Test Design Patterns in Test Automation
Section Descriptions
1. Fundamentals
| File | Topics |
|---|---|
| Test Types & Levels | Unit, Integration, API (REST/GraphQL/gRPC/WebSocket), E2E, Contract tests; Component/Service/System levels |
| Test Pyramid & Principles | Test pyramid vs trophy, speed/coverage trade-offs, DRY, KISS, Isolation, Determinism, Readability, Maintainability |
| Test Architecture | UI/API/Service layers, test suites/modules/cases, separation of test logic from data and assertions |
2. Core Test Design Patterns
| File | Topics |
|---|---|
| Page Object Model | POM structure, locators, actions, component composition, risks (God POM, tight coupling) |
| Screenplay Pattern | Actor/Task/Interaction/Question/Ability model, comparison with POM, when to use |
| Test Data Builder | Fluent builder for test objects, unique defaults, parameterised tests, nested builders |
| Fixture & Factory | Static/dynamic fixtures, fixture scopes, factory pattern for clients and services |
3. Advanced Patterns
| File | Topics |
|---|---|
| Wrapper & Fluent Interface | HTTP client wrapper, domain-specific API layer, fluent request builder, chaining risks |
| Assertion, Template & Data-Driven | Custom assertion helpers, response matchers, test template base class, data-driven with parametrize and external sources |
4. API Test Patterns
| File | Topics |
|---|---|
| REST & GraphQL | REST request builder, response validator, schema validation, GraphQL query builder, resolver-level testing, test checklists |
| gRPC & WebSocket | gRPC stub-based testing, proto contract validation, WebSocket event-driven testing, message validation, connection lifecycle |
5. Data Management, Mocking, Environment
| File | Topics |
|---|---|
| Test Data Management | Static/generated/seeded data strategies, per-test isolation, cleanup, schema versioning |
| Mocking & Stubbing | Mock vs Stub vs Fake vs Spy, failure simulation, over-mocking risks, decision guide |
| Environment Design | Local/staging/prod-like environments, env vars, feature flags, Testcontainers, DB dependency management |
6. Execution, Reliability, Performance, Observability
| File | Topics |
|---|---|
| Execution Strategies | Parallel execution, thread safety, resource isolation, marks/tags, selective runs, retry strategies |
| Reliability & Flakiness | Flakiness causes and solutions, wait strategies, frozen time, quarantine pattern, flakiness risk register |
| Performance & Observability | Latency/throughput SLOs, Locust load simulation, structured test logging, request tracing, CI metrics |
7. Decisions, Production, Anti-Patterns
| File | Topics |
|---|---|
| CI/CD & Security | Pipeline stage design, GitHub Actions example, input validation, auth testing, injection testing, security checklist |
| Anti-Patterns & Risks | Flaky tests, hardcoded data, over-mocking, UI-heavy tests, implementation coupling, maintenance/execution risks |
| Real-World Decisions & Heuristics | Microservices contract testing, frontend architecture, realtime WebSocket testing, decision factors, senior heuristics |