When it comes to writing and testing software, teams have a lot of alternatives. How do you know what syntax to use and which testing solution is best for you? This post answers the question, “What is Gherkin and Gherkin tests?” We'll go through the syntax, how to construct a test, and the benefits and drawbacks.

Under the appropriate conditions, these choices can be smart decisions since Test Automation is the most effective technique for improving software testing effectiveness, test coverage, and execution speed, although there are some things to be considered before you dive in.

Before we get into what Gherkin is and how to construct Gherkin tests, there are a few things we need go over. It's critical to understand the role of Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) and how it interacts with Cucumber and Gherkin.

What is BDD?

Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) is a development process that promotes team collaboration. This collaborative approach integrates the commercial and technical sides of projects. This strategy enables teams to more easily communicate needs, spot problems early on, and maintain software over time.

Teams that employ BDD have a few objectives. The first step is to ensure that everyone on the team understands the criteria. The teams may then concentrate on preventing potential problems rather than putting out flames if they arise. This frequently implies that less rework is necessary.

This evolution may be split into two parts: discovery and testing. Before beginning work, teams must first determine what they don't know. Then, they'll have a better idea of how to remain on track and be more productive.

When it comes to testing, the process of considering these tests begins before development begins. Tests are created to guide the implementation and final result.

What is Cucumber?

Cucumber is a free and open-source software testing tool that works with BDD (Behavior-Driven Development). It works with Gherkin because Gherkin syntax arranges plain text such that the tool can read it. Cucumber was first launched ten years ago as a tool to assist Ruby developers with requirements testing. They were an early supporter of the BDD technique. Gherkin is a domain-specific language for BDD.

Cucumber reads Gherkin tests and certifies that the code works properly. It accomplishes this by executing Gherkin scenarios and stages. (More on this later.) Cucumber will then provide a report indicating whether or not each step and scenario was successful.

What is Gherkin?

Gherkin is a programming language used by Cucumber developers to define tests that allow product teams to describe needs for new products. Every feature in Gherkin is specified in a .feature file and adheres to a strict syntax. Each line in the file begins with a Gherkin keyword and specifies a different component of the feature. The goal is to develop clear definitions for each characteristic, which can subsequently be rigorously evaluated. Gherkin is meant to be human-readable, but, like other formats such as XML, it is not intended to be machine-readable.

This vocabulary encourages Behavior-Driven Development by allowing developers, managers, business analysts, and other stakeholders to grasp the project's and life-cycle needs.

The language facilitates the creation of basic documentation for the code that is being created. Gherkin also offers test automation scripts and supports dozens of languages.

Development based on behavior

Gherkin BDD is at the heart of behavior-driven development, a collaborative methodology that brings business and technical teams together to define software behavior through concrete examples. By using Gherkin BDD syntax, teams can create executable specifications that serve as both documentation and automated tests, ensuring that what was built matches what was requested.

One of Gherkin BDD's key strengths is its ability to describe software behavior in a language that both technical and non-technical stakeholders can understand. This shared understanding helps reduce misinterpretations and ensures that everyone is aligned on what needs to be built.

What's the point of Gherkin?

Gherkin serves multiple purposes in the software development process:

1. Communication Tool: Gherkin bridges the gap between technical and non-technical team members by providing a common language to discuss software features.
2. Living Documentation: Gherkin scenarios serve as up-to-date documentation that evolves with the software, ensuring documentation never goes stale.
3. Automated Testing: Gherkin tests can be automated with tools like Cucumber, turning written specifications into executable tests.
4. Clear Requirements: Gherkin helps teams clarify requirements before development begins, reducing misunderstandings and rework.
5. Focus on User Value: By emphasizing the behavior and outcomes rather than implementation details, Gherkin keeps the focus on delivering user value.

