Getting Started

Getting started with ASTA is easy: simply enter the name and address of your web application and click Start Run.
Test results are displayed five ways: the Status page shows testing progress, the Dashboard page shows a graphical summary of the last run, the Runs page shows a summary of results for each run, the Log provides details of each test action and result, and the Model page shows a summary of results for each application item.

Running ASTA from CLI and CI Pipelines

ASTA can also be run from the command line and integrated into CI/CD pipelines using the ASTA-Action (opens in a new tab) repository. This allows you to:

Automate testing in your CI/CD workflows
Run tests from the command line for local development
Integrate with GitHub Actions and other CI platforms
Schedule automated test runs as part of your deployment pipeline

The ASTA-Action repository provides comprehensive documentation on:

Setting up GitHub Actions workflows with ASTA
Running tests from the command line
Configuring authentication and parameters
Integrating with Slack, Teams, and other notification systems
Quality gates and error reporting

For detailed instructions on CLI and CI integration, visit the ASTA-Action documentation (opens in a new tab).

Detailed Steps

Sign in to ASTA. If you don't already have an account, select "Sign up".
Tell ASTA the name of your application and variant, and its base URL. A variant is a specific instance of your application, such as a release or environment. The base URL is where the agent will start testing. You will be taken to the Start page.
Select a run template and click Start Run to begin testing. You will be taken to the Status page.
Check the Status page to make sure testing started OK. ASTA will display the number of application items it has found along with the number of tests that passed and failed.
Wait until testing completes, or click Stop Run.
Select Dashboard to see a graphical summary of your run. You can click on items in the dashboard to see additional details.
Select Runs to see a summary of testing for each completed run. Select a run if you want to see the detailed log of test actions and results.
Select Model to see a summary of testing for each application item. This will tell you where errors were found in your application. Select an item in the model to drill down and see exactly where issues occurred. Details about each issue are displayed in the Details pane. If you want, you can copy and paste details into your issue tracking system.

ASTA Companion Pages

The Companion is the counterpart to the Agent. It is used to start and stop the agent, and to manage all testing resources. Pages of the Companion are organized into two sections, the Test Center and the Admin Center. The Test Center is comprised of the following pages.

Two pages are used to manage and monitor test runs.

Start is used to start and stop test runs, and optionally specify parameters for a run (such as what kind of testing to perform and how long to test).
Status shows the real-time progress of testing, including a summary of test results, the work queue, and a screenshot of the current page being tested.

The following pages are used to view test artifacts generated by test runs.

Dashboard shows a graphical summary of the selected test run.
Runs shows a list of test runs and a summary of test results for each.
Log shows the detailed list of test actions and results.
Model shows a hierarchical model of your application (pages and page components) and a summary of test results for each.

The following pages are used to manage test assets used for testing.

Rules capture expected behavior. You can simply use the built*in rules or add your own.
Flows define specific sequences of actions. You can let the agent decide the sequence of testing, or you can force specific sequences using flows.
Data define specific data for testing. You can let the agent generate test data, or you can force specific values by creating datasets for your domain objects.

The following two pages are used to help configure test runs and organize test assets.

Run Templates are reusable sets of run parameters to help make starting runs simple and consistent.
Tags are used to categorize and group test assets, primarily to make it easier to select a collection of data or rules for a run. You can use the built in tags or define your own.

The Admin Center is comprised of the following pages.

System is the ASTA instance. It is only available to system administrators.
Workspaces provide secure storage for your information that is separate from other customers. Workspaces contain subfolders for your applications. Each workspace is licensed to a specific user.
Applications are logically distinct applications. Applications contain subfolders for their variants. Each application has its own testing assets (rules, data, flows, and form specifications), which are managed from the Test Center.
Users are ASTA users. You can view users of any resource for which you have access, and you can invite users to a resource at or below your permission level.

Introduction How It Works