SDET stands for Test,QA Engineer or Testers Software Development Engineer. On the other hand, a software developer cannot be a manual experimenter or automation engineer. In the creation of test-friendly codes, SDET also works to make the scripting or automation solutions useful. SDET also engages in software product design, processes and feature choices.
Difference Between SDET and Automation Engineer?
Even if the languages and tools of the SDETs and the QA Automation Engineers were the same, such as Selenium, Java and Cucumber, some variations still exist.
An SDET is a developer-tester who serves as part of a test team with the production team. SDETs are not only responsible for checking the programme, they are also responsible for code participation. In the Agile lifecycle model, SDETs are responsible for writing the test cases and fixing the written code. SDETs are professionals whose technological, analytical and troubleshooting skills should be very good. Automation engineers, on the other hand, should be familiar with any automation testing framework with moderate programming experience as they are normally not exposed to the code.
In terms of production and research, SDET is a highly qualified resource. In the process of plan, script and execute test cases by automation, Automation Engineers are also involved.
Automation Engineers are skilled resources with programming skills, and they are much responsible for functional or black-box testing. In contrast, SDETs are responsible for performing both black-box and white-box testing as well.
You can read more in detail about the skill sets for SDET professionals and their roles and responsibilities in this article about The Future of SDETs and Software Professionals.