A friend asked about how to get started with UI test automation and from where to learn. Here I’ve put together 2 week study plan and also listed the best tools on the market for that. I’m personally a huge fan of Playwright, but I have listed other popular tools as well so you can find what suits for you.
To kickstart your journey into UI testing with Playwright and Cypress, here’s a structured 2-week learning plan, incorporating highly recommended YouTube tutorials and resources to guide you through the basics to more advanced concepts. This plan balances learning between Cypress and Playwright, ensuring you gain a solid foundation in both.
Week 1: Cypress Fundamentals
Days 1-7: Understanding Cypress
- Day 1: Start with the basics of Cypress, understand what it is, and how it fits into UI testing. You can watch “Learn Cypress in 3 Hours | Full Cypress Tutorial” on LambdaTest’s YouTube channel to get a comprehensive introduction (Watch here).
- Day 2: Dive into Cypress testing tutorials specifically designed for beginners. The “Cypress Testing Tutorial Series for Beginners” offers a step-by-step guide to get you started (Watch here).
- Day 3: Practice writing your first test case in Cypress by following along “Cypress Tutorial For Beginners (Running Your First TestCase)” which walks you through creating and running a basic test (Watch here).
- Days 4-7: Practice and Explore Spend these days practicing writing different test cases. Explore the Cypress Documentation for detailed guides, API references, and advanced testing scenarios.
Week 2: Exploring Playwright
Days 8-14: Introduction to Playwright
- Day 8: Start with “Playwright Beginner Tutorial 1 | What is Playwright” for an overview of the tool (Playwright Tutorial 1).
- Day 9-10: Continue with “#1 - Playwright - Test Automation Tool | Overview & Introduction” and “Playwright Tutorial Full Course 2024” for a deeper dive into writing tests with Playwright (Overview & Introduction, Full Course 2024).
- Days 11-14: Advanced Concepts and Practice Use these days to apply your knowledge by writing more complex tests in Playwright. Consult the Playwright Documentation for advanced features and API references.
Additional Resources and Generic Advice on UI Testing
While Cypress and Playwright are excellent tools for UI testing, it’s beneficial to maintain a broader perspective. There are other tools like Selenium that have been widely used in the industry for a longer period. Each tool has its strengths, and the choice often depends on specific project requirements, such as the need for cross-browser testing, ease of setup, or integration capabilities.
For beginners
Understand the basics: Before diving into tools, ensure you understand the basics of UI testing, such as what it aims to achieve, the different types of testing (e.g., unit, integration, end-to-end), and the typical challenges encountered.
Practice: Hands-on practice is crucial. Start with simple test cases and gradually increase complexity as you become more comfortable.
Community and Support: Engage with online communities. Platforms like Stack Overflow, GitHub, and tool-specific forums are invaluable resources for solving problems and learning best practices.
YouTube Courses on Playwright & Cypress
Playwright
- Playwright Beginner Tutorial 1 | What is Playwright: An introductory video to get started with Playwright. Watch here
- Playwright Tutorial Full Course 2024: A full course covering Playwright testing tutorials for 2024. Watch here
- #1 - Playwright - Test Automation Tool | Overview & Introduction: An overview and introduction to Playwright as a test automation tool. Watch here
Cypress
- Learn Cypress in 3 Hours | Full Cypress Tutorial: A comprehensive tutorial by LambdaTest to learn Cypress. Watch here
- Cypress Testing Tutorial Series for Beginners: A series of tutorials designed for beginners to learn Cypress. Watch here
- Cypress Tutorial For Beginners (Running Your First TestCase): A guide to writing and running your first test case in Cypress. Watch here
More Free Online Courses on UI Testing
- Cypress: Web Automation Testing from Zero to Hero: A free course on Udemy that covers Cypress from basics to advanced topics.
- Automated Software Testing with Playwright: A course on Coursera that offers an introduction to automated software testing with Playwright. Explore the course
- End-to-End Web Testing with Cypress: A free course on Test Automation University that dives deep into web testing with Cypress. And the great book here.
Links to Other UI Testing Tools
- Selenium: One of the most popular web automation tools. Offers support for multiple languages and browsers. Learn more about Selenium
- Puppeteer: A Node library which provides a high-level API to control Chrome or Chromium over the DevTools Protocol. Explore Puppeteer
- TestCafe: A Node.js tool to automate end-to-end web testing. Discover TestCafe
- WebDriverIO: A custom implementation for Selenium’s W3C webdriver API. It is written in JavaScript and packaged into ‘npm’. Check out WebDriverIO