Tagavatest

Tagavatest is a term used in software testing to describe a tagging-based approach to organizing and selecting tests for execution. In this approach, individual tests or test cases are annotated with one or more tags that describe characteristics such as scope, type, or requirements.

The term is not standardized. It appears in limited documentation and project-specific conventions rather than as a formal specification. In practice, tag-based testing is implemented across various testing frameworks under different names, often referred to as test tagging, markers, or tags.

How it works. Test definitions include metadata tags. A test runner accepts tag expressions or selectors and runs only the tests whose tags satisfy the expression. Tags can be used to group tests by features, components, environments, or priorities, and to mark tests that are long-running, flaky, or requiring specific data.

Applications. Common in continuous integration and delivery pipelines, where teams want to run a subset of tests per commit, per environment, or per feature area. It helps manage large test suites and supports selective execution for faster feedback.

Advantages and challenges. Advantages include improved selectivity, faster feedback, easier maintenance of large suites, and better traceability. Challenges include tag proliferation, inconsistent tagging practices, and the need for discipline to keep tags meaningful and up to date.

Related concepts. Tag-based test selection is implemented in several frameworks (for example, pytest markers, JUnit categories, TestNG groups), and the concept overlaps with test filtering and metadata-driven testing.