Testing and Debugging Web Applications: An End-User Perspective

Context: Most approaches to automated white-box testing consider the client side and the server side of a web application in isolation from each other. Such testers lack a whole-program perspective on the web application under test. Inquiry: We hypothesise that an additional whole-program perspective would enable the tester to discover which server side errors can be triggered by an actual end user accessing the application through the client, and which ones can only be triggered in hypothetical scenarios. Approach: In this paper, we explore the idea of employing such a whole-program perspective in testing. To this end, we develop , a novel concolic tester which operates on full-stack JavaScript web applications, where both the client and the server side are JavaScript processes communicating via asynchronous messages -- as enabled by the WebSocket or Socket.IO-libraries. Knowledge: We find that the whole-program perspective enables discerning high-priority errors, which are reachable from a particular client, from low-priority errors, which are not accessible through the tested client. Another benefit of the perspective is that it allows the automated tester to construct practical, step-by-step scenarios for triggering server side errors from the end user's perspective. Grounding: We apply on a collection of web applications to evaluate how effective testing is in distinguishing between high- and low-priority errors. The results show that correctly classifies the majority of server errors. Importance: This paper demonstrates the feasibility of testing as a novel approach for automatically testing web applications. Classifying errors as being of high or low importance aids developers in prioritising bugs that might be encountered by users, and postponing the diagnosis of bugs that are less easily reached.

Based on an increasing number of web resources and services, the mashup paradigm enables end users to create custom web applications consisting of several components in order to fulfill specific needs. End user development of such composite web applications poses tough challenges to composition platforms, especially with non-programmers as end users. For instance, communicating on a non-technical level is crucial. Furthermore, assistance is essential throughout the entire process, ranging from composition to usage of mashups. Amongst others, users should be supported by explaining inter-widget communication, by helping to understand a mashup’s functionality and by identifying mashups providing desired functionality. However, prevalent mashup solutions provide no or limited concepts regarding these aspects. In this paper, we introduce our proposal for formalizing and calculating the functionality of mashup compositions based on capabilities and communication relations of mashup components as well as semantic domain knowledge. It serves as a foundation for our assisted, capability-centered end user development approach within the CRUISE platform. The latter features several assistance mechanisms, like presenting the functionality of mashups and recommending composition steps. We describe a prototypical implementation of the proposed algorithm and discuss its usage in our platform. Additionally, we evaluate our modeling and algorithmic concepts by means of example applications and an expert evaluation.

Web application have gained increased acceptance over the years in companies and organization as the world move to a global village. Software developers have also grown interest in developing web applications compared to stand-alone application because of the immense benefits it offers such as ubiquity, platform dependence, low cost of support and maintenance, better speed and performance, piracy proof etc. As mobile application emerged in the last decade, attention has been focused on mobile applications by organizations and businesses in order to maximize their profits as much as possible. There has been a rapid increase of software release in the mobile applications store. As the growth of both web application and mobile application increase, the question of quality assurance remains a concern. A comparative study of software testing techniques can be performed to improve the standard of testing of both web and mobile application. This paper therefore reviews the similarity and difference in the testing mechanism.

In the realm of modern software development, comprehensive testing of web applications is crucial to ensure quality, performance, and user satisfaction. Automated testing frameworks like Selenium and Cypress have become pivotal in achieving these goals. This paper explores the utilization of Selenium and Cypress for web application testing, comparing their features, strengths, and limitations to provide a comprehensive overview of their capabilities and applications.Selenium, an established open-source tool, has been a staple in web application testing since its inception. It supports multiple programming languages such as Java, C#, and Python, and is compatible with various browsers and platforms. Selenium's WebDriver component allows for the automation of complex user interactions, making it suitable for end-to-end testing. Its ability to integrate with a range of testing frameworks and tools further enhances its flexibility and usability in diverse testing scenarios. However, Selenium's setup and execution can be cumbersome, particularly when dealing with dynamic web elements and cross-browser testing.Cypress, a newer entrant in the automated testing landscape, offers a modern approach to testing web applications. Unlike Selenium, Cypress operates directly within the browser, providing a more streamlined and efficient testing experience. Its architectural design allows for real-time reloading and debugging, which significantly accelerates the development and testing process. Cypress's integrated features, such as automatic waiting and network traffic control, simplify test writing and execution. Nevertheless, its support for only JavaScript and limited cross-browser compatibility may pose challenges for teams working with diverse tech stacks or requiring extensive browser support.This paper delves into the comparative analysis of Selenium and Cypress, focusing on their functionalities, performance, and suitability for various testing needs. It examines the strengths of Selenium in handling complex scenarios and its broad language and browser support, juxtaposed with Cypress's advantages in speed, ease of use, and real-time feedback. Additionally, the paper addresses common challenges and best practices for leveraging these tools effectively in different testing environments.The research highlights the importance of choosing the right tool based on project requirements, team expertise, and testing goals. For instance, Selenium’s robustness makes it ideal for large-scale projects with varied requirements, while Cypress’s simplicity and speed are advantageous for rapid development cycles and straightforward testing needs. The paper also offers practical insights into integrating these tools with continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, enabling teams to automate and streamline their testing workflows.In conclusion, both Selenium and Cypress have their unique strengths and are valuable assets in the toolkit of web application testers. By understanding their capabilities and limitations, development teams can make informed decisions on which tool to utilize based on their specific testing needs. The paper provides a framework for evaluating these tools and offers guidance on optimizing their use to achieve comprehensive and effective web application testing.

