End to End Testing for Web Applications

The only way to be truly sure that your entire app works once all the components are combined is to test it end to end. This talk will cover when to write end to end tests, how to get started using web driver to automate web browsers, and common pitfalls you should avoid. We’ll use JavaScript to write our tests so that you don’t need to learn switch to a new language when you go from working on your front end to working on tests for your front end.

This talk will start with a brief overview of testing and static analysis techniques in the front end space. It will then make the case for always having a (small number of) end to end tests, to ensure everything works once you put it all together.

Having done that, it will deep dive into the different options for end to end tests, and the techniques that help you ensure that your tests are robust and reliable, and fast enough to be useful.

This is intended for people who have been writing web apps for a little while, but are perhaps not writing extensive tests for them yet. The goal is that the audience will be inspired to add an end to end test to whatever app they are currently working on, and will have the knowledge and confidence to get started.