Forem: Lucy Alfred Joshua

Exploratory Testing on Cars.ng: Findings and Recommendations

Lucy Alfred Joshua — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 20:39:16 +0000

Introduction

As part of my exploratory testing task for the HNG Internship, I conducted an in-depth usability and functionality test on Cars.ng. The goal was to evaluate the core user flows, identify bugs and inconsistencies, and suggest improvements to enhance the overall user experience.

Methodology

Exploratory Testing – Navigated through the website’s key functionalities, including sign-up, browsing listings, filtering searches, and saving cars.
Multi-Device Testing – Conducted tests on both desktop (Windows 10, Chrome & Firefox) and mobile (Android & iOS, Chrome & Safari).
Bug Documentation – Identified issues, captured screenshots, and categorized them based on severity.

Findings

Major Issues Identified

1. Sign-up Function

Issue: When clicking the sign-in button, it redirects to a page where users can sign in via Google, Facebook, email, or phone. However, clicking on the 'Register Here' button on this page changes it back to 'Sign In,' and the text above (which initially says 'Sign in with email or phone') changes to 'Register via email or phone.' This behavior is unclear and could be frustrating to users.

Expected: The 'Sign Up' button should lead to a distinct registration page or process rather than modifying the sign-in interface dynamically in a confusing way.
Severity: High.

2. Long Sign-up Load Time

Issue: Sign-up took a little longer to load without user feedback.
Expected: A loading indicator should inform users that the process is ongoing.
Severity: Medium.

3. Non-Responsive Profile Area on Client Dashboard

Issue: The profile section is nested under 'Settings' which works fine, but it's not directly accessible on the profile icon.

Expected: Profile details should be easily accessible from the dashboard.
Severity: Medium.

4. See All Categories Button Disappears

Issue: The ‘See All Categories’ button vanishes when hovered over.

Expected: The button should remain visible and clickable.
Severity: High.

5. 'Save for Later' on Sales Section Not Working

Issue: Clicking ‘Save for Later’ has no effect.

Expected: A confirmation that the car has been saved should be displayed.
Severity: High.

6. 404 Error When Viewing Car Details

Issue: Clicking on certain car listings in the "For Sale" section leads to a 404 error, preventing users from accessing more details.

Expected: Users should be redirected to the correct car details page.
Severity: High.

Mobile-Specific Issues

7. UI Elements Overlapping

Issue: On mobile, some texts and buttons overlap, making navigation difficult.

Expected: Elements should be properly spaced for readability.
Severity: Medium.

8. Finance and Lease Options Unavailable

Issue: Finance/Lease buttons are present but not clickable.
Expected: Either enable them or provide a message stating they are unavailable.
Severity: Medium.

Suggested Improvements

Fix Sign-up and Registration Flow – Ensure the sign-up button functions correctly and provides feedback.
Enhance Mobile Responsiveness – Address overlapping elements and fix filter responsiveness.
Improve Dashboard Accessibility – Make profile settings easier to find.
Optimize Performance – Reduce loading times for sign-up and searches.
Fix Broken Buttons – Ensure all call-to-action buttons work as expected.
Resolve 404 Errors on Car Listings – Ensure all car listings lead to valid details pages.

Conclusion

Through this exploratory testing, I identified several usability and functionality issues that affect Cars.ng’s user experience. Addressing these issues will improve usability, navigation, and engagement for users on both desktop and mobile. I hope the Cars.ng development team finds these insights valuable in improving the platform.

For a detailed bug report with screenshots, check the Bug Report Sheet.

Setting Up NGINX on Ubuntu Server: My DevOps Stage Zero Task Experience

Lucy Alfred Joshua — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 01:17:28 +0000

Introduction

Deploying a web server is one of the foundational skills for any DevOps engineer. As part of the HNG DevOps Internship (Stage 0), I was tasked with setting up and configuring NGINX on a fresh Ubuntu server. This hands-on project allowed me to explore key aspects of server management, web server configuration, and troubleshooting.

The Task Overview

Install and configure NGINX on a fresh Ubuntu server.
Serve a custom HTML page with the message: “Welcome to DevOps Stage 0 - [Your Name]/[SlackName]”.
Document the process in a blog post, reflecting on challenges, solutions, and personal growth.

My Approach to Completing the Task

Step 1: Setting Up the Ubuntu Server on DigitalOcean
I started by creating a fresh Ubuntu server on DigitalOcean. Here’s how I did it:

1. Sign in to DigitalOcean:

If you don’t have an account, you can create one at DigitalOcean.

2. Create a New Droplet:

Go to the Create section and select Droplets.

Choose Ubuntu 20.04 (or any preferred version).
Select the smallest plan (it’s sufficient for this task).
Add your SSH key for secure access (or use a password). You can generate an ssh key-pair on your local machine wih: ssh-keyen. The directories where your public and private keys are saved will be displayed, cat into your public key and copy.