Service composition combines a set of available Web services using control flows to create a more complex service. The service composition is a complex process which is challenging even for experienced users to discover and select appropriate service among a set of similar services. The available tools and techniques for service composition either are too complicated or require technical knowledge (such as script language). Moreover the heterogeneity in service description language and communication protocols make service composition more difficult. In our research, we propose an approach that allows non-technical users (i.e., end users) to easily compose heterogeneous Web resources with different communication protocol. The goal of this research is fulfilled on two stages: 1) identifying integrable Web resources from different Web applications and SOAP-based Web services; and 2) providing approaches to discover and compose Web resources that are capable of accomplishing user's activities. We propose a framework that assists a user to discover and compose services.

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End-user development is proposed as a solution to the issues business organisations face when developing web applications to support their business processes. We are proposing a meta-model based development approach to support End-User Development. End-users can actively participate in web application development using tools to populate and instantiate the meta-model. The meta-model has three abstraction levels: Shell, Application and Function. At Shell Level, we model aspects common to all business web applications such as navigation and access control. At Application Level, we model aspects common to specific web applications such as workflows. At Function Level, we model requirements specific to the identified use cases. In this paper we discuss how we have solved the issues in application development for business end-users such as need for central repository of data, common log in, optimizing user model, application portability and balance between “Do it Yourself” (DIY) and professional developers in hierarchical meta-model approach. These solutions are being incorporated into Component based EApplication Development and Deployment Shell (CBEADS) version 4, supporting meta-model implementation. We believe that these solutions will help end-users to efficiently and effectively develop web applications using meta-model based development approach.

Recently, the extraordinary growth in the World Wide Web has been sweeping through business and industry. Many companies have developed or integrated their mission-critical applications using Web technologies. As Web applications become complex, testing Web applications becomes crucial. This paper extends traditional data flow testing techniques to Web applications. Several data flow issues for analyzing HTML documents in Web applications are discussed. A test model that captures data flow test artifacts of Web applications is presented. In the test model, each component of a Web application is modeled as an object. The data flow information of the Web application is captured using flow graphs. From the test model, data flow test cases for the Web application then can be derived based on the intra-object, inter-object, and inter-client perspectives.

Web applications have rapidly become a critical part of business for many organizations. However, increased usage of Web applications has not been reciprocated with corresponding increases in reliability. Unique characteristics, such as quick turnaround time, coupled with growing popularity motivate the need for efficient and effective Web application testing strategies. In this paper, we propose several new test suite prioritization strategies for Web applications and examine whether these strategies can improve the rate of fault detection for three Web applications and their preexisting test suites. We prioritize test suites by test lengths, frequency of appearance of request sequences, and systematic coverage of parameter-values and their interactions. Experimental results show that the proposed prioritization criteria often improve the rate of fault detection of the test suites when compared to random ordering of test cases. In general, the best prioritization metrics either (1) consider frequency of appearance of sequences of requests or (2) systematically cover combinations of parameter-values as early as possible.

Integrating security in the software development life cycle has been a significant concern for researchers, security professionals and software developers. Security frameworks help to improve security in SDLC and mitigate threats by promoting the use of best practices. While in the presence of such best practices, security is somehow considered to be an afterthought and often leaves us with insecure software. Insecure web development makes web applications vulnerable to security threats like injection attacks, data breaches, privilege escalation, CSRF and other threats. This research based on mixed methods approach aims to provide valuable insights for security professionals and web application developers regarding the use of security frameworks to map threats for secure web development. Security frameworks including NIST SSDF, OWASP top 10, OWASP SAMM, SAFECode 3rd edition and BSIMM13 are involved for this purpose. The goal is to address the gap by leveraging these security frameworks to systematically map threats in web development environment. The research will aim to provide a comprehensive methodology for identifying potential security risks, analysing their impact and recommending security measures tailored to specifically web development environment. To achieve this, a comparative study of security frameworks, testing of web applications has been conducted to achieve the results.

