Testing in production refers to the act of frequently performing tests in a live environment, after production deployment. It is not a substitute for any other type, and the significance of the QA team still remains intact. A well-planned series helps identify critical issues that might not surface in staging environments.
It has both its advantages and disadvantages, which may explain why some testers approach it with hesitancy, or have done so in the past. Let’s have a look at these pros and cons, below.
Pros
Real World Accuracy
Testing production systems are more geared towards reality. On the other hand, checking it in non-prod environments like development, quality assurance, and staging systems, does have value but it does not mirror the real world. This is because they are running on different codes, server operating systems, and patch levels. Often, evaluating in the two environments will yield starkly different results, which are particularly noticeable in penetration , as configurations vary at the application and server levels. Testing in production is a strategy that allows teams to catch issues in live environments, enhancing real-world reliability. Best practices for testing in prod include using canary releases and deploying changes incrementally.
Verifying Functionality
Smoke and sanity tests are mostly performed in these environments. Smoke evaluation checks if the product’s main functionalities are working correctly. It verifies if bugs have been fixed and the functionality of the product is as expected. This enhances the likelihood of improved service.
User Experience
Performing usability checks in a production environment can give businesses an understanding of the user experience. A/B testers offer two versions of a product to users and find statistics to determine which version performs better. This A/B method is ideal to test for new features, whose market value is unknown.
Disaster Prevention
No matter how much checking is done in development, it is inevitable that bugs will reach the end stage. If the DevOps team is prepared to handle defects at the prod stage, the recovery time will be faster.
Hence, testing in production helps in averting disastrous situations—by taking it a step ahead of basic prevention techniques, to monitoring methods that detect and fix bugs continuously. The application gains resilience and can recover from unexpected chaos without loss of functionality or data.
Complete test coverage
As conditions of a prod environment cannot be fully replicated, complete test coverage is not possible before product deployment. Due to data and traffic limitations, many edge case tests in staging environments will be missed out. It will give full test coverage via continuous monitoring. With production data, every possible scenario can be detected. Also, developers often make changes in applications and deploy it, skipping the Quality Assurance verification. These changes create bugs in the application. Testing in prod with software testing tools removes the risks caused by these changes.
Cons
Irresponsibility in testing
Testing in production improves the overall process but it is not meant to lessen the tester’s responsibility for checking in other environments. As testers share the responsibility of evaluating, QA testers may develop an unmotivated approach and not utilize the saved time towards other types. It will only be effective if team members collaborate fully and not neglect other types of checks.
Test timings
If a load test is run on this environment during business hours, it increases the chances for poor user experiences. Experts recommend running tests in environments during times that do not impact a lot of users; for example, during maintenance hours. Testers get a smaller time slot to perform the tests. As user experience is tied with profit, a tester not adhering to the recommended timings can lower the business revenue.
Chaos Monkey
Chaos Monkey is a code with which chaos is created on purpose in a production environment. It is a technique to verify if it is working as expected. However, a code that injects failures deliberately can cause problems in an environment like damaging a web server. Chaos monkey should be used carefully when developing a resilient application to ensure application tiers are not killed.
Verdict
If conducted properly in a way that enhances efficiency, it is a fruitful opportunity. Its benefits bring the product team closer to the end-users. However, its scope has not been fully tapped into yet. Thus, exploring its potential will become clearer gradually, as it is carried out more. Production testing software enables teams to monitor and evaluate application behavior in live environments efficiently. While risky, performing a test in prod can reveal user-specific issues that aren’t replicated in staging. Software production testing ensures that the live environment performs as expected under real-world conditions.
When executed effectively, it offers invaluable insights into real-world user behavior and system performance. By directly engaging with end-users, teams can identify potential issues and opportunities for improvement in a live environment. However, despite its potential benefits, the adoption of testing in production remains underutilized in many organizations. Test prod strategies require careful planning to ensure minimal impact on end-users. A well-structured scenario helps ensure that critical application functions work seamlessly in the live environment. By aligning these processes, teams can detect and resolve potential issues earlier in the lifecycle. Performing a test in prod requires robust monitoring systems to ensure user experience isn’t disrupted. As teams continue to explore and embrace this approach, its full potential to enhance product quality and user experience will become increasingly evident.