Choose a data center region close to your location for faster access.
Click Create Droplet.

3. Access the Droplet:

Once the droplet was created, I connected to it via SSH on my local machine:

ssh root@your_droplet_ip

Step 2: Installing NGINX
Next, I installed NGINX using Ubuntu’s package manager, apt. Here’s how I did it:

1. Update the Server:

Before installing NGINX, I updated the server to ensure all packages were up to date:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

2. Install NGINX:

I installed NGINX with the following command:

sudo apt install nginx -y

3. Start and Enable NGINX:

After installation, I started the NGINX service and enabled it to run on boot:

sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx

4. Verify NGINX Installation:

To confirm that NGINX was running, I opened my browser and visited http://<your_droplet_ip>. The default NGINX welcome page appeared, indicating a successful installation.

Step 3: Configuring the Custom HTML Page
The task required serving a custom HTML page as the default page. Here’s how I configured it:

1. Navigate to the Web Directory:

I moved to the default directory for web content:

cd /var/www/html

2.Create the Custom HTML File: I opened the index.html file with a text editor (I used nano):

sudo nano /var/www/html/index.html

3. Add the Custom Message:

I added the following HTML code to the file:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>Welcome</title>
    <style>
        body {
            font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
            background-color: #2C3E50;
            text-align: center;
            padding: 50px;
        }

        h1 {
            color: #4CAF50;
            font-size: 2.5em;
        }

        h3 {
            color: white;
            font-size: 1.5em;
        }

        p {
            color: #333;
            font-size: 1.2em;
        }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Welcome to DevOps Stage 0</h1>
    <p><h3>[Your Name]/[SlackName]</h3></p>
</body>
</html>

I replaced [Your Name] and [SlackName] with my actual name and Slack username.

4. Save and Exit:

I saved the file and exited the editor (CTRL+X, then Y, then Enter).

5. Restart NGINX:

To apply the changes, I restarted NGINX:

sudo systemctl restart nginx

6. Access the Custom Page:

I revisited http://<your_droplet_ip> in my browser, and the custom HTML page was displayed with the correct message.

Challenges I Faced

1. Permission Issues
When I first tried to edit the /var/www/html/index.html file, I ran into permission issues. I resolved this by using sudo to gain the necessary privileges: sudo nano /var/www/html/index.html

2. Task Requirements
To meet the task requirements, I added the index.html file located at /var/www/html/index.html.

References

As part of this task, I referenced the following resources to deepen my understanding of DevOps roles:

DevOps Engineers

Cloud Engineers

These links provided insights into the responsibilities, skills, and career paths for DevOps professionals.

Final Thoughts

Completing this task provided a good foundation in web server setup and configuration, key skills for any DevOps engineer. More importantly, it highlighted the power of hands-on experience in learning.

For anyone starting in DevOps, I highly recommend working on similar projects. The process of troubleshooting and fixing issues will help you develop confidence and critical thinking skills.

Linux User Creation- Bash Scripting

Lucy Alfred Joshua — Sun, 07 Jul 2024 22:10:37 +0000

In today's DevOps environments, automating routine system administration tasks is necessary for efficiency and consistency. One common task is the creation and management of user accounts on Linux systems. This article structure adheres to the technical requirements specified in the HNG Internship stage one task.

HNG Task

Your company has employed many new developers. As a SysOps engineer, write a bash script called create_users.sh that reads a text file containing the employee’s usernames and group names, where each line is formatted as user;groups.

Script Development

The Bash script is designed to automate the creation of users based on input from a text file. This script addresses specific requirements such as creating users with appropriate groups, setting up home directories, generating secure passwords, and logging all actions for auditing purposes. Passwords are to be stored securely in /var/secure/user_passwords.txt and all actions logged to /var/log/user_management.log.

1. Setup and Initialization
The script begins by ensuring that the necessary directories and files are in place:

#!/bin/bash

# Ensure log and password files are created and secured
mkdir -p /var/log /var/secure
touch /var/log/user_management.log
touch /var/secure/user_passwords.txt
chmod 600 /var/secure/user_passwords.txt

These commands create /var/log and /var/secure directories if they do not exist. It also initializes user_management.log and user_passwords.txt with appropriate permissions for logging actions and storing passwords securely.

2. Logging Functionality
The script uses a function log_action() to log each action performed during user creation:

# Function to log actions with timestamp
log_action() {
    echo "$(date) - $1" >> "/var/log/user_management.log"
}

This function appends a timestamped message to user_management.log for each significant action, providing a detailed record of user management activities.

