howtheytest
HowTheyTest is a curated knowledge repository documenting how major software companies approach testing and quality engineering. It aggregates public blog posts, videos, and articles from companies like Amazon, Airbnb, and Apple, covering functional testing, CI/CD practices, chaos engineering, and production monitoring.
Key facts
Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Repository | abhivaikar/howtheytest |
| Owner | abhivaikar |
| Primary language | TypeScript |
| License | CC0-1.0 — Requires review (not clearly OSI) |
| Stars | 6.8k |
| Forks | 642 |
| Open issues | 8 |
| Latest release | Unknown |
| Last updated | 2026-04-16 |
| Source | https://github.com/abhivaikar/howtheytest |
What howtheytest is
A TypeScript-based documentation site (with deprecated README) that serves as a searchable index of testing methodologies, tools, and practices published by technology companies. Content is organized by company and testing topic, with an active companion website at abhivaikar.github.io/howtheytest/ for up-to-date information.
Get the howtheytest source
Clone the repository and explore it locally.
git clone https://github.com/abhivaikar/howtheytest.gitcd howtheytest# follow the project's README for install & configurationNeed it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.
Best use cases
Implementation considerations
- Content is curated but not authoritative; verify links and article dates before relying on practices for critical decisions.
- The official website (abhivaikar.github.io/howtheytest/) is the active resource; the GitHub README is outdated and should not be treated as source of truth.
- Topics span diverse testing domains (functional, non-functional, chaos, production monitoring); your team will need to filter by relevance to your tech stack and scale.
- No API or programmatic access provided; integration into tools requires manual crawling or periodic updates from the website.
- Open to contributions via the official website's contribution form; maintenance relies on community submissions and curator effort.
When to avoid it — and what to weigh
- Seeking proprietary or internal methodologies — This is exclusively public content. Confidential testing frameworks, internal tools, or company-specific processes are not included and should not be expected.
- Need for executable test frameworks or tools — HowTheyTest is a resource index, not a testing framework or library. It documents practices, not runnable code or infrastructure to deploy.
- Expecting comprehensive or real-time company data — README is explicitly marked as deprecated and unmaintained. Data freshness depends on the website (abhivaikar.github.io/howtheytest/). No guarantee of current company practices or recent releases.
- Using as canonical testing advice for your stack — Content reflects company-specific contexts (scale, domain, tech stack). Copying practices directly without adapting to your environment risks misalignment with actual needs.
License & commercial use
Licensed under CC0-1.0 (Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal), which dedicates the work to the public domain. This means the repository itself (as a compilation) imposes no restrictions on use, modification, or distribution.
CC0-1.0 places the work in the public domain, allowing commercial use without attribution or permission. However, individual articles and resources linked *from* HowTheyTest may carry their own licenses or terms set by the original publishers (e.g., Medium, company blogs). Verify each source's terms before republishing derivative works or commercial applications.
DEV.co evaluation signals
Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.
| Signal | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Maintenance | Active |
| Documentation | Adequate |
| License clarity | Clear |
| Deployment complexity | Low |
| DEV.co fit | Good |
| Assessment confidence | High |
This is a documentation and knowledge index with no executable code, database, or user authentication. No direct security posture to assess. Security considerations apply only to linked external resources: verify that referenced blogs and company publications come from legitimate domains before clicking links, as phishing or compromised blogs could be injected. Treat with the same diligence as any external link collection.
Alternatives to consider
Awesome Testing (GitHub awesome-testing list)
Community-maintained curated list of open-source testing tools, frameworks, and resources. More tool-focused than company practices; complements HowTheyTest for hands-on framework selection.
Test Automation University (Applitools)
Free, structured learning platform with courses on test automation, CI/CD, and quality engineering. Provides interactive labs and instructor-led content vs. HowTheyTest's passive article aggregation.
Martin Fowler's Testing Guides & Bliki
In-depth, authoritative essays on testing practices, patterns, and philosophies from a recognized thought leader. More prescriptive and editorial than HowTheyTest's descriptive company case studies.
Build on howtheytest with DEV.co software developers
Explore how leading tech companies approach testing, CI/CD, and quality engineering. Visit the official site for current company practices and resources.
Talk to DEV.coRelated on DEV.co
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howtheytest FAQ
Is HowTheyTest a testing tool or framework I can use in my CI/CD pipeline?
How current is the information on HowTheyTest?
Can I use articles or practices from HowTheyTest in my commercial product or internal documentation?
Does HowTheyTest provide APIs or machine-readable data?
Work with a software development agency
Adopting howtheytest is usually one piece of a larger software development effort. As a software development agency, DEV.co provides software development services and web development expertise — pairing senior software developers and web developers with your team to design, build, and operate open-source testing software in production.
Use HowTheyTest to Shape Your QE Strategy
Explore how leading tech companies approach testing, CI/CD, and quality engineering. Visit the official site for current company practices and resources.