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What I use - testing

· 2 min read
Luke Owen
Luke Owen
Lead Front End Developer @ Lunio

Testing is an important part of the development process, and I use a few tools to make my life easier:

Jest​

Jest is a JavaScript testing framework, I primarily use it for unit-testing React components along with Enzyme. Unit tests are the first line of defence against bugs, and React components are pretty easy to test because they’re self-contained.

With Jest I can also write snapshot tests: taking a copy of the component output and checking to see if anything has changed, they’re handy to confirm that you didn’t unexpectedly change something.

My tests usually end up around a 70/30 split between unit tests and snapshots.

Pa11y​

I use Pa11y for automated accessibility testing. It runs on the command line to produce an accessibility report.

Ghostlab​

I use Ghostlab for cross-device testing, it allows me to synchronise a website across multiple physical devices.

There is absolutely no better way to test how a site will look than actually seeing it run on the device, and Ghostlab means I can control the same website on several devices and browsers simultaneously.

BrowserStack​

BrowserStack has never been my favourite tool as it’ll never be the same as testing on an actual device. That being said, it does have its uses.

I use it to quickly debug issues that have been reported in specific browsers, as it allows me to switch versions quickly. I also sometimes use it for mobile testing (usually when I don’t have an Android device to hand).

Cypress​

Cypress is my go-to for end-to-end testing, I used to use Nightwatch but I find Cypress easier to get up and running.

This is the final stage of the testing process, Cypress interacts with the system exactly as a user would. It makes sure all parts of the system work together as intended.