OpenQA

OpenQA is an open-source test automation framework designed to manage, run, and report automated tests for operating systems and software, with a focus on Linux distributions. It originated within the SUSE/openSUSE ecosystem and is widely used to validate installations, upgrades, and feature tests.

OpenQA coordinates tests across multiple machines or virtual environments, orchestrating hardware, virtual machines, and cloud instances. It supports virtualization backends such as KVM and QEMU and can run on physical hardware. A central OpenQA server provides a web-based user interface and REST API to create, schedule, monitor, and analyze test jobs, and to access build artifacts and logs.

Tests are organized as Perl modules in repositories such as os-autoinst-distri-openQA, with a shared core (os-autoinst) that implements common actions used by many tests. A controller schedules jobs and distributes them to worker machines, which run the test modules, collect results, and upload logs, screenshots, and other diagnostics.

OpenQA stores results in a database, offers detailed dashboards, and exposes logs and test artifacts for debugging. The framework supports continuous integration workflows and can be integrated with CI systems to validate builds and releases.

OpenQA is maintained by a community of developers and organizations, with contributions from SUSE, openSUSE, and other participants. Its source code, issue trackers, and documentation are publicly available on its primary hosting platforms.