If you're an SDET or QA Automation Engineer still manually running tests or waiting for DevOps teams to set up your testing environments, you're opportunities on the table. DevOps skills have shifted from "nice to have" to essential for modern QA. So... 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗢𝗽𝘀? DevOps is a methodology that combines software development and IT operations to build and deliver software faster and more reliably. DevOps Engineers manage the infrastructure, tools, and automation that make continuous delivery possible. Their responsibilities include: • Managing servers and cloud infrastructure • Building CI/CD pipelines for automated deployments • Implementing monitoring and logging solutions • Ensuring system stability and reliability • Enabling seamless collaboration between development and operations teams 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗮𝗽: 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗤𝗔 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗢𝗽𝘀 𝗚𝗼 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱 Test Automation and DevOps are part of the same infrastructure. Both roles require knowledge of: ✅ CI/CD Pipelines (Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions) ✅ Containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) ✅ Cloud Platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) ✅ Linux/Command Line Operations ✅ Version Control (Git) ✅ Databases (SQL, NoSQL) The difference is DevOps Engineers focus on production deployments. Test Automation Engineers focus on quality gates. But the technical foundation is nearly identical. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 Learning DevOps isn't just about technical growth. It's about career advancement and compensation. 💰 Higher Salaries: ▶ DevOps skills are among the highest paid in tech. SDETs and QA Automation Engineers with DevOps expertise often get paid significantly higher salaries than those without. 🚀 More Job Opportunities: ▶ Job descriptions increasingly require "SDET with DevOps experience" or "QA Engineer with CI/CD knowledge." Companies want engineers who can own the entire testing pipeline. 🏆 Greater Independence: ▶ Stop waiting for DevOps teams to configure environments or fix pipeline issues. Manage your own infrastructure and move faster.

There are several strategies for delivering code to a server, commonly referred to as deployments. In this guide, I’ll focus on one of the oldest and most straightforward approaches: Recreate Deployment. You will learn how it works and, more importantly, what it means for QA engineers and Test Automation. ──────────────────────────────── 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭? ➤ The old version (lets call it V1) is taken completely offline ➤ The new version (V2) is deployed and started ➤ Application is completely unavailable during this switch, its called downtime ➤ This type of deployment is commonly used in dev/test environments or apps that can handle brief outages ──────────────────────────────── 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐈𝐭 𝐀𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ✦ Problem #1: Tests Fail During Deployment Automated tests will fail if they run during deployment because the application is down. You'll see connection errors, timeouts 502 HTTP code, or "service unavailable" messages. Solution: Schedule your test runs AFTER deployments complete. Coordinate with DevOps on deployment windows. ✦ Problem #2: Timing Issues in CI/CD Pipelines If a CI/CD pipeline triggers tests immediately after deployment, they might start before the new version is fully ready. Solution: Add a health check or wait period in your pipeline. ➤ Wait 30-60 seconds after deployment ➤ Ping a health endpoint until it responds ➤ Only then start your test suite 𝐏.𝐒. 🚩 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐲𝐞𝐭, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝟑-𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 “𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐐𝐀 → 𝐒𝐃𝐄𝐓” 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩, 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢-𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐝-𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐒𝐃𝐄𝐓 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬. Click Here to Start: https://www.skool.com/qa-automation-career-hub/classroom/078530b1

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗨𝗜 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴? UI (User Interface) automation testing simulates user interactions with an application to validate its functionality, usability, and reliability. Instead of manually clicking buttons, filling forms, or navigating menus, automated tests perform these actions programmatically. The goal is simple: ensure an application works as expected from the user's perspective, regardless of which platform (WEB, Mobile, Desktop) they use. ──────────────────────────────────────── 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟯 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀 Most applications in 2025 run across multiple platforms, and each requires different testing approaches and tools: ──────────────────────────────────────── 🌐 𝗪𝗲𝗯 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Web testing focuses on applications that run in browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. This includes both desktop browsers and mobile browser testing. 𝗣𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗪𝗲𝗯 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀: ✅ Selenium • One of the oldest web automation framework • Supports multiple programming languages (Java, Python, C#, JavaScript) • Works across all major browsers • Mostly used in legacy codebases ✅ Cypress • Modern JavaScript based framework built for web developers • Runs directly in the browser for faster execution • Excellent debugging capabilities ✅ Playwright • Rising start of the testing framework • Developed by Microsoft • Supports all major browsers • Excellent for testing modern web apps with complex interactions • Built in support for mobile browser emulation ──────────────────────────────────────── 📱 𝗠𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Mobile testing focuses on native applications built specifically for iOS and Android devices. These apps are downloaded from app stores and run directly on mobile operating systems. 𝗣𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗠𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀: ✅ Appium • Cross platform framework for iOS and Android • Supports multiple programming languages • Can test native apps, hybrid apps, and mobile web • Best for: Teams testing both iOS and Android with one framework