The Hidden Cost of Poor Requirements

Teams waste 30-50% of development time fixing misunderstood requirements (IBM Research). Gherkin eliminates this by forcing concrete examples upfront. But even well-written Gherkin tests fail when teams lack visibility into how scenarios map to CI results or requirements.

Gherkin tests: How to Write Them

To create Gherkin tests, you must first grasp some of the terminology and what it means in practice. The following is a list of the most often used keywords in Gherkin syntax.

• Feature
• Rule
• Example
• Given, When, Then, And, But
• Background
• Scenario Outline

Each keyword is essential to the process of creating an excellent Gherkin test. Let's take a deeper look at these keywords and how they might be used to create Gherkin tests.

Feature

This term appears at the beginning of Gherkin documents, followed by content that offers a description. To put it another way, a feature is a description of what the software is meant to perform. This term is also used to categorize circumstances.

This isn't really for testing, but it does allow you to add requirements and business rules documentation. When you begin a new line with one of the other keywords, such as scenario overview, example, or rule, the description section comes to an end.

Descriptions

If necessary, free-form descriptions can be added beneath the keywords specified above, as long as none of your lines begin with a keyword.

Rule

The rule keyword represents a single business rule that must be provided. This sets the stage for a feature. These "rules" should have more than one scenario to demonstrate the rule, as well as a background section. (See details below.)

Gherkin Steps

Let's look at some of the processes in Gherkin testing now. Given, When, Then, And, or But are examples of these.

Given

The procedures given establish the setting for the situation. Most of the time, these phases explain something that happened in the past. This provides context to the system before a user interacts with it. As a result, you should skip over user interactions at this stage. Consider what you add as preconditions in this phase.

It should be noted that you can have more than one given step.

When

When steps are followed by actions, they provide information about an event. An event triggered by another system or a user interacting with it is an example. It's best if you have only one step for each case.

Then

Then steps are the results steps. This is the section in which you describe what you want the system to accomplish so that it may be compared to how the program really works in practice. This should be something visible as a result, such as a message or report.

And, But

When you have multiples of one of the above-mentioned step kinds, you may use and or but. This aids in the organization and readability of your documentation.

Background

As previously said, the backdrop allows you to provide additional context to the situations in a feature. This is where you can have many steps if necessary.

Please keep in mind that each feature can only have one background stage. If you want more background tasks, you will need to build separate feature files.

Outline of the Scenario

The scenario outline includes an examples section. These instructions are read as if they were a template. Except for the header row, the scenario overview repeats once for each row in the example section.

Advanced Gherkin Techniques for Better Tests

While the basic Gherkin syntax provides a solid foundation for writing tests, there are several advanced techniques that can make your Gherkin tests more powerful, maintainable, and expressive.

Data Tables for Complex Input

Data Tables are a powerful feature in Gherkin that allow you to provide structured data to your steps. This is especially useful when you need to represent a list or a table of information:

gherkin

Scenario: Creating multiple users

  Given the following users exist:

    | Username | Email              | Role       |

    | jdoe     | jdoe@example.com   | Admin      |

    | asmith   | asmith@example.com | Editor     |

    | mjones   | mjones@example.com | Subscriber |

  When I view the user management page

  Then I should see all the users listed

Data Tables make your scenarios more readable and concise compared to writing multiple steps with similar information.

Scenario Outlines with Examples

Scenario Outlines are an excellent way to run the same scenario with different sets of data. Instead of writing multiple nearly identical scenarios, you can parameterize one scenario:

gherkin

Scenario Outline: Validating user login

  Given I am on the login page

  When I enter "<username>" and "<password>"

  Then I should see the "<result>"

  Examples:

    | username | password    | result                |

    | admin    | correct123  | Welcome Admin!        |

    | user     | wrong       | Invalid credentials   |

    | locked   | anypassword | Account is locked     |

This makes your feature files more maintainable as you only need to update the scenario structure in one place.

