# End-to-end Testing ## What is end-to-end testing? End-to-end testing is a strategy used to check whether your application works as expected across the entire software stack and architecture, including integration of all micro-services and components that are supposed to work together. ## Branch naming If your contribution contains **only** changes under the [`qa/` folder](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/tree/master/qa), you can speed up the CI process by following some branch naming conventions. You have three choices: | Branch name | Valid example | |:----------------------|:-----------------------------| | Starting with `qa/` | `qa/new-oauth-login-test` | | Starting with `qa-` | `qa-new-oauth-login-test` | | Ending in `-qa` | `123-new-oauth-login-test-qa` | If your branch name matches any of the above, it will run only the QA-related jobs. If it does not, the whole application test suite will run (including QA-related jobs). ## How do we test GitLab? We use [Omnibus GitLab][omnibus-gitlab] to build GitLab packages and then we test these packages using the [GitLab QA orchestrator][gitlab-qa] tool, which is a black-box testing framework for the API and the UI. ### Testing nightly builds We run scheduled pipeline each night to test nightly builds created by Omnibus. You can find these nightly pipelines at [gitlab-org/quality/nightly/pipelines][quality-nightly-pipelines]. Results are reported in the `#qa-nightly` Slack channel. ### Testing staging We run scheduled pipeline each night to test staging. You can find these nightly pipelines at [gitlab-org/quality/staging/pipelines][quality-staging-pipelines]. Results are reported in the `#qa-staging` Slack channel. ### Testing code in merge requests #### Using the `package-and-qa` job It is possible to run end-to-end tests for a merge request, eventually being run in a pipeline in the [`gitlab-qa`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-qa/) project, by triggering the `package-and-qa` manual action in the `test` stage (not available for forks). **This runs end-to-end tests against a custom Omnibus package built from your merge request's changes.** Manual action that starts end-to-end tests is also available in merge requests in [Omnibus GitLab][omnibus-gitlab]. Below you can read more about how to use it and how does it work. #### How does it work? Currently, we are using _multi-project pipeline_-like approach to run QA pipelines. ![QA on merge requests CI/CD architecture](img/qa_on_merge_requests_cicd_architecture.png)
Show mermaid source 
graph LR
    A1 -.->|1. Triggers an omnibus-gitlab pipeline and wait for it to be done| A2
    B2[`Trigger-qa` stage
`Trigger:qa-test` job] -.->|2. Triggers a gitlab-qa pipeline and wait for it to be done| A3

subgraph gitlab-ce/ee pipeline
    A1[`test` stage
`package-and-qa` job]
    end

subgraph omnibus-gitlab pipeline
    A2[`Trigger-docker` stage
`Trigger:gitlab-docker` job] -->|once done| B2
    end

subgraph gitlab-qa pipeline
    A3>QA jobs run] -.->|3. Reports back the pipeline result to the `package-and-qa` job
and post the result  on the original commit tested| A1
    end
1. Developer triggers a manual action, that can be found in CE / EE merge requests. This starts a chain of pipelines in multiple projects. 1. The script being executed triggers a pipeline in [Omnibus GitLab][omnibus-gitlab] and waits for the resulting status. We call this a _status attribution_. 1. GitLab packages are being built in the [Omnibus GitLab][omnibus-gitlab] pipeline. Packages are then pushed to its Container Registry. 1. When packages are ready, and available in the registry, a final step in the [Omnibus GitLab][omnibus-gitlab] pipeline, triggers a new GitLab QA pipeline (those with access can view them at `https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-qa/pipelines`). It also waits for a resulting status. 1. GitLab QA pulls images from the registry, spins-up containers and runs tests against a test environment that has been just orchestrated by the `gitlab-qa` tool. 1. The result of the GitLab QA pipeline is being propagated upstream, through Omnibus, back to the CE / EE merge request. #### Using the `review-qa-all` jobs On every pipeline during the `test` stage, the `review-qa-smoke` job is automatically started: it runs the QA smoke suite against the [Review App][review-apps]. You can also manually start the `review-qa-all`: it runs the full QA suite against the [Review App][review-apps]. **This runs end-to-end tests against a Review App based on [the official GitLab Helm chart][helm-chart], itself deployed with custom [Cloud Native components][cng] built from your merge request's changes.** See [Review Apps][review-apps] for more details about Review Apps. [helm-chart]: https://gitlab.com/charts/gitlab/ [cng]: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/build/CNG ## How do I write tests? In order to write new tests, you first need to learn more about GitLab QA architecture. See the [documentation about it][gitlab-qa-architecture]. Once you decided where to put [test environment orchestration scenarios] and [instance-level scenarios], take a look at the [GitLab QA README][instance-qa-readme], the [GitLab QA orchestrator README][gitlab-qa-readme], and [the already existing instance-level scenarios][instance-level scenarios]. ## Where can I ask for help? You can ask question in the `#quality` channel on Slack (GitLab internal) or you can find an issue you would like to work on in [the `gitlab-ce` issue tracker][gitlab-ce-issues], [the `gitlab-ee` issue tracker][gitlab-ce-issues], or [the `gitlab-qa` issue tracker][gitlab-qa-issues]. [omnibus-gitlab]: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/omnibus-gitlab [gitlab-qa]: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-qa [gitlab-qa-readme]: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-qa/tree/master/README.md [quality-nightly-pipelines]: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/quality/nightly/pipelines [quality-staging-pipelines]: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/quality/staging/pipelines [review-apps]: ./review_apps.md [gitlab-qa-architecture]: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-qa/blob/master/docs/architecture.md [gitlab-qa-issues]: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-qa/issues?label_name%5B%5D=new+scenario [gitlab-ce-issues]: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues?label_name[]=QA&label_name[]=test [gitlab-ee-issues]: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ee/issues?label_name[]=QA&label_name[]=test [test environment orchestration scenarios]: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-qa/tree/master/lib/gitlab/qa/scenario [instance-level scenarios]: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/tree/master/qa/qa/specs/features [Page objects documentation]: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/tree/master/qa/qa/page/README.md [instance-qa-readme]: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/tree/master/qa/README.md [instance-qa-examples]: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/tree/master/qa/qa