Testing

• Learn how to write and run unit tests for backend functionality using the Node testing suite and Postman (S4, S13, S6, S13)

• Gain experience in using the Cypress testing library with React (S4, S13, B9)

• Understand how and when to use component and end to end tests (K12, S5, S6, S13)

• Understand how to write maintainable and readable test cases (S1, S4, B3)

Deployment

• Gain experience in deploying a full-stack web application to a cloud platform (S10, S14, B3)

• Understand the differences between development, staging, and production environments (K1, K3, K8)

• Configure the necessary environment variables and settings for deployment (S10, S14, B3)

• Understand the process of building and optimizing the application for production (S10, S14, B3)

• Learn how to set up and configure a production environment on a cloud platform (S10, S14, B3)

• Gain experience in using a continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD) pipeline (S10, S14, B3)

Cypress

• Guide to Component Testing in Cypress

  A good start in understanding component testing

• Cypress Functions Cheat Sheet

  Your one stop shop for example with cypress React

• Commonly Used Cypress Commands

  More generic cheat sheet for Cypress

Testing

• Testing with Cypress

  Official Cypress docs. You'll find some great tutorials to get start there

• Testing with Postman

  A short video on how to make collections and writing test in Postman

DevOps

• Deploy to an EC2 instance

  A step by step guide to deploying an express server using the AWS console and SSH

• Create a security certificate for HTTPS

  Steps to setup HTTPS connections in your Express server

• National Cyber Security Center

  The 8 Principles of Secure Development & Deployment set out by the National Cyber Security Center

Your task this week is to deploy and test the quiz app you have completed in the previous two weeks.

Description

Before you start you need to create a testing and deployment plan. We would like you plan a testing strategy that will have broad coverage of your project. The tools we would like you to use to achieve this can include Cypress, Postman and the Node built in testing library.

We would like you to deploy both the backend and frontend of your project. Before choosing a deployment platform, consider whether your application is static or dynamic, as this will influence your choice. Here are some options to consider:

• AWS EC2 Instance

• AWS Lambda (for serverless applications)

• Heroku (easy deployment for various application types)

• GitHub Pages

• AWS S3 Bucket (suitable for static websites)

• Vercel

• Netlify

• Firebase Hosting (suitable for static and dynamic sites)

• ...

Research these options and choose the ones that best fit your project's needs, considering factors like scalability, ease of use, and cost. Remember, the goal is to understand the deployment process and the considerations involved in choosing a hosting solution.

Questions to consider

• What parts of the application logic are the most critical to cover with unit tests?

• How will you mock external dependencies (like databases or APIs) during unit testing?

• What are the key user journeys and flows within the application that must be covered by end-to-end tests?

• How will you manage test data and state for end-to-end testing?

• How will encrypted communication (HTTPS) be set up, and will you use a reverse proxy?

• How will you manage configuration variables for different environments (development, staging, production)?

• How will CORS policies be configured between the frontend on GitHub Pages and the backend on EC2?

Acceptance Criteria

• Comprehensive Test coverage including unit, integration and end-to-end tests covering critical application logic and user flows.

• Successful deployment of backend and frontend.

• Documentation clearly outlines setup, deployment, and usage instructions, including API endpoints and environmental requirements.

Stretch criteria

• GitHub Actions CI setup to run your tests when you push.

• Configure HTTPS for secure communication between the frontend and backend, using a tool like Let's Encrypt to obtain and manage SSL/TLS certificates.

This week concentrates on testing and deploying the full-stack quiz application developed over the past two weeks. The focus is on implementing comprehensive testing strategies and successfully deploying both the frontend and backend components of the application.

Workshops

• Persisting data with SQLite and Node

Execute Program

• Finalize incomplete courses

• SQL

Topics

• Unit testing backend functionality with Node's built-in testing suite

• API testing with Postman

• End-to-end testing with Cypress for React applications

• Component testing in React

• Writing maintainable and readable test cases

• Configuring environment variables for different deployment stages

• Setting up and configuring cloud platforms (AWS EC2)

• Managing CORS policies in deployed applications

Stretches

• Implementing Continuous Integration and Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines

• Securing applications with HTTPS

Project

• Develop a comprehensive testing strategy covering unit, integration, and end-to-end tests

• Implement tests using Cypress, Postman, and Node's testing library

• Deploy both the backend and frontend

• Configure environment variables for different deployment stages

• Document the setup, deployment process, and usage instructions

Additional Skills

• Managing test data and state

• Implementing reverse proxies

• Configuring CORS policies

• Using GitHub Actions for CI/CD