary product enhancements.

8. Promotes team collaboration

Since cloud-based testing enables collaboration among departments, it helps businesses adopt effective DevOps methodologies into their existing workflows. Testers can use the cloud environment to set up and automate testing of the applications over various permutations.

Types Of Cloud Testing

Cloud test environments enable a relatively broader scope of functional and non-functional tests. The following are a few examples of testing performed in cloud environments:

System Testing

This ensures all the application features perform as per the expectations.

Interoperability Testing

Interoperability testing validates if the application performance is hampered in case of infrastructural changes.

Performance Testing

This includes stress testing and load testing, ensuring consistent application performance in higher load or stress conditions.

Availability Testing

This ensures no outage in case any functional changes are made at the cloud level.

Multi-Tenancy Testing

This ensures there are no performance or security loopholes in the application, and the application performs seamlessly even when more number of users are accessing the app.

Security Testing

This type of testing is essential to ensure the application is prepared to tackle any data or security breach. By running security tests, testers are able to find and eliminate all possible security vulnerabilities in the application.

Disaster Recovery Testing

This software testing ensures that no critical data is lost in downtime or memory outages.

Browser Performance Testing

It resembles browser compatibility testing, in which the application is tested over a wide range of browsers, operating systems, and devices. Browser performance testing ensures the application delivers a seamless user experience regardless of the hardware or software being used for testing.

Forms of Cloud Testing

For anyone who is in the testing domain, they will know that Cloud testing isn’t limited to one form. Rather, there’s a number of cloud-based testing approaches for you to know:

• Whole Cloud Testing: In this, the Cloud is considered a whole entity, and the testing is carried out based on its features.
• Testing within the Cloud: The testing is executed inside the Cloud by considering its internal features.
• Testing Across the Cloud: Testing is carried out as per the type of Cloud being used, i.e., private, public, and hybrid.
• SaaS Cloud Testing: When it comes to SaaS, both functional and non-functional testing take place as per the system requirements. Testsigma is an ideal SaaS cloud testing platform that reduces time in test creation by using NLPs to build tests in plain English.

Examples of Cloud Testing

Cloud testing refers to software testing activities that are performed using cloud-based infrastructure. Here are some examples of cloud testing:

1. Load Testing: Load testing is like giving your app or website a check-up. It’s when you simulate lots of users using the app or website simultaneously to see how it performs. You can do this in the cloud using tools like Apache JMeter, BlazeMeter, and LoadRunner.
2. Security Testing: Security testing is a way to make sure your application or system is safe from hackers. There are lots of tools available, like WhiteHat Sentinel, Nessus, and OpenVAS, which can help you scan for weaknesses and check that your security measures are working.
3. Compatibility Testing: Testing an app or system to ensure it works on different phones, computers, and web browsers is called compatibility testing. Services like Testsigma, Sauce Labs, BrowserStack, and CrossBrowserTesting can help make the process easier and make sure everything works correctly.
4. Functional Testing: Functional testing is when you check if something works as it should. Tools like Selenium, Appium, and Testsigma can make the testing process faster by doing some of the work for you – so you don’t have to do as much manually.
5. Performance Testing: Performance testing is like a check-up for an app or system. It ensures that it’s running as quickly and smoothly as possible. Tools like LoadNinja, LoadView, and Gatling can ‘trick’ the app or system into thinking there’s a lot of people using it at once so you can see how well it performs under pressure.

Key Roles and Responsibilities for Successful Cloud-Based Testing

With the advent of cloud testing, we will require below roles and responsibilities in the team. However, they may differ from organization to organization but these are the standard ones:

• Developers: To perform unit and integration testing, apart from development.
• Test Analyst: To implement the cloud testing strategy in the project
• Technical test analyst: To perform the actual manual/automated testing of the applications
• Customer: To perform acceptance testing
• IT department: To monitor, analyze the cloud and they will act as a point-of-contact to the cloud provider
• Cloud provider: To provide the service level agreements, services testing

Cloud Testing Comparison with Other Testing

How is cloud-based testing different from traditional testing?

