System-Oriented Testing on the Microservices Architecture: A Systematic Literature Review

The Microservice Architecture (MSA) is gaining popularity in the industry and literature as a raising research topic. This architectural style brings advantages such as independent development, testing, and deployment. However, it is also plagued with many challenges due to its distributed nature. In the case of testing, complex dependencies, heterogeneous execution environments, and independent development teams make it difficult to test microservices using traditional methods and techniques. Our goal is to provide a collection of tests, tools, state-of-the-art solution proposals, as well as relevant challenges. To achieve this, we conducted a Systematic Literature Review following the guidelines presented by Kitchenham. We searched through search engines including IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, and Wiley Online Library. In total, we retrieved 13,556 articles and thoroughly analyzed them. Through this process, we identified 44 primary studies that were suitable for data extraction and synthesis. From our analysis, we identified 12 testing strategies that are applicable to the MSA. Additionally, we found proposed solutions for automated testing along with microservices benchmarks. Furthermore, we discovered a set of testing tools and challenges specifically related to MSA-based system testing. The main challenges we encountered include automated testing, performance testing, and finding realistic MSA-based systems. Our study aims to benefit software engineering practitioners and researchers interested in microservices testing by providing a comprehensive understanding of the current landscape of testing for MSA-based systems.