Q&A Directory # Developer & Enterprise FAQ Everything you need to know about credentials security, staging integrations, runner execution performance, and test code licensing. ### 1. Onboarding & Piloting How does the 2-week pilot work? + We scope up to 60 API endpoints during kickoff. Over the next 10 business days, we deliver the runnable suites in increments (~30 APIs per week). You see them run live in your staging environment. If you aren't convinced by the coverage or code quality, you can walk away paying nothing. How much developer time does kickoff require? + Kickoff takes roughly 30 minutes. We only require you to provide a link to your OpenAPI schema document and provision standard staging API tokens. We handle all writing, debugging, and continuous pipeline integrations independently. ### 2. Security & Credentials Access What credentials and permissions do you need? + To write and run tests, we require: (1) An OpenAPI/Swagger spec, (2) Read-write credentials to a stable staging or sandbox database environment (never production), and (3) Access to insert one webhook trigger in your CI/CD repository so execution can run on commits. Do you touch production databases? + Absolutely not. QA Watch scripts execute exclusively on designated staging, UAT, testing sandbox, or local mock developer environments. We enforce strict database isolation bounds and write registered cleanups so staging databases remain clean. Can we whitelist your runner execution IPs? + Yes. All automated runs are triggered from a dedicated cluster utilizing fixed static IP addresses. You can whitelist our network ranges in AWS security groups, GCP firewall nodes, or on-premises proxy gateways to maintain network boundaries. ### 3. Code Ownership & Portability Who owns the test code? Is there lock-in? + You do. All generated scripts are written in standard open-source REST-assured (Java) as our default stack, which allows your test suite to expand cleanly across web, mobile, and API layers (Playwright is still available on request). We commit them directly to your repository. They contain no proprietary SDKs, so if you decide to cancel, you keep the code and can run it in-house forever. Can we run these tests locally on developers' laptops? + Yes, because the test suite is standard Java and REST-assured, your developers can pull the code locally, run it via standard Maven/Gradle build commands (e.g. mvn test), and view HTML test report metrics or run individual tests inside any Java IDE. ### 4. Execution, Hardware & Limits Where are tests run? Do we host the runners? + Tests are hosted and executed on Softknack's on-premises Dell PowerEdge R740xd containerized hardware cluster — parallelized execution is included in your subscription with no infrastructure fees. Runs are subject to a standard Fair Usage Policy of **15 full-suite executions per day per environment** — a complete regression run every ~30 minutes of a working day, which comfortably exceeds even elite deploy cadence (DORA-elite teams ship "multiple times per day"). The policy protects your staging environment's performance and prevents the suite being used as a load-testing tool. Custom limits for high-frequency CI environments are available on request. Can you run the suite against multiple environments — dev, UAT, staging? + Yes. Every plan includes one primary execution environment, normally staging or sandbox. Additional environments (dev, UAT, pre-prod) are an add-on at **+20% of your monthly fee per environment** — the suite itself is fully reused, so you're only paying for that environment's configuration, test data, dedicated run capacity, and separately triaged failure reports (a failure in dev and a failure in staging are different investigations). Each environment gets its own FUP allowance. Production is never an execution target — write operations against live customer data are excluded by design, at any price. How are API changes and updates handled? + Whenever you update endpoints, our engine analyzes your OpenAPI spec, matches schema differences, writes self-healing updates, and logs the change. A senior QA engineer validates the modification within 1 business day. This continuous maintenance is included under your monthly per-API subscription fee. What are your delivery SLAs? + First batch delivered and runnable within 5 business days of kickoff; delivery velocity of ~30 APIs per week; in-scope failure triage and fixes within 1 business day; execution infrastructure at 99% monthly availability; and a run report the same business day after every execution. ### 5. Pricing, Scope & Contract What exactly is "one API automated"? + One endpoint covered end-to-end: chained into its real workflow (create → read → update → delete) with its meaningful outcome tests — typically 3–5 per endpoint covering the happy path, auth/permission, validation/error, and boundary cases — all classified per the public TDS v1.0 standard. You're billed on the endpoint count you can verify, never on script volume. My spec is in YAML — can you work with it? + Yes. The instant in-browser scanner on the [Audit page](audit.md) reads JSON (most tools export both formats, e.g. swagger-cli bundle), but for actual delivery we accept OpenAPI in YAML or JSON, Swagger 2.0, Postman collections — or no docs at all, in which case we generate the full OpenAPI spec for you as a keepable deliverable (+$500 one-time, up to ~120 APIs). What are the contract and cancellation terms? + Contracts are quoted in USD on a standard 12-month term. The one-time build is billed as each weekly batch is accepted, and the monthly subscription starts at first go-live. You can cancel with 30 days' notice — and because the suite is standard open-source Java & RestAssured committed to your repository, you keep everything. Why are you so much cheaper than hiring or per-test platforms? + Because the engine does the labour and senior engineers do the judgment. A U.S. QA automation engineer averages $118k–146k/year (Glassdoor) and takes ~3 months to hire; per-test platforms list around $40/test/month, which reaches six figures at real coverage volumes. Our per-API model prices the outcome — built, run, and maintained — not the headcount behind it. ## Have a technical question not answered here? Give us a hoot — schedule a 20-minute slot and you will be connected directly to a senior QA principal architect from Softknack. 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