Automated testing as part of CI/CD pipeline - shift left implementation

Abstract

Automated testing is the integration into the CI/CD pipeline is considered another step forward in the improvement of modern software development methods for improving the speed of software delivery. This research paper seeks to discuss the integration of test automation as one of the approaches to CI/CD pipeline particularly with reference to the shift left strategy. The shift-left believes that the detection and resolution of problems should be implemented as early as possible in the product development process since the costs and problems increase as defect management moves up through the development life cycle.The paper starts by explaining what is meant by the term automated testing and its place in CI/CD, with an emphasis made on why the integration of tests early in the development phase is valuable. This reviews the types of tests including unit and integration tests as well as ephemeral and end-to-end tests as outlined above that relate to comprehensive testing. The research then goes to further establish the shift left that changes the workflow of the traditional testing practices to function from the design phase to the deployment phase.The major aspects of shift-left are discussed, such as automating the existing tests, employing the continuous testing, and testing as part of version controlling and building. The paper includes the examples of shift-left testing applied to a number of cases and the data supporting the effectiveness of such an approach in terms of improving the quality of the final product, speeding up the development process, and cutting costs. It also provides solutions to some of the problems that are inherent with the shift-left approach of development such as test maintenance, test data management, and testing environment.There are two major calls that can be deduced from the findings: The first one is the effectiveness of introducing AT as a part of the shift left process to the CI/CD pipeline to improve the detection of defects, the second is the positive impact it has on time-to-market, and overall software quality. The outcomes of the research comprise guidelines for the CI/CD integration of automated tests and the ways for handling usual difficulties that arise during the process.In summary, this paper has presented a critical review of how AT improves software development processes when deployed as a part of the CI/CD process starting at the onset of application development to produce better software products.