Mohammad Waseem

Posted on Feb 4

Mastering Automated Authentication Flows Through QA Testing Without Documentation

#security #automation #qa

Introduction

Automating authentication (auth) flows is a critical aspect of modern application security and usability. When done correctly, it ensures seamless user onboarding, secure access control, and robust session management. However, in many legacy systems or rapidly evolving projects, documentation around auth workflows can be sparse or outdated, especially when QA teams are tasked with test automation without detailed guides.

This post explores how a Senior Architect can approach automating auth flows effectively through QA testing, even in the absence of comprehensive documentation. We'll cover key strategies, best practices, and practical code snippets to help elevate your automation efforts.

Understanding the Current State

The first challenge is understanding the existing auth flows:

Identify entry points: login, registration, password reset, multi-factor authentication.
Map user states: unauthenticated, authenticated, expired sessions.
Recognize variations: different user roles, device contexts, and environment conditions.

Without documentation, this requires collaborative exploration with QA teams, manual testing to observe behaviors, and inspecting network traffic.

Reverse Engineering Auth Flows

Use tools like browser DevTools, Postman, or proxy tools (e.g., Fiddler, Charles Proxy) to intercept and examine requests and responses:

// Example: capturing login request
fetch('/login', {
  method: 'POST',
  body: JSON.stringify({ username: 'user', password: 'pass' })
});

Pay attention to tokens exchanged, cookie management, and session lifecycle.

Designing Automated Tests

Once you understand the flow, translate it into automated tests. Key practices include:

Token Handling: Automate login to retrieve access tokens or cookies and reuse these for subsequent requests.
Seed Data and State Management: Prepare test artifacts or mock data to simulate different user roles and states.
Idempotency: Ensure tests can be rerun without manual intervention.

Sample code snippet for a JWT-based flow:

import requests

session = requests.Session()
response = session.post('https://app.example.com/api/login', json={'user':'testuser', 'pass':'password'})
token = response.json().get('access_token')

headers = {'Authorization': f'Bearer {token}'}

# Validate access to protected resource
res = session.get('https://app.example.com/api/protected', headers=headers)
assert res.status_code == 200, 'Auth flow failed'

Continuous Validation & Error Handling

Implement robust error handling to catch unexpected auth failures:

try:
  # login attempt
  token_response = session.post('https://app.example.com/api/login', json=credentials)
  token_response.raise_for_status()
  token = token_response.json()['access_token']
except requests.HTTPError as e:
  print(f"Login failed: {e}")
  # fallback or alert

Schedule periodic tests to ensure reliability, especially after codebase changes.

Leveraging Infrastructure & CI/CD

Integrate your tests into CI/CD pipelines to catch auth regressions early. Use environment variables to simulate different user roles and permissions.

Final Thoughts

Automating auth flows without documentation is inherently challenging but feasible with systematic reverse engineering, strategic test design, and continuous validation. As a Senior Architect, fostering collaboration with QA teams, establishing shared understanding, and employing automation best practices are crucial to success.

This approach not only improves test coverage but also enhances the resilience and security posture of your application amidst evolving requirements.

🛠️ QA Tip

Pro Tip: Use TempoMail USA for generating disposable test accounts.

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