Fri. Mar 29th, 2024
Google Chrome

Google Chrome extensions are a lifesaver when it comes to simplifying tasks. Almost every tool and web application can function as an extension and offer the exact same service without opening the application. 

Google Chrome is a highly dominant web browser today, and it offers a variety of extensions to choose from to simplify your job. But among the millions of extensions available out there, it’s important to know which ones would actually work for you. 

Especially when you’re a QA engineer or Software Tester, you can’t go wrong with your chrome extensions. 

Don’t let that worry you because we’ve done the grind for you and shortlisted the 15 best chrome extensions that can simplify your work as a software tester. 

1. Screenshots: Lightshot and Screenity

All of us have been here before. Taking a screenshot when you have spotted a bug is a task. Especially when you want to show more than just a screenshot, a normal print screen doesn’t do the job.

Lightshot is the most efficient tool available for taking compact screenshots. It lets you take screenshots of the exact webpage that you see on the screen. 

It has features that let you highlight the exact error that you see on the screen with the help of a colored box. It includes other features, such as adding annotations and highlighters. 

Sometimes, even this isn’t enough. You need more than an image. You will need a video (or maybe even a GIF). In such cases, you can use Screenity for screen recordings. It has features that let you annotate a screen recording as well. The best part is that it enables you to download the recording, unlike other screen recorders, which don’t let you.

2. Cookies: EditthisCookie

While doing a QA, it’s important to edit a cookie to modify it according to your needs. In such cases, you can use a cookie manager such as EditthisCookie. It also has other benefits, such as:

  • Creating new cookies
  • Importing or exporting cookies
  • Locking your cookies from being modified
  • Setting a time period/maximum age for your cookie 
  • Preventing a new cookie from being created

3. JSON Viewer Pro

Often, JSON data is hard to consume and share. JSON Viewer pro is an extension that enables viewing JSON data in easy-to-understand tree maps and charts. It also enables you to edit JSON data and share it with others.

Other features include a collapsible data feature that lets users collapse and drill down into a tree structure. The benefit is that it lets us navigate through large chunks of JSON data with ease.

4. Colour Viewing: Colorzilla

Maintaining consistency across the application within the brand color palette is a hassle where developers might go wrong. Often, poor design knowledge leads to this error. As QA engineers, testers need to be proficient with the brand’s color palette and ensure it is maintained the same across the application. 

One of the tools which helps to test this is the Colorzilla Chrome Extension. It offers an eyedropper feature that lets you view the hex code of any given color visible on the webpage. 

It can also generate gradients and color sets which help QA testers to improve their efficiency of testing. 

5. Cache: Clear Cache

Constantly making changes to your code means that you will have to clear your cache quickly and repetitively. Clear Cache is a tool that lets you quickly clear your cache with a single click without a second confirmation. 

The best part is that you can customize how much of your cache you want to clear by selecting which App cache, Cookies, File Systems, Form Data, Downloads, History, Plugin Data,  Indexed DB, Local Storage, Passwords, and WebSQL needs to be cleared. 

You can also clear cookies globally, just for a few domains or for everything except a few domains. 

6. Website Profiling: Builtwith Technology Profiler

The most asked questions when you are running a QA include what kind of codes are installed on the website. Did they install a Google Analytics tracking code? Are they using WordPress or any custom CMS etc.? 

This is known as website profiling. Builtwith Technology Profiler helps you analyze this with the help of a chrome extension. On firing the extension, it helps you understand all the technologies used on the website, such as Google Tag Manager, Error tracking, etc.

7. Dimensions and Design: Dimensions and Resolution Test

Dimensions is a chrome extension that is useful for both testers and designers equally. On testing, dimensions help you understand the set dimensions of a particular image or element on the webpage. 

It can be used on any HTML element or any image with absolute ease of usage. It is widely used across organizations by both developers and designers. 

Resolution test is another extension that lets you test your software in multiple resolutions/dimensions. It also has a list of the most commonly used resolutions to help you be the perfect QA engineer on the team.

8. Tab Management: Onetab

Overloading chrome due to multiple cluttered tabs is a nightmare. Often when you are performing your QA, it is imperative to open multiple tabs. The work demands that you keep them open at all times. 

Onetab is an extension that helps you deal with this problem. Onetab creates a list of unwanted tabs and lets you restore them one by one or all at once. 

9. VPN: TunnelBear and Nord VPN

The VPN market is huge. There is a wide array available for you to try out from. Each VPN is suitable for a set task, and it varies very slightly. However, we’ve done the hard job for you and curated a list of the two best VPNs available for testers in the market. 

The first is TunnelBear – It is a free VPN, and it is very effective in terms of ease during the testing process. 
Nord VPN is another VPN that allows secure browsing. It is one of the best VPNs in the market. Although it is a paid tool, Nord VPN is relatively cheaper. 

10. Testing Assistant: Bug Magnet

Bug magnet is an exploratory software testing assistant. It helps you by adding common problematic values and customizable edge cases for you to keep handy while performing a QA.

The cherry on top is that this extension is also available in open source for you to experiment with. It can also give you random values on a right-click to help you speed up the QA process. 

11. Temporary Emails: Temp Mail

Often the QA process involves a step to provide your email ID. In cases where you don’t want to provide your personal email ID, you can use external help to provide you with a temporary email ID that you can use for testing. 

Now, this feature is available within an extension as well. Temp mail is the extension that lets you generate and access a temporary email ID for your testing process. 

You can view messages within the extension window and use it to create new accounts and generate verification codes. 

12. Link Testing: Checkmylink

From an SEO perspective, broken links cause a bearing on the technical hygiene of the website. Hence they must be avoided.

Check my link is a self-exploratory tool. It lets you view which links on a webpage/software are not functioning. It highlights all the functional links present on a page in green and the broken ones in red. 

13. Javascript QA: Chrome JS Error Icon

Javascript testing will cause an equal number of errors as any other testing. Often you might find angular and redux errors while testing the API.

Chrome JS Error Icon is a testing extension that will accurately fetch the errors found on a Javascript level and show a pop-up for you. 

14. WebApp Testing: React Developer Tools

Most web applications these days use the react program for creating their interface. While performing a modern web app quality assessment, you’ll be debugging the react development. 

This extension can segregate and display the components, data, and profilers to help you perform an effective QA. 

15. Font QA: Whatfont

What font is a chrome extension that helps you figure out which font the HTML file or the web page is using with simply a hover over the text. 

It also discloses information about the font style, font family, size, weight, width, and color. 

With overwhelming schedules and deadlines, these tools come in handy to make the testing process smooth for QA testers.

To make your testing process perfect, testers need to use a reliable automation testing tool like TestGrid. The reason for TestGrid’s popularity is that it is easy to use and has a drag-and-drop interface that makes the testing process simple. It also provides built-in integrations with third-party tools, thus getting you access to additional features that make your QA process more efficient.

By