Last Updated on March 2, 2024
Continuous integration is a development practice that requires developers to integrate code into a shared repository several times a day. Each check-in is then verified by an automated build allowing teams to detect problems early.
Continuous delivery is an application development discipline that takes agile to its logical conclusion, creating software that is always ready to release. It does this by using automation and by building an extending agile, CI and DevOps practices and tools to transform the way software delivers. Building a CI/CD pipeline will enable organizations o to deliver new features to users as fast and efficiently as possible.
If you are building a CI/CD pipeline, then you have to use a cloud-based testing platform. Otherwise, the quality of your continuous testing will be compromised. Let’s understand how a cloud-based testing platform can enhance mobile app testing and the functioning of a CI/CD pipeline.
Better Test Coverage
You cannot just test your build on a couple of devices connected to your server. To ensure that your integrated code is ready to be deployed, the build has to be tested on multiple devices. The more devices you have for testing, the better.
There are many OEMs in the mobile device industry and most of them use custom ROM to provide a different user experience. Then there are many versions of operating systems and hardware specifications that make app testing difficult.
Android itself has at least 10 API levels still popular around the world. The screen sizes add up to the problem as the devices range from 5.5 inches to 6.5 inches.
The developers and testers need to make sure that the app is compatible with all the device specification combinations. This can only be ensured by testing the app on as many as possible devices. Earlier the development team used to set up device labs for continuous testing but it is not a feasible option in the current scenario.
Device cloud is easy to access as the devices are available 24/7 and the user can access the devices from anywhere. This will help in optimizing the CI/CD pipeline as the built will be of better quality and the team coordination will be efficient on the online platform.
Better Feedback Analysis
The key aspect of the CI/CD process is continuous feedback. The developers work on the feedback that they get once the automation testing is performed on the build. To add on to the feedback, pCloudy provides a detailed report of the tests where the user can see the performance of the app based on different parameters.
In pCloudy, the user will be able to check the battery consumption, memory usage, CPU usage, frame rendering, network chart, snapshots, test logs, and videos. These reports can be shared among the team members for a better understanding of the test results. This helps in analyzing the feedback and revamp the test scripts according to the changes made in the code.
Conclusion
The best thing about using pCloudy is that it is integrated with most of the popular tools and frameworks like Jenkins, Jira, GitHub, Appium, etc. This will further make life easy for the developers and testers who are involved in implementing the CI/CD pipeline. These integrations will also help in accelerating the overall delivery process as the workflow will be smooth.