Hey there hackers! Let’s delve into a topic often overlooked but vital to becoming a truly seasoned software engineer: testing your code. Sometimes taking a backseat to developing innovative projects and leveraging the latest APIs, Major League Hacking (MLH) is partnering with Sauce Labs to show you that testing isn’t as bland as you might think.
Why is testing important?
If writing software is like a recipe, then think of testing as the foundational flavor upon which your code is built, providing stability and resilience against challenges and edge cases you may not have seen at first! Testing isn’t just about ensuring your code works or catching bugs (although that’s pretty important, too). It’s about building confidence in your creations. Avoid the existential dread of live demo malfunctions. When you know your code has been thoroughly tested, you can serve up your applications with the confidence of a master chef.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. “But testing is soooo tedious!” Well that’s where Sauce Labs comes in. Think of Sauce Labs as the secret ingredient that keeps your kitchen from falling into a state of all-out panic and disarray.
With Sauce Labs, you can sprinkle a dash of automation onto your testing workflows, freeing up your precious time to focus on more exciting challenges like sprucing up your UX or integrating even more useful features to your projects. No more manually writing unit tests for all of your functions. With Sauce Labs, you can automate your tests and watch how your application performs across different browsers and devices!
Knowing how to test your code isn’t just a valuable skill — it’s a badge of honor that sets you apart from other developers. It shows your commitment to delivering high-quality and dependable software to users. Testing represents a cornerstone of excellence in the realm of software development, and embracing it will help to ensure that the code you write doesn’t leave a bad taste in anyone’s mouth!
Sauce Labs is a natural partner for MLH because it highlights and represents a unique opportunity to nurture the next generation of software developers. Testing plays a critical role in the software development lifecycle and by equipping student developers with the tools and mindset needed to be better devs, together we can ensure their creations are not only innovative but also reliable and user-friendly, and begin to instill in them a holistic understanding of software quality.
Sauce Labs x MLH
This year, Sauce Labs will be spicing up 50 in-person MLH Member Events! We’re encouraging all hackers to try out the Sauce Labs platform by entering the Sauce Labs Hot Sauce Naming Competition. That’s right! You can suggest a new name for Sauce Labs’ famous hot sauce by spinning up a test and giving it a flavorful name like Picante Performance Testing Pepper Sauce, A/B Ancho Automation, Scoville Smoke Test Salsa, or Bug Free BBQ Beta. All valid entries will be entered into a raffle for some great prizes, including a bottle of Sauce Labs’ famous hot sauce… because just like testing, it goes well with anything!
“In partnering with MLH, Sauce Labs is excited to invest in nurturing student developers’ skills in automated testing,” said Jason Baum, Senior Director, Developer Relations and Marketing at Sauce Labs. “Our goal is to demystify testing, making it as integral as coding itself, ensuring tomorrow’s tech innovators build with both creativity and quality in mind. This effort reflects our commitment to advancing software excellence among the next generation of developers.”
Looking to get involved?
Check out MLH’s schedule of upcoming events for a chance to test your skills and your code.