Doc Strings for Multi-line Text

Doc Strings allow you to include larger blocks of text in your steps, which is useful for testing with complex text inputs:

gherkin

Scenario: Posting a blog article

  Given I am logged in as an author

  When I create a new post with the content:

    """

    # My First Blog Post

    This is the content of my blog post.

    It contains multiple paragraphs and formatting.

    ## Section 1

    More content here...

    """

  Then the post should be published successfully

Doc Strings are enclosed in triple quotes (""") and preserve formatting, making them perfect for testing with complex text inputs.

Tags for Organization and Filtering

Tags help you categorize and organize your scenarios, making it easier to run specific subsets of tests:

gherkin

@smoke @ui @login

Scenario: Basic login functionality

  Given I am on the login page

  When I enter valid credentials

  Then I should be logged in

@regression @api

Scenario: API authentication

  Given I have a valid API key

  When I make an authenticated request

  Then I should receive a successful response

Tags can be used to run only specific types of tests, such as smoke tests for quick validation or regression tests for more comprehensive testing.

Hooks for Setup and Teardown

While not part of the Gherkin syntax itself, many implementations of Gherkin (like Cucumber) support hooks that allow you to execute code before and after scenarios:

ruby

# In step definitions file (Ruby example)

Before do

  # Code that runs before each scenario

  setup_test_environment()

end

After do

  # Code that runs after each scenario

  cleanup_resources()

end

Hooks help you maintain a clean test environment by setting up preconditions and cleaning up after tests.

Best Practices for Writing Effective Gherkin Tests

Creating good Gherkin tests requires more than just knowing the syntax. Here are some best practices to ensure your tests are effective, maintainable, and provide maximum value:

1. Focus on Behavior, Not Implementation

Write your scenarios to describe what the system should do, not how it does it. Focus on user behavior and outcomes rather than technical implementation details:

gherkin

# Good - Focuses on behavior

Scenario: User subscribes to newsletter

  Given I am on the homepage

  When I subscribe to the newsletter with my email

  Then I should receive a confirmation email

# Not recommended - Too implementation-focused

Scenario: User subscribes to newsletter

  Given I navigate to "http://example.com"

  When I click the element with id "email-input"

  And I type "user@example.com"

  And I click the button with id "subscribe-button"

  Then I should see the element with class "success-message"

2. Use a Ubiquitous Language

Develop and use a consistent domain language that all stakeholders understand. This "ubiquitous language" should be reflected in your Gherkin steps:

gherkin

# Using consistent domain language

Scenario: Customer places an order

  Given the customer has added items to their shopping cart

  When the customer completes the checkout process

  Then the order should be submitted for fulfillment

3. Keep Scenarios Independent

Each scenario should be able to run independently of others. Avoid creating scenarios that depend on the state created by previous scenarios, as this creates brittle tests:

gherkin

# Independent scenarios are preferred

Scenario: User logs in

  Given a user exists with username "testuser"

  When the user logs in with correct credentials

  Then they should be redirected to the dashboard

Scenario: User updates profile

  Given a user exists with username "testuser"

  And the user is logged in

  When the user updates their profile picture

  Then the profile should display the new picture

4. Maintain a Good Level of Detail

Find the right balance in your scenarios - not too detailed (making them brittle) and not too vague (making them meaningless):

gherkin

# Good level of detail

Scenario: Adding an item to shopping cart

  Given I am browsing products in the "Electronics" category

  When I add "Wireless Headphones" to my cart

  Then my cart should contain 1 item

  And the cart total should be updated

# Too detailed

Scenario: Adding an item to shopping cart

  Given I am on the homepage

  When I click on "Electronics" in the menu

  And I scroll down to item #1242

  And I click the "Add to Cart" button

  And I wait for 2 seconds

  Then I should see "1" in the cart icon

  And the cart total should show "$129.99"

5. Use Background for Common Setup Steps

If multiple scenarios in a feature share the same setup steps, use a Background section to avoid repetition:

gherkin

Feature: Shopping Cart Functionality

  Background:

    Given I am logged in as a customer

    And my shopping cart is empty

  Scenario: Adding an item to the cart

    When I add "Product A" to my cart

    Then my cart should contain 1 item

  Scenario: Removing an item from the cart

    Given I have added "Product A" to my cart

    When I remove "Product A" from my cart

    Then my cart should be empty

These best practices will help you create Gherkin tests that are readable, maintainable, and valuable to your team and stakeholders.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Gherkin

Now that you know how to write a Gherkin test, you may wonder how to determine if it is the right option for your team. Utilizing Gherkin and Cucumber has pros and cons. Let's look at a couple of them in more detail.

Gherkin is easy

Gherkin is simple to grasp for both engineers and corporate leaders. In some ways, it's "non-technical," making cross-team communication simpler.

Focuses on project specifications

The Gherkin syntax and this style of testing are extremely focused on the project and business needs. This guarantees that the development process is designed with the user's experience in mind.

Code re-use

Because these tests are written in a way that allows for easy reuse of sections of code from other tests, this can result in significant savings in terms of time, money, and resources.

Not suitable for all tasks

Gherkin Plus Cucumber is not suitable for all projects. This strategy may be used to postpone short tasks that require a lot of testing. While BDD has its place, this method of thinking and implementing these tests might cause project delays.

It requires a significant amount of participation

Depending on your team's development process, this might be a pro or a drawback. Gherkin and cucumber, as previously indicated, work hand in hand with behavior-driven programming. This implies that your team must continually collaborate, which may not always be appropriate for your project.

Possibly Expensive

Though these tests may be quicker to create, a badly written test might result in a significant amount of extra time and money lost if it must be rewritten. Unless developers are well-versed in Gherkin and Cucumber, this form of testing might pose a significant, expensive risk.

Parameterization: Making Your Gherkin Tests More Flexible

Parameterization is a powerful technique in Gherkin tests that allows you to create more versatile and reusable scenarios. By using parameters, you can run the same test with different inputs, expanding your test coverage without duplicating code.

Simple Parameters in Steps

The most basic form of parameterization involves using quotes to define parameters within steps:

gherkin

Scenario: Adding different products to cart

  Given I am logged in as a customer

  When I add "Headphones" to my cart

  Then my cart should contain 1 item

  And the item in my cart should be "Headphones"

In this example, "Headphones" is a parameter that could be replaced with any product name in your implementation.

Scenario Outlines for Multiple Data Sets

For more comprehensive testing with multiple data sets, Scenario Outlines are the way to go:

gherkin

Scenario Outline: Verifying tax calculation for different states

  Given I have added a product worth $<price> to my cart

  And my shipping address is in <state>

  When I proceed to checkout

  Then the tax amount should be $<tax>

  And the total amount should be $<total>

  Examples:

    | price | state   | tax   | total  |

    | 100   | CA      | 7.50  | 107.50 |

    | 100   | NY      | 8.00  | 108.00 |

    | 100   | OR      | 0.00  | 100.00 |

    | 50    | CA      | 3.75  | 53.75  |

With this approach, the scenario will run once for each row in the Examples table, effectively testing multiple cases with a single scenario definition.

Combining Data Tables with Parameters

You can also combine data tables with parameters for even more powerful test scenarios:

gherkin

Scenario Outline: Processing orders with multiple items

  Given I am logged in as "<customer>"

  And I have the following items in my cart:

    | Product       | Quantity | Price  |

    | <product1>    | <qty1>   | <p1>   |

    | <product2>    | <qty2>   | <p2>   |

  When I complete the checkout process

  Then my order total should be $<total>

  Examples:

    | customer | product1   | qty1 | p1   | product2   | qty2 | p2   | total |

    | John     | Headphones | 1    | 100  | Mouse      | 2    | 25   | 150   |

    | Jane     | Monitor    | 1    | 200  | Keyboard   | 1    | 50   | 250   |

This approach allows you to test complex scenarios with varying inputs, making your tests both comprehensive and maintainable.