Let’s see the differences between cloud-based testing and traditional testing in detail: 

Traditional testing	Cloud-based testing
Configuration may take many days.	No configuration required, just choose the environment and start testing.
Set-up is manual and susceptible to human errors.	Set-up is automatic and free from manual errors.
Expensive as real devices are purchased.	Inexpensive as real devices are not purchased.
Executed on the local servers of the organisation.	Executed on third-party servers of the service providers.
Data is present on the local server and hence cannot be accessed from everywhere.	Data is present on the cloud hence can be accessed from any location.

Let us explore the advantages and disadvantages of cloud-based and traditional testing.

Cloud-based testing advantages

• The environment is dynamic and scalable.
• Provides better testing speed, since it can run 24*7.
• Services provided by a cloud-based vendor are inexpensive.
• It provides better and simple disaster recovery because the process is automated.
• Accessible from any location hence supports mobility.

Cloud-based testing disadvantages

• Bandwidth can be an issue because the cloud servers are shared resources.
• May pose security issues, since the data is handed over to a third party during testing.
• Requires very good internet connectivity.
• Limited control and dependency on the service provider.

Traditional testing advantages

• Secure since it is executed on local servers.
• No internet connectivity is required for testing since it is executed locally.
• Provides full control and there is no dependency on third-party service providers.

Traditional testing disadvantages

• Expensive because real devices are purchased.
• Scalability is an issue since it needs to be addressed manually.
• Can not be executed from global locations.
• Configuration of the real devices and environment is time-consuming.

Challenges With On Premises Testing

On-premise testing means testers test on devices or systems set up at the office. This surely seems convenient on small scale, but as organizations grow, it gets expensive & challenging. Here are some of the limitations of on-premise testing:

1. Creating the Environment

For executing on-premises software testing, businesses need to make considerable investments in setting up an infrastructure. This includes gathering the tools, network configurations, hardware, data setup, etc. A testing infrastructure should have all the necessary components for testing, debugging, and storage – everything adds up to the setup and maintenance costs. Hence, an on-premises testing setup is not recommended for software testing.

2. Maintaining Devices and Software

Regarding on-premises testing, keep in mind that there are many costs involved. This is because the equipment and machines need to be upgraded regularly. Maintaining a slew of tools, systems, servers, and software is no easy task.

3. Cost for Infrastructure

Machines are stored in one primary site or scattered across multiple locations for on-premises testing, depending on the nature of the organization. This may necessitate the use of virtual and physical storage areas, as well as data centers. On-premises testing also requires a big team with various professionals. With the rapid advancement of technology and software development, this team must constantly learn new skills and keep up with the latest innovations, which is only sometimes practical.

Challenges with Cloud Testing

In this testing, a unique set of challenges must be addressed to ensure the quality and reliability of cloud-based applications. These include:

1. Network Latency: Cloud-based testing can be affected by how long information travels over the internet, which can slow down how well the app works. This is especially a problem for apps that need fast response times, like those that need real-time updates.
2. Data Security: Testing in the cloud can raise worries about keeping data safe since important info could be stored there. Companies must ensure their cloud services have enough security to protect their info.
3. Integration: Testing in the cloud can be challenging because different cloud providers don’t always work well together and have different rules about what they will provide (called SLAs).
4. Cost: Cloud-based testing can save you money in some cases, but if you don’t manage it properly, it could cost you. Ensure you’re only paying for what you need so your wallet doesn’t take a hit.

How Testsigma can help as a Cloud Testing Tool?

Testsigma is a cloud-based test automation platform that eases and speeds up the automation testing process for web and mobile apps. The tool is simple, allowing users to write the test cases in simple English.Testsigma makes it easy to quickly create and run automated tests so that you can make better apps in no time. It’s cloud-based, meaning everything is online, so you don’t have to spend ages setting it up. Plus, even if you’re a beginner, Testsigma’s natural language interface makes writing tests simple – plus, there are loads of other cool features too!

