AWS Device Farm

What AWS Device Farm is

AWS Device Farm is a cloud service for testing web and mobile applications on real mobile devices and desktop browsers hosted on AWS. It provides the testing infrastructure, so teams can run tests without provisioning and managing their own environment. Tests can run in parallel across multiple browsers or devices, with videos and logs generated to help identify issues.

Teams can configure test conditions such as location, language, network connection, application data and prerequisite apps. They can use the built-in test suite, customize tests with frameworks including Appium, Calabash and Espresso, or carry out manual testing through remote access. Plugins and an API can start tests and retrieve results from IDEs and continuous integration environments, including Android Studio and Jenkins. Browser testing covers multiple versions, including Chrome and Firefox. Private devices are dedicated to a customer, can be configured to specified requirements and may retain settings between sessions. AWS describes developers, QA professionals and support professionals as users of Device Farm. It requires TLS 1.2 for access through its published APIs and recommends TLS 1.3. AWS also states that physical mobile device testing data is not encrypted at rest and that external key management for data encryption is unavailable.

Who it suits

AWS Device Farm suits developers, QA teams and support professionals testing Android, iOS and web applications across mobile devices and desktop browsers. It is also relevant to teams that want parallel cloud runs, CI integrations or dedicated private devices.

Limits

Real mobile device use includes a one-time trial of the first 1,000 device minutes, then costs $0.17 per device minute. Desktop browser testing costs $0.01 per instance minute; private devices start at $200 a month, and unlimited test and access starts at $250 a month per device slot.

Getting started

1. Visit https://aws.amazon.com/device-farm/.
2. Select desktop browser testing, pay-as-you-go real mobile devices, private devices or unlimited test and access.
3. Run Android, iOS or web app tests in the cloud, or test desktop browsers.
4. Choose the built-in suite, a supported framework or remote manual testing.
5. Use plugins or the API to start runs and retrieve results from an IDE or CI environment.

Verdict

Choose AWS Device Farm if you need managed cloud testing across mobile devices or desktop browsers, with parallel runs and IDE or CI connections. Look elsewhere if the stated at-rest encryption and external key-management limitations do not meet your requirements.