Integrating Gherkin Tests with Continuous Integration

Integrating your Gherkin tests into your continuous integration (CI) pipeline is essential to getting the most value from them. This allows you to run your tests automatically whenever code changes are made, ensuring that new changes don't break existing functionality.

Here's how you can effectively integrate Gherkin with your CI pipeline:

1. Automate Test Execution: Configure your CI system (like Jenkins, CircleCI, or GitHub Actions) to automatically run your Gherkin tests as part of the build process.
2. Generate Reports: Use reporting tools to create detailed test reports that show the status of your Gherkin tests, making it easy to identify failures.
3. Notify the Team: Set up notifications to alert the team when tests fail, allowing for a quick response to issues.
4. Tag Tests Appropriately: Use tags to organize your tests into categories like @smoke, @regression, and @performance. This allows you to run different test suites at different stages of your CI pipeline.

By integrating your Gherkin tests into your CI pipeline, you can catch issues early, maintain high-quality standards, and ensure that your software consistently meets the defined business requirements.

Scaling Gherkin Across Teams

While CI tools run Gherkin tests, teams need solutions like TestQuality to:

• Trace scenarios to requirements: See which user stories pass/fail across sprints.
• Auto-tag flaky tests: Detect unstable scenarios (e.g., at Google found that 16% of their tests have some level of flakiness associated with them, and about 84% of the transitions from pass to fail involved a flaky test!).
• Share living docs: Product owners view test status without technical tools.
• Centralize reporting: Combine Gherkin results with manual tests in one dashboard.

The Gherkin's Future

At TestQuality, we think that Gherkin is one method for writing test plans and a fantastic place to start when it comes to including non-technical individuals in automated testing.

TestQuality and Gherkin

TestQuality's import capabilities also allow you to import requirements, tests, and issues by uploading Gherkin Feature Files easily with an import data option menu even when using a Gherkin-based Test results JSON file.

Gherkin feature files can be uploaded via the TestQuality REST interface via curl, a popular command-line tool.

Once your file has been added, you can optionally choose a Cycle and Milestone to link to your Test Run result.

Gherkin Feature Files with your tests can be easily imported with TestQuality

TestQuality is designed around a live integration core that allows TQ to communicate directly with GitHub and integrate with Jira in real time, linking issues and requirements with the key tools in your DevOps workflows.

TestQuality's integration engine also allows you to connect to pull in automated test results from popular CI/CD, Test Automation, and Unit Testing systems.

If you are using a CI platform such as Jenkins, Cloudbees, Circle CI, Travis CI and want to upload your test results, you can add TestQuality to your scripts.

To connect via the command line, you can use the command files TestQuality CLI (Command Line Interface). Then using the file from your system, log in with username and password, or we can provide you with a personal access token so you do not have to provide your login details in the command.

Final Thoughts

When you need everyone on the team to be informed without digging into technical details, Gherkin and Cucumber might be an excellent alternative. However, in the long run, this combination may make test automation more difficult than necessary.

The option is yours, but before you do, thoroughly analyze the benefits and drawbacks of each syntax and solution. The most crucial thing is that you and your team have access to the appropriate tools for your development tasks.

We hope this discussion answered the question of “What is Gherkin testing?” and that you understand how to construct Gherkin tests and the advantages and disadvantages of utilizing this syntax. You should now have some ideas on the best language and testing alternatives for your next project.

As we have previously described, TestQuality easily imports Gherkin Feature Files and has all the test management capabilities you need for creating, maintaining, organizing, and running tests. However, TestQuality is different from other test management tools in that it is purpose-built for GitHub and Jira workflows and designed to be integrated with virtually all test automation and unit testing tools. Put simply, TestQuality is the first test management system designed to integrate into your DevOps workflow and tools. Join now and try TestQuality for Free!