With my current job I’m on a very small web team, with little delineation between developer, designer and QA. When you’re banging out code for an impending web release, it’s an environment that can be ripe for regression errors if you’re not careful.
Traditionally one of the best ways to combat regressions are with unit tests (ask any Rails developer.) But for front end developers and designers, there’s often limitations. Sure, you might get valid data from the back end, but how does it actually look and feel? That’s why so many of us rely on lots of repetitive, by hand testing.
Enter CasperJS, a framework perfect for front end unit testing. With a single Unix command running in the background a “headless” Webkit browser that runs through several core actions on my web app, taking screenshots along the way. As long as it stays updated, it’s a great way to check the basics before making any big commit. Great syntax and documentation too. If you’re a front end developer or QA, take a look.