• You can run various tests simultaneously, schedule them for later or repeat them regularly without doing anything manually.
• Headless browser automation makes testing faster by reducing UI interaction complexity.
• If something goes wrong, you’ll get test failure logs, screenshots, and videos to help debug the issue.
• You can customize notifications and generate bug reports from your favorite tracking tools. Plus, it’s easy to collaborate and review with other team members to maintain quality.
• And don’t forget – it integrates easily with all CI/CD tools on the cloud!

Check 6 Signs You Need to Invest in a Cloud Test Automation Tool

Best Practices for Cloud Testing

While Cloud-based software testing is effortless to use and easily manageable, they still come with a few exceptions. But there’s nothing that can’t be solved by following the right techniques.

So, here are the best practices for Cloud application testing you should adopt within your organization:

• Identify the Objective: Defining clear goals is essential for cloud testing. Know what you want to achieve, such as checking if everything works correctly, ensuring good performance, or confirming security measures. Clear objectives help focus your testing efforts and ensure all important aspects of the application are covered.
• Choose the Right Approach or Test Framework: Choosing the right testing approach or framework is key. Depending on your needs, you might use unit testing tools, integration testing tools, or end-to-end testing solutions. The right framework makes your tests effective and easy to manage, aligning them with your overall testing goals.
• Define the Scope of Testing: Clearly defining the scope of testing helps prioritize test cases and use resources wisely. Decide which features need testing, identify critical parts of the application, and determine how deep the testing should go. This ensures comprehensive coverage without wasting resources on less important areas.
• Use the Right Automation Tool: Automation tools can greatly improve the efficiency of cloud testing. Choose tools that match your testing goals and work well with your development environment. Cloud-based automation testing tools like Selenium, Testsigma, or JMeter can automate repetitive tasks, reduce errors, and ensure consistent test execution.
• Do Not Overlook Security and Performance: Security and performance are crucial in cloud environments. Conduct thorough security testing to find and fix vulnerabilities. Performance testing ensures your application can handle expected loads and provides a smooth user experience. Ignoring these aspects can lead to major issues after deployment.
• Use Real-Time Data and Analytics: Using real-time data and analytics helps monitor and improve your testing processes. Real-time insights can quickly identify issues, optimize performance, and enhance the overall quality of your application. Tools with detailed analytics help make informed decisions and continuously refine your testing strategy.

Wrapping Up

The right product testing strategy and resources unearth issues that may harm the user experience in any form. In today’s extremely competitive times, companies must make use of advanced cloud infrastructure to maximize the return on testing.

Cloud-based testing is a proven way of accelerating the QA process and simultaneously bringing down the costs involved in setting up and maintaining the QA infrastructure.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is AWS cloud testing?

AWS Testing is a practice that helps businesses ensure that their applications and services are working as expected. It validates the functionality, performance, and security of an AWS application or service. AWS Testing aims to find and fix issues in an application before they become a problem for customers. You can identify issues early and prevent them from impacting customers by testing an application with different scenarios and conditions or by implementing continuous infrastructure monitoring.

Does cloud testing require coding?

Cloud testing generally requires coding for setup, maintenance, etc. However, there exist tools like Testsigma, a unified cloud test automation platform built to accelerate automation testing for web apps, mobile apps, and APIs by offering ease of writing test scripts in simple English. By leveraging Testsigma, QA teams can create, run, and maintain automated tests to build and deploy high-quality applications at a quicker pace. Simply put, Testsigma doesn’t require frameworks, setup or coding to test applications.

What is cloud platform testing?

Service providers such as AWS, Azure, and IBM provide cloud platforms that ingest and analyze data at scale. Cloud platform testing involves validating the application’s functional correctness and testing for performance, analytics, and scalability.

What are the differences between Cloud Testing vs Conventional Testing?

Cloud testing and conventional testing differ in multiple aspects, including scalability, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. 

Cloud testing makes use of virtual environments for testers to easily scale resources up or down and run tests from anywhere. Conventional testing relies on physical infrastructure, which can be costly and less flexible. Additionally, cloud testing supports a wider range of testing scenarios, including performance, load, and stress testing, with greater efficiency.