Testing used to be a nightmare. Before modern automation tools, businesses and software testers had a hard time ensuring software quality. Manual testing was slow and error-prone. This was while existing automation solutions demanded extensive coding skills, making them inaccessible to many. Then came Katalon Studio—a powerful, all-in-one test automation platform built to overcome these challenges.

In this blog, I’ll cover everything you need to know about Katalon Studio—its overview, key features, and how to get started. I’ll also dive into its AI-powered capabilities and how it simplifies test management.

So, let’s get started!

What is Katalon Studio?

Katalon Studio is a free, integrated test automation solution designed to support both beginners and advanced software testers. It is an all-in-one platform that covers functional, API, mobile, and web testing with minimal configuration required. It provides powerful tools for creating, managing, and executing automated tests.

It is known for its flexibility, scalability, and ease of use. It combines the best of both worlds: a keyword-driven approach for beginners and the ability to write custom code for more advanced users.

Why is Katalon Studio a Go-To Choice for QA professionals?

Here are the key reasons that make Katalon Studio an ideal choice for QA professionals:

1. Cross-platform support: It works on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It supports various testing types across different operating systems. The testing types include:

• API testing: Provides powerful features for automating API tests.
• Web testing: Supports automated testing for web applications across multiple browsers.
• Mobile testing: Enables testing of mobile apps on both Android and iOS.
• Desktop testing: Allows for testing desktop applications across various platforms.

2. Wide-ranging integrations: It easily integrates with CI/CD tools like Jenkins, Azure Pipelines, or Katalon TestOps.

3. Comprehensive support: It provides extensive support for seamless test automation and execution.

Building on this concept, next, you’ll read about some of Katalon Studio’s basic features.

What are the key features of Katalon Studio?

Here are some of the basic features of Katalon Studio:

1. Test Recorder

One of the most powerful features for beginners is the Test Recorder. It allows you to record your actions on a web page or mobile app. Then, Katalon Studio will generate the corresponding test steps automatically.

• To use the Test Recorder, click the Record button on the toolbar.
• Start interacting with your web application or mobile app.
• Katalon Studio will capture your actions and generate test steps accordingly.

For example, recording a login action on a sample application automatically generates test steps.

2. Test Case Management

Organizing your test cases is vital for maintaining large testing projects. To do so, Katalon Studio simplifies this with its flexible and intuitive test management capabilities, such as:

• Test Suites: Groups related test cases together to run as a suite.
• Test Folders: Organizes test cases into folders for better structure and clarity.
• Test Data: Integrates external data sources (Excel, CSV, database) to run tests with multiple datasets.

Wisdom drop: Learn how different types of testing impact software quality.

For example, you can use a data-driven approach. Just link your test case to an Excel file that contains multiple sets of login credentials to test.

It further enhances flexibility with Profiles, allowing you to:

• Store different configurations (e.g., environment, browser, or API keys) for your tests.
• Easily switch between different settings without changing your test scripts.
• Customize configurations for specific environments, such as QA, Staging, and Production.
• Manage multiple user credentials, URLs, and other environment-specific parameters efficiently.

3. Data-Driven Testing

Katalon Studio makes it easy to perform data-driven testing using external files. For example, you can use a CSV file containing login credentials. To do so, you can follow these steps:

• Create a new data file in Katalon Studio (for example, loginData.csv).
• Link the test case to the CSV file by selecting Test Data.
• Katalon then automatically loops through the data, executing the test case with each set of values.

Here’s what the steps should look like:

Screenshot: Test Data

Screenshot: Test Data Folder

Screenshot: Test Data Folder Linking

Screenshot: Test Data Folder Linked

How did a data integrity company’s test coverage spike from 76% to 95%? Was automated regression testing the only reason? Find out more.

Download Case Study

4. Reporting and Analytics

Katalon offers robust reporting features that give you detailed insights into test execution results, such as:

• Test Execution Report: Views success/failure statistics, execution time, and detailed logs.
• Custom Report: Generates HTML, PDF, or JUnit-style reports based on your preferences.

For instance, after running a test suite, a comprehensive report shows the results, logs, and screenshots for each test.

Let’s look at some of the advanced features of Katalon Studio.

5. Custom Keywords

Custom keywords extend the functionality of Katalon Studio, allowing you to write reusable code for complex test cases. You can create custom keywords in Apache Groovy (a scripting language based on Java).

Here’s how you can create a reusable login function in Katalon Studio using Groovy:

import com.kms.katalon.core.webui.keyword.WebUiBuiltInKeywords as WebUI

def login(String username, String password) {

WebUI.setText(findTestObject('Page_Login/Username'), username)

WebUI.setEncryptedText(findTestObject('Page_Login/Password'), password)

WebUI.click(findTestObject('Page_Login/LoginButton'))

}

After defining this custom keyword login, you can use it across multiple test cases.

6. Object Spy & Object Repository

Katalon Studio offers these tools for identifying and managing web elements:

• Object Spy: This tool allows you to capture UI elements from a web page and create corresponding test objects.
• Object Repository: This stores and organizes the test objects for easy reuse in test scripts.

The screenshot given below showcases the same:

Screenshot: Object Repository

7. Integrating with CI/CD

It seamlessly integrates with popular CI/CD tools like Jenkins, GitLab, and Bamboo. This integration allows you to run automated tests as part of your build pipeline. This ensures faster and more reliable releases.

For example, you can configure Jenkins to automatically trigger Katalon Studio tests after each commit. You can ensure that code changes don’t disrupt existing functionality.

Now that you’re familiar with both the basic and advanced features, let’s explore the AI-powered capabilities that Katalon Studio offers.

What AI-powered features does Katalon Studio offer?