Security doesn't begin and end with the enterprise. In a world of uncertainty, with growing turbulence in many regions, it makes sense to ensure our home and office is safe. In our paper we are going to discuss about Cyber Crimes and the use of Free and Open Source Software's to Detoxify Cyber Crime Attacks in an End User Perspective. Protecting our personal Information and Cyber security is a demanding task for all web users. Protecting our laptop and desktop computers by installing and updating anti-virus security software will prevent Spreading of malwares. Preventing unauthorized devices connecting to our computers and disabling the Autorun functionality will prevent spreading of viruses among devices like USB, computers and through network. To ensure protection and to avoid Cyber-attacks end users need to know the available free services and software's to reengineer the effectiveness of Information to Detoxify Cyber Crime Attacks. Cyber hacker's causes damage to personal Data, loss of money, dissatisfaction, business and financial losses. End Users need to implement appropriate preventive measures to protect their Personal Data from any such damages.

Due to problems in correctly understanding user requirements the Information System (IS) development community have recognised the need to involve end-users in the development and maintenance of web applications. End-users perceive web applications through user interfaces (UIs) and commonly use sketches of UIs to express their requirements. Thus, it would be desirable to provide an end-user development methodology centred on UI modelling techniques. In this paper a visual modelling approach is presented to empower end-users in developing data intensive web applications starting from user interface descriptions. The modelling language follows a holistic approach by representing both static and behavioural information of a web application in one visual model. The visual model allows the specification of the look-and-feel of the application through mock-ups, and the user interactions through links, annotations, and widget references. End-users are guided during the modelling process by providing a summary view to manage the design of complex applications and a data model view to improve the quality of the generated applications.

Web application testing is concerned with numerous and complicated testing objects, methods and processes. So a testing framework fitting for the properties of Web application is needed to guide and organize all the testing tasks. Based on the analysis for Web application characters and traditional software testing process, the process for Web application testing is modeled, which describes a series of testing flows such as the testing requirement analysis, test cases generation and selection, testing execution, and testing results analysis and measurement. Furthermore, the realization techniques are also investigated so as to integrate each testing step and implement the whole testing process harmoniously and effectively. Thus the framework is suitable for the Internet environment and can guide the Web application testing actively and availably.

Web application development from simple web pages to complex interactive platforms (including social networks, e-commerce systems, corporate portals) requires new approaches, tools and technologies. JavaScript libraries and frameworks play a special role in developing web applications, simplifying the creation of effective, scalable, and convenient interfaces. The purpose of the article is to research the problems and prospects of using React in combination with Redux when creating web applications with a complex structure, to assess the advantages of their joint use in comparison with similar tools and to develop the web application “FarmerProducts”. The research methodology consists of the main methodological approaches and technological tools for developing web applications. Such methods, in particular, are: system and comparative analysis – to identify the features of creating web applications; method of expert assessments, which involves the study of literary sources and information resources, conducting interviews and surveys of experts, as well as the processes of developing and testing scalable and high-performance web applications based on the use of React and Redux. The scientific novelty of the research is the analysis of modern tools (React, Angular, Vue. js) for developing web applications, identifying problems and prospects for their use, creating an author’s web application (using React and Redux), which includes an intuitive interface, a flexible database, simplifying the process of working with the application by using a stack of modern technologies. Conclusions. The paper analyses the problems and prospects of using modern web application development tools; focuses on React, which is suitable for different projects; conducts a comparative analysis of React with Angular, Vue. js and Svelte, identifies their main characteristics, advantages, disadvantages; demonstrates the dependence of the choice of tools on the project context (React in combination with Redux can provide an optimal balance between performance, flexibility and scalability); describes the author’s web application – the FarmerProducts online store; identifies further ways to improve this web application.

End-user software engineering (EUSE) is a research area that aims to invent new kinds of technologies that collaborate with end users to improve the quality of their software. The practice that EUSE research aims to support is end users using new tools and methods to improve the quality of the software that they and other end users have created. There is a need for this outcome because research shows both that the number of end users creating their own software greatly exceeds the number of professional software developers, and that the software they create is riddled with errors. In this paper, we describe the present state of EUSE, and challenges in moving forward toward a bright future. We show how the future of EUSE may become over-siloed, restricting future researchers' vision of what can be achieved. We then show that focusing on the in-the-moment intents of end-user developers can be used to derive a number of promising directions forward for EUSE researchers, and how theories can help us further de-silo future EUSE research. Finally, we discuss how overcoming challenges for the future of end-user software engineering may also bring direct benefits to the future of "classic" software engineering.