Tests Through the Eyes of a DevOps Engineer

Tests Through the Eyes of a DevOps Engineer

Yesterday I was configuring a pipeline and thought: do we actually know what exactly we're testing? Yes, we don't write the code, but pipelines with tests are our area of responsibility. And to configure CI/CD correctly, you need to understand the essence of the process.

❔ How we look at tests

Imagine that testing is like inspecting a car. Unit tests are when a mechanic checks each part separately: does the engine work, the brakes, the headlights. Integration tests are when we start the car and see how all the systems work together. And E2E tests are when we get behind the wheel and drive around the city, checking the whole route from home to work.

❔What we check

There are two big questions: "Does the system work?" and "And how well does it work?". The first question is answered by functional tests — they verify that the "Buy" button actually purchases the product. The second question is answered by non-functional tests — they look at security, performance, and usability.

🪲 The level of "transparency"

Interestingly, testing varies in the level of access to the code. Black box — we test like an ordinary user, without knowing what's happening inside. White box — we see all the code and test with an understanding of the architecture. Gray box — the golden mean, when we know the general structure but don't dive into the details.

🤖 Manual vs automated

Manual testing is when a person sits down at a computer and checks everything by hand. A classic, but slow. Automated is our element: scripts, CI/CD, automation. Fast, reliable, scalable.

❔Why this matters to us

Understanding the types of tests helps us configure pipelines correctly. We know that unit tests should be fast and run on every commit. Integration tests — on merge into the main branch. E2E tests — before a release. And load tests — on a schedule or when infrastructure changes.

✔️This helps us optimize build time, parallelize tasks correctly, and speak the same language as the developers.