Here are the AI features that Katalon Studio has to offer:

1. AI-Powered Test Automation

Katalon Studio has introduced several AI-powered features that aim to make test automation even more efficient:

• AI-Powered Test Case Creation: Katalon Studio’s AI engine can suggest test cases based on the application’s UI and user behavior.
• Intelligent Test Maintenance: The AI engine can detect changes in the application and automatically suggest modifications to your test cases. This reduces maintenance time.

2. Visual Testing with AI

Visual testing has become increasingly important for ensuring that UI changes don’t cause regressions. Katalon Studio’s AI-powered visual testing compares screenshots from different builds of your application to detect any visual discrepancies.

For example, you can capture a screenshot of the homepage and compare it against future builds. The AI engine will automatically flag any visual differences between the two screenshots.

3. Smart Test Maintenance

The AI engine can analyze your test scripts and provide suggestions for necessary changes based on UI updates. This ensures that your tests remain valid and effective without requiring manual adjustments.

4. Test Script Generation with Natural Language Processing (NLP)

One of the most remarkable GenAI features in Katalon is its ability to automatically generate test scripts based on natural language input. This allows software testers to describe their tests in plain English, and Katalon’s AI system converts those descriptions into executable test scripts. This eliminates the need for manual coding.

Here’s what you can do:

Verify the login and appointment div exists and write the code in plain English as mentioned:

Screenshot: Code In Plain English

By doing so, Katalon will generate the following code:

Screenshot: Katalon Generated Code

Wish to start using this platform and gain an upper hand when it comes to software testing? I’ll help you get started!

How To Get Started with Katalon Studio?

To begin using Katalon Studio, you need to install it on your machine. Here’s how to do it:

1. Download Katalon Studio: Visit Katalon Studio’s website and download the version suitable for your operating system.

2. Install on Windows:

• Run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions.
• Once installed, open Katalon Studio. It will prompt you to enter your credentials or sign up for a Katalon account.

3. Install on macOS:

• Open the downloaded .dmg file and drag Katalon Studio into your Applications folder.

4. Install on Linux:

• Extract the downloaded .tar file and execute the Katalon Studio binary.

Once Katalon Studio is installed, setting up your first test project is straightforward. Here’s how:

• Launch Katalon Studio and create a New Project.
• Choose the type of project you want to create (e.g., Web, Mobile, API).
• Enter the project name and choose the location to save the project.
• Once the project is created, you can start creating test cases, adding objects, and organizing your tests.

This screenshot should help you understand the process:

Screenshot: Setting Up Project

Next, to create a basic test case, start with a simple login test for a web application. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Click on File > then click on New > and then on Test Case.
2. Name the test case (for example, “LoginTest”).
3. In the Test Case editor, use the Record feature to capture a simple login action on the web application.
4. Katalon Studio will automatically generate test steps based on your recorded actions.

Follow these screenshots to understand the process:

Screenshot: Record and Play

Such test steps should be generated based on your recorded actions in the Manual Mode:

Screenshot: Manual Mode

Here’s an example of a test step (in Script Mode):

Screenshot: Script Mode

Note: The generated test case is written in Groovy, but Katalon Studio also allows sofwtare testers to switch between script less and scripted modes, depending on their skill level.

Before wrapping it up, I’d like you to get familiar with another platform that works alongside Katalon Studio and streamlines test management — Katalon TestOps.

Get to read the last bit!

How Does Katalon TestOps Streamline Test Management?

Katalon TestOps is an integrated test management platform that provides visibility, collaboration, and control over the entire testing lifecycle. It enhances team productivity, streamlines testing processes, and helps organizations deliver quality software faster.

Here are some of the key features of Katalon TestOps that help streamline test management:

• Centralized Test Management: It acts as a central hub for managing test cases, test runs, and results.Through centralized testing assets, teams can collaborate and track test progress easily.Here’s what the dashboard looks like:

  

  Screenshot: Test Management 1
  
  
  Screenshot: Test Management 2

• Real-Time Test Execution and Reporting: With TestOps, users can view test execution status in real time. This helps keep all stakeholders informed about test progress. It also generates detailed reports and dashboards, offering insights into test coverage, execution speed, and defect tracking.Bonus: Accelerate your QA process with Testim’s AI-powered automation.

  Here are two screenshots displaying reports generated by Katalon TestOps:

  

  Screenshot: Execution 1

  

  Screenshot: Execution 2
• Advanced Test Analytics: It provides detailed analytics and reporting, allowing users to track test performance over time. That is, you can drill down into execution times, success/failure rates, and other metrics. This helps identify bottlenecks in the testing process and improve overall test efficiency.Refer to these screenshots for a better understanding:

  

  Screenshot: Test Analytics 1

  

  Screenshot: Test Analytics 2
• Test Execution Scheduling: TestOps also enables you to schedule test executions at optimal times to ensure tests run when the system is most available or when code changes have been made. This helps streamline testing workflows, especially in agile environments.Refer to these screenshots for clarity:

  

  Screenshot: Test Scheduling 1

  

  Screenshot: Test Scheduling 2
• Automated Regression Testing: It automates regression testing, allowing teams to rerun critical tests after each code change to ensure that nothing is broken in the application. It also ensures that bugs introduced in new code changes are caught quickly.

That’s a wrap! If you’ve made it this far, you’re now well-equipped to harness Katalon Studio and TestOps for all your software testing needs.

With its wide range of features— from scriptless testing to advanced AI-powered tools—Katalon Studio is an excellent choice for testers at any level. By integrating AI into its testing workflow, it is pushing the boundaries of automation. It is making it smarter, faster, and more efficient than ever before.

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