Every modern web browser has a powerful built-in toolkit that most QA engineers underutilize - Browser Developer Tools (DevTools). If used properly, it can speed up your testing workflow, help you identify issues faster, and make writing test automation significantly easier. ──────────────────────────────────────── 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀? Developer Tools are built-in features in browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari) that let you inspect, debug, and analyze web applications in real time. Think of them as X ray vision for websites where you can see exactly what's happening under the hood. QA Engineers can use it for: - Finding reliable element locators for test automation - Identifying JavaScript errors causing bugs - Monitoring network traffic and API calls - Testing responsive design across devices - Debugging performance issues 📌 Note: No installation required. These tools are already built into your browser. ──────────────────────────────────────── 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 Method 1: Right click anywhere on a webpage → Select "Inspect" Method 2: Keyboard shortcuts • Windows/Linux: F12 or Ctrl + Shift + I • Mac: Cmd + Option + I ──────────────────────────────────────── 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟯 𝗘𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗮𝗯𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗤𝗔 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀 🔍 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗧𝗮𝗯: 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 ➤ The Elements tab displays the Document Object Model (DOM), which is the HTML structure of the webpage. ➤ This is your go to tool for finding locators for test automation. 💡 Tip: Click the selector icon (top left corner) or press "Ctrl + Shift + C" to hover over and inspect any element on the page. 📟 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗯: 𝗝𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁 𝗘𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 ➤ The Console tab displays JavaScript errors, warnings, and logs. ➤ It's your first stop when something breaks. ➤ Plus, it allows you to test locators directly in the Console tab before putting them into your testing framework. ➤ Workflow: Step 1: Use the Elements tab to find an element you want to use Step 2: Switch to the Console tab and test that element's CSS selector

If you’re a beginner QA automation engineer or SDET (or want to become one), understanding how code goes from a developer’s laptop to production is a key skill to grow beyond just “writing tests”. In this guide, I’ll walk step by step through the software release process: • What a CI/CD pipeline is • What happens during the build–deploy–test cycle • Where QA fits into each stage By the end, you’ll have a clear picture of how releases work and how this knowledge helps you design better, more reliable automated tests. ──────────────────────────────────────── 🟢 There are many ways teams release software, but most of them are just variations of two main approaches ➤ 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞: Developer writes code → someone manually builds the app → someone manually deploys it → someone manually runs tests. Slow, error-prone, and hard to repeat the same way every time. ➤ 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞: Developer pushes code → Jenkins/GitHub Actions automatically builds → Automatically deploys to QA → Automatically triggers your test suite. Fast. Consistent. Reliable. Companies automate these repetitive tasks so they can release software faster with fewer bugs. Understanding this pipeline is essential if you want to move beyond writing basic test scripts and be treated as a real QA Automation Engineer / SDET. ──────────────────────────────────────── 🟢 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐎𝐅𝐓𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 Every software release follows the same pattern. Tools like Jenkins, GitHub Actions, and GitLab CI/CD automate these stages so releases happen in minutes, not hours: ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ 𝟏. 𝐁𝐔𝐈𝐋𝐃 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐄 📦 (𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞) Raw code can't just run on a server. It needs to be built into an artifact - a packaged, executable version of your application. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞: ⟩ Dependencies get installed - External libraries and frameworks your code needs (npm install, pip install, Maven dependencies) ⟩ Code gets compiled and packaged - Source code becomes executable format: