SpecFlow Reviews

We are using SpecFlow to write down scenarios in Gherkin. And then, we put detailed coding in Selenium in C#. For the high-level sanity testing of the APIs, we use SoapUI for the SOAP APIs and Postman for the REST APIs.

With Cucumber and SpecFlow, the purpose of both is the same. We use a lot of Microsoft technology, so that's why we use SpecFlow. It helps us to write down the scenarios in Gherkin and write down the implementation of each step and scenario.

I don't see any other options. So that's why the only option for us to write down the Gherkin for the Selenium cases is the SpecFlow solution. 

The initial setup is easy.

It is stable. 

There should be more integration with the application life cycle management tools, including integration with Jira and Azure DevOps. We used to write our test cases in Microsoft Azure DevOps, which were deployed on-premises. We would write test cases in a classical way and the test data within the test steps of the test case. When we have to write down the problem, we write scenarios in Gherkin and then automate them in Selenium.

That said, there is no way to have traceability between the test feature files of this backflow with any work item in TFS, Azure DevOps, or in Jira. We cannot link them. While we can link the code, this feature file or this Selenium file cannot be properly linked.

I'd prefer in TFS if we could be writing test cases, not in the old classical version. We should be writing in Gherkin and then automatically have it convert that Gherkin test case into SpecFlow feature files. 

There is room for improvement in managing the test data related to the test cases.

I've been using the solution for about three years or so. 

The solution is stable and reliable. There are no bugs or glitches, and it doesn't crash or freeze. it is reliable. 

I'm basically supervising the whole quality team, and the whole team uses it. We have eight people on it currently. They are software test engineers. 

All versions are working for us. However, we don't always use the latest version as we work for a government agency, and it's hard to get permission to update. 

I haven't had issues with scaling, even on older versions. It seems to work well. That said, I haven't explored it really.

I've never reached out to technical support.

Before using this automated testing solution, we did POC, proof of concept, to find out which tool would be suitable for our application. We have a web application, a mobile app, and a hybrid as well. We did use different tools, including Katalon and Selenium. Coded UI expired, so we stopped that.

We also looked at Cypress. However, since we are a Microsoft partner company and we are using Microsoft technologies, Microsoft recommends using Selenium with C#. With that being the case, we only had one option - SpecFlow. 

Otherwise, if the company was a Java-based company, then we might not be using SpecFlow, we might be using Cucumber.

The solution is very straightforward to set up. It's pretty normal. We just have to use it in Visual Studio.

The deployment doesn't take too much time. 

The solution is open-source. We're not paying for anything. There are no hidden fees either. 

I don't have any other options, so I didn't compare them with any other options.

We're end-users.

I'd advise new users to just have a basic understanding of the writing scenarios in Gherkin and know how to manage the test data within the test cases. When the number of test cases increases, you've got to be ready. 

People who do not write well in Gherkin end up messing up the scenarios. They don't know how to make test cases more cohesive, or how to have test data that are more cohesive.

I'd rate the solution six out of ten.