Selenium – UI Test Automation Backbone
XPath/CSS mastery: Dynamic locators, contains(), normalize-
space(), axes (parent, sibling, etc.)
Handling:
Alerts
IFrames
Multiple browser windows
Shadow DOMs
Wait mechanisms:
Explicit, Fluent, WebDriverWait
Custom wait utilities using ExpectedConditions
Test structure:
Page Object Model (POM)
Separation of concerns (pages, utilities, configs)
Parallel execution:
TestNG groups, data providers, @Factory
Grid/Docker Selenium setup
Integration with:
Allure reports, Extent Reports
Jenkins for CI based test triggers
Appium – Mobile Automation Must-Know
Desired Capabilities: Device name, app
package/activity, automationName (UIAutomator2,
Espresso, XCUITest)
Inspecting mobile elements using:
Appium Inspector
UIAutomatorViewer (Android)
Native + Hybrid App Handling:
Switching contexts (NATIVE_APP <--> WEBVIEW)
Gesture automation:
Scroll/swipe/tap/drag using TouchAction
Device management:
Real vs Emulator
Parallel device execution using Appium Server or
Appium Grid
Mobile CI integration:
BrowserStack, Sauce Labs
REST-assured – Lightweight, Powerful API Test Suite
Basic Auth / OAuth / Bearer Token handling
Request chaining: Store response value (e.g., userId)
and use in next API
Assertions using:
Hamcrest matchers: equalTo(), containsString(),
hasItem()
JSONPath, XMLPath parsing
JSON schema validation
Logging filters and custom request/response logging
Spec builders:
RequestSpecBuilder
ResponseSpecBuilder
Parameterization using TestNG DataProvider or
external files
Playwright – The Modern Web Automation
Alternative
Auto-waiting for elements (no more manual waits)
Cross-browser support (Chromium, Firefox, WebKit)
API testing and UI testing in the same framework
Execution in headless/headful mode with tracing
Parallel execution using test.parallel or CI integration
Built-in test generator with Playwright Codegen
Test Design Patterns – Code That Scales with
You
Page Object Model for UI element reuse
Factory Pattern for driver/browser instantiation
Singleton Pattern for shared driver/utilities
Cucumber – BDD Aligning Code with
Conversation
Gherkin mastery
Feature files that are readable and testable
Step Definitions:
Parameterized steps
Common utility steps (e.g., login, validate status)
Hooks:
@Before, @After, @BeforeStep, @AfterStep
Reusability:
Shared context between steps
Dependency injection using PicoContainer
Data-driven BDD:
Scenario Outline with Examples
Reading test data from JSON/Excel
JMeter – Performance Testing Made Powerful
Creating Thread Groups (Virtual Users)
Simulating Load: Ramp up, Duration, Loops
HTTP Request Samplers (GET/POST/PUT)
Assertions for response time, status code, data checks
Listeners: View Results Tree, Summary Report, Aggregate
Graph
Parameterization using CSV Config
Distributed Testing: Run tests in parallel on multiple
machines
Integrating with Jenkins/GitHub Actions for CI load testing
Git – Collaborate, Commit, Control
clone, pull, push: Your basic day-to-day actions
branch: Create feature branches like feature/login-tests
merge & rebase: Keep your code updated and conflict-free
stash: Temporarily save uncommitted changes while
switching tasks
Pull Requests (PRs): Collaborate with your team through
code reviews
Writing clear commit messages:
feat: add login test
fix: updated locator for reset password
Use GitHub Actions or Jenkins to automatically trigger test
runs on every push.
GitHub Actions:
Run tests on PR/merge
Store artifacts like reports, logs
CI/CD – The Automation Pipeline You Can’t Skip
Trigger test execution on every commit, pull request, or
schedule
Store and publish reports (Allure/Extent) as artifacts
Parameterize builds using environment variables
Use test stage in pipelines with pass/fail gates
Slack/Email alerts on failures
AI in Testing – Emerging, Not Optional
Visual regression testing using:
Applitools Eyes (baseline comparison, layout
validation)
Flaky test detection using:
Test analytics tools (Launchable, Testim)
Test case generation:
Generative AI
Self-Healing Scripts(Testim, Functionize, Katalon)
AI tools automatically update locators when the UI
changes
LLMs (ChatGPT,Gemini) for:
Summarizing test runs
Suggesting edge cases
Auto generating Gherkin from plain English
Soft Skills & Domain Knowledge – Your Superpower
Beyond Tools
Clear Communication
Collaboration & Empathy
Product Thinking
Time Management & Prioritization
Domain Knowledge
Feedback & Growth Mindset
Leadership Without Title
