Canary testing is a method of testing new features and functions in the development environment. When implementing the testing, developers make sure that the change in features does not affect the users. Canary testing is also known as a canary release and canary deployment. We are talking about software releases in this article that we refer to as canary deployment. This deployment is made ready for canary testing. It helps you test those new features or functions with the users in a live production environment. Let’s have a look at the basics of canary testing and how it benefits developers.
Understanding Canary Testing and its Benefits
What is Canary Testing?
Developers use canary testing to bring new changes to the production environment and introduce them to a group of users. The group of users is also called a sample group. And distributors distribute the codes to the sample group to find out the issues that lie in the code. Canary testing helps developers to apply the codes in small parts. With canary testing, you can test the new features and functions in the production stage itself. Since canary testing is done on a small number of users, the impact is not that intense.
You can also reverse the changes you made to a new code if that code has an issue in it. Besides, the developers are also able to quickly find out if the new changes to the software are providing the desired result. There is automatic testing in the canary test that allows you to test a canary release once it is being tested in the sandbox. The meaning of the word canary is pushing the code to a small group of users. The term came from coal mining used to alert the miners about the toxic gasses that could reach a dangerous level.
Same as coal mining, the group that is chosen for reviewing a new code in the canary test does not know what they are getting into. They review the application as an end-user and share their honest feedback just like a user would do. Developers take help from canary testing to learn about the features because the test itself comes with numerous benefits.
Benefits of Canary Testing
In general, testing can help you figure out the bugs in your production setting. And then it gives you the chance to alter the code and make the software more impactful without directly impacting the users. In the software development life cycle, canary testing helps save the time and effort of the developers. It also helps you keep your brand name because there are only a few issues that will be impacting the users. As a result, this also keeps your developers satisfied. Have a look at the benefits of canary testing one by one.
1. Canary Tests are Simple
Canary tests are easy to deploy because they don’t come with a lot of hassle and the preparation is already done by the developers. To carry out a canary test, that team will only have to enter the new code into an end-user group. If there is any issue in the code then the developer team can reverse those changes without affecting the users or brand name.
2. Low Maintenance
Canary testing is a low-maintenance test that helps developers learn about the results quickly. Once the test generates any result, the developers can analyze it and move on to the next stage to solve the issues that come up in the production code. The test requires a little maintenance because there is no need to monitor its performance and provide a lot of resources. You can control how the test will perform and you can also get the result immediately.
3. Inexpensive
To run a canary test, developers will need a small infrastructure. This reduces the cost but it also reduces the cost of fixing bugs in the production environment. Since this test allows you to test a feature of a product on a small group of participants, you don’t need a lot of investment to reverse the changes. The customers will be least affected by the changes and you also don’t have to outsource resources or services.
4. Flexibility
Canary tests encourage experimentation and innovation in the developers because there is no obligation of serving a large group of users. Once the developers release an update of the modifications of the codes, they can be confident that the code will work fine. The developers can also change the number of users they are working with to learn about the efficiency of the code. For example, if you are testing a feature with five users, after getting the result, you can test the same feature with 10 users, and so on. This will assist you to comprehend if you have more room for improvement.
5. No Production Downtime
There is no production downtime in canary testing because it has little to no impact on the users. If you see an error in the code then you can reverse the traffic to the initial baseline. However, you can still try to figure out the reason why the code went wrong and try to fix it.
If the benefits of canary testing motivate you to conduct it in your production environment, then move on to the next section and learn how to implement it.
How to Execute Canary Testing
Software testing is not optional and every developer must perform it to make sure that the rate of the code is accurate. Canary testing will validate the work you are doing and it will confirm that the code that you have written is correct. But if you want to implement canary testing, then you would have to have experience with AB testing or blue-green. When you are running a canary test, you will have to select a set of end-users to whom you can distribute the new version of the software. You will have to monitor how the code of the software is performing. How many end-users you are working with is depending on the developer himself but the small amount can be anywhere between 5% to 10% of users. You can even expand the number of users or reduce it according to your requirements.
When you receive the results of the new code, you will have to analyze that result and think about solutions. There are three phases in canary testing. First, you will have to plan and create a testing process, then you will have to analyze the result, then you can roll out the improved version. You should only perform a canary test when you want to see how the new version is going to perform in the market. It is important to test a code of the software before you deploy it in the production environment and release it to the market.
This test is beneficial for developers who are producing apps with continuous deployment or continuous integration. By implementing a canary test, you can improve network connectivity and database and middleware performance. But at the same time, you can also check if the logs are taking up a lot of space, if the user credentials are correct, and if the data that is offered by the developers are correct and working without any hassles.
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Canary Testing and Feature Flags
You can implement canary testing by utilizing feature flags. Feature flags allow your teams to divide the code releases from the feature and then you can turn those features on and off for a separate user base or group or all of them. While you are using feature flags, you can restrict your software release to 1% of the users. At the same time, you can also monitor the metrics such as latency, error rates, business metrics, etc. to ensure that the new function or feature does not have any drawbacks.
If you find any issue while running the deployment progress, then the canary test will help you find out that issue. And you can easily turn off that feature flag and stop moving forward with the codes of that new feature. With the canary test, you can reduce downtimes, and negative customer reviews, and reduce the number of lost revenues. All of these are possible when you provide quick knowledge about how a new function of software performs or should perform.
How Do Automated Tests Help?
Canary testing and any other automated testing help you release updates faster and frequently. That’s why you have to consider the best automation testing process to remove any risk during an update release. However, testing the entire application is hard work and no matter how many professional developers you have on your team, it will cost you some bucks. But you can perform automation testing when you integrate it with developer tools and your team of developers. You can also use an automation testing suite for the whole automation testing process.
Conclusion
While performing the canary test, you should also be aware of the drawbacks it comes with alongside the advantages. Knowing about the drawbacks smoothens the progress in your software development environment. The biggest drawback of canary tests is that it is time-consuming and more inclined to blunders. You will have to look at the collection of data and analyze them carefully to figure out what’s causing the problem and how to fix it. The whole process takes a lot of time. But if you are careful and patient enough, then the advantages of the canary test will be apparent in your software product.
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Simran works as a technical writer. The graduate in MS Computer Science from the well known CS hub, aka Silicon Valley, is also an editor of the website. She enjoys writing about any tech topic, including programming, algorithms, cloud, data science, and AI. Traveling, sketching, and gardening are the hobbies that interest her.
