What is Cloud Testing: Benefits, Use Cases & Types

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. This approach aligns with the Software as a Service (SaaS) model, where the infrastructure, data, and applications are hosted in the cloud or a data center.

Benefits 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:

1.System Testing

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

2. Interoperability Testing

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

3. Performance Testing

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

4. Availability Testing

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

5. 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.

6. 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.

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.

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.

How to Prepare for 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.

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.

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.

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.

Cloud Vs On-Premises Vs Traditional Testing

Cloud Testing with Testsigma

Testsigma is a unified, agentic AI-powered, codeless test automation platform built for modern teams. It enables you to create, manage, and execute end-to-end tests for web, mobile, desktop, API, Salesforce, SAP, and ERP applications, in one platform. With its intuitive no-code interface and AI agents, Testsigma helps QA teams automate testing faster, collaborate better, and release quality software with confidence. It requires no coding or setup, making it accessible for everyone.

Why Cloud Testing with Testsigma?

With Testsigma Cloud, you can:

• Create and run tests from anywhere, anytime.
  
• Test across 3000+ real browser-OS-device combinations.
  
• Run multiple tests in parallel across multiple environments, thereby reducing execution time.
• Supports cross-browser and cross-platform tests on the cloud.
  
• Integrate with CI/CD tools for continuous testing.
  
• Monitor test results and coverage in real time.
  
• Collaborate seamlessly across distributed teams.
  
• Scale instantly without infrastructure setup.
  
• Ensure data security with enterprise-grade compliance.

Frequently Asked Questions