When Should Jenkins and Regression Testing Be Automated?

These days, software development heavily relies on continuous integration and delivery, or CI/CD. Jenkins, one of the leading automation servers, is essential to pipelines for automated testing, development, and deployment. Jenkins removal is only half the fight, though; in order to maximize coverage and efficiency, teams must also know how, when, and where to deploy regression tests. 

In this post, we define Jenkins, discuss how it works with DevOps processes, and discuss when regression testing is most effective in your automated pipeline.
Jenkins: What Is It? 

Jenkins is an open-source automation server that makes it possible for developers worldwide to consistently build, test, and release software. Since its initial release in 2011, it has been a crucial component of CI/CD systems.
Jenkins gives developers the ability to: ● Automate repetitive processes, such as deployments and builds 

Every code commit initiates tests and releases. ● Connect with hundreds of SCM, testing tool, reporting, and other plugins. 

Keep an unambiguous audit record for deployments and builds. 

Important Jenkins Features for CI/CD Pipelines
1. Job Configuration: Use Jenkinsfile or UI to create custom pipelines (declarative pipelines).
2. Parallel Execution: To save time, run several tasks at once.
3. Plugins Ecosystem: Facilitates integration with programs such as ACCELQ, Docker, JIRA, GitHub, and Selenium.
4. Automated Triggers: Respond to manual approvals, time-based schedules, or code modifications
5. Feedback Loops: Developers receive test results instantly for prompt corrections
Jenkins's features enable QA and development teams to prioritize quality above manual repetition. 

Why Does Jenkins Pipelines Need Regression Testing? 

Regression testing makes ensuring that updated code doesn't interfere with already-existing features. It serves as a safeguard against unforeseen errors making their way into production.
Agile workplaces are fast-paced and require extensive testing due to frequent changes. Bugs might not be found until after release, when expensive repairs and reputational harm are at risk, if automated regression testing is not used.
Teams may run tests on each code update or merge by directly integrating regression testing into Jenkins. 

Constantly verify critical user flows 

Avoid test debt and excessive manual verification.
Which Time of Day Is Ideal for Regression Testing?
Regression testing can only be done at the conclusion of a sprint, which is one of the biggest illusions that many firms hold. Regression testing should actually be done at every stage of the development lifecycle, especially in CI/CD workflows.
Among the best timing techniques are: 

1. Post-Commit: To identify problems early, run a subset of smoke regression tests on each commit.
2. Before deploying to staging or production, run comprehensive regression test suites.
3. Nightly Builds: For thorough testing, use Jenkins to initiate regression runs during off-peak hours.
4. Verify pull requests against important regression scenarios as part of pre-merge checks.
Read this post about the ideal time to conduct regression testing to learn more about this idea.
How Does ACCELQ Improve Jenkins Regression Testing? 

Every step of your pipeline can benefit from no-code, AI-powered regression testing thanks to ACCELQ's easy integration with Jenkins. With ACCELQ, teams can automate end-to-end tests for web, mobile, API, and backend platforms; test cases are written in plain English rather than code; tests use AI-based healing to automatically update with changes to the application; and integration with Jenkins enables test runs to be initiated by simple CLI or API commands.
This guarantees that, without turning into a maintenance headache, your regression suite will change as your product does. 

Creating a Jenkins Pipeline with Hooks for Regression Testing

This configuration performs complete regression testing only after changes are merged into the main branch, and smoke regression testing on all builds. 

In conclusion 

Teams benefit from Jenkins' speed, but without a sound regression testing strategy, that pace might lead to numerous failures. When teams combine this with intelligent no-code regression tests in their Jenkins processes, they can consistently produce reliable, high-quality builds.
It is always the optimum time to do regression testing, not just once. Jenkins and ACCELQ collaborate to assist teams stay ahead of regressions and in line with continuous delivery objectives from commit to deployment.