3. User Creation Logic
The core of the script involves the create_user() function, which handles user creation based on input parameters:

# Function to create user and manage groups
create_user() {
    local username="$1"
    local groups="$2"
    local password

    # Check if user already exists
    if id "$username" &>/dev/null; then
        log_action "User $username already exists. Skipping."
        return
    fi

    # Create user's primary group
    groupadd "$username"
    log_action "Group $username created."

    # Create additional groups if they don't exist
    IFS=' ' read -ra group_array <<< "$groups"
    for group in "${group_array[@]}"; do
        group=$(echo "$group" | xargs)
        if ! getent group "$group" &>/dev/null; then
            groupadd "$group"
            log_action "Group $group created."
        fi
    done

    # Add user to groups
    useradd -m -s /bin/bash -g "$username" "$username"
    if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
        log_action "User $username created with primary group: $username"
    else
        log_action "Failed to create user $username."
        return
    fi

    for group in "${group_array[@]}"; do
        usermod -aG "$group" "$username"
    done
    log_action "User $username added to groups: ${group_array[*]}"

    # Generate random password
    password=$(</dev/urandom tr -dc A-Za-z0-9 | head -c 12)
    echo "$username:$password" | chpasswd

    # Store password securely
    echo "$username,$password" >> "/var/secure/user_passwords.txt"
    log_action "Password for user $username set and stored securely."

    # Set permissions and ownership
    chmod 700 "/home/$username"
    chown "$username:$username" "/home/$username"
}

This function:

Checks if the user already exists.
Creates the user's primary group.
Checks and creates additional specified groups.
Creates the user account with a home directory and bash shell.
Sets passwords securely.
Logs password creation and user permissions setup.

4. Execution and Input Validation
The script validates input and processes each line from the specified user list file:

# Check for input file argument
if [ $# -ne 1 ]; then
    echo "Usage: $0 <user_list_file>"
    exit 1
fi

filename="$1"

# Verify input file existence
if [ ! -f "$filename" ]; then
    echo "Users list file $filename not found."
    exit 1
fi

# Read user list file and create users
while IFS=';' read -r username groups; do
    username=$(echo "$username" | xargs)
    groups=$(echo "$groups" | xargs | tr -d ' ')
    groups=$(echo "$groups" | tr ',' ' ')
    create_user "$username" "$groups"
done < "$filename"

echo "User creation process completed."

Bash scripting automates user creation and management on Linux systems, making system administration duties easier and more efficient. By following best practices in security, logging, and error handling, the script (create_users.sh) built in this article illustrates its efficiency in efficiently and safely managing user accounts. This strategy not only increases operational efficiency but also ensures consistency and adherence to organizational security requirements.

References:

Learn more about HNG Internship: HNG Internship Program
Explore further opportunities with HNG: HNG Hire

Linux User Creation- Bash Scripting

Lucy Alfred Joshua — Sun, 07 Jul 2024 22:10:37 +0000

HNG Task

Script Development

The Bash script is designed to automate the creation of users based on input from a text file (In this instance, the text file is named user_info.txt and the script, create_users.sh. This script addresses specific requirements such as creating users with appropriate groups, setting up home directories, generating secure passwords, and logging all actions for auditing purposes. Passwords are to be stored securely in /var/secure/user_passwords.txt and all actions logged to /var/log/user_management.log.

1. Setup and Initialization
The script begins by ensuring that the necessary directories and files are in place:

#!/bin/bash

# Ensure log and password files are created and secured
mkdir -p /var/log /var/secure
touch /var/log/user_management.log
touch /var/secure/user_passwords.txt
chmod 600 /var/secure/user_passwords.txt

2. Logging Functionality
The script uses a function log_action() to log each action performed during user creation:

# Function to log actions with timestamp
log_action() {
    echo "$(date) - $1" >> "/var/log/user_management.log"
}

This function adds a time-stamped message to user_management.log for each significant activity, which gives an extensive record of user management actions.

3. User Creation Logic
The core of the script involves the create_user() function, which handles user creation based on input parameters:

# Function to create user and manage groups
create_user() {
    local username="$1"
    local groups="$2"
    local password

    # Check if user already exists
    if id "$username" &>/dev/null; then
        log_action "User $username already exists. Skipping."
        return
    fi

    # Create user's primary group
    groupadd "$username"
    log_action "Group $username created."

    # Create additional groups if they don't exist
    IFS=' ' read -ra group_array <<< "$groups"
    for group in "${group_array[@]}"; do
        group=$(echo "$group" | xargs)
        if ! getent group "$group" &>/dev/null; then
            groupadd "$group"
            log_action "Group $group created."
        fi
    done

    # Add user to groups
    useradd -m -s /bin/bash -g "$username" "$username"
    if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
        log_action "User $username created with primary group: $username"
    else
        log_action "Failed to create user $username."
        return
    fi

    for group in "${group_array[@]}"; do
        usermod -aG "$group" "$username"
    done
    log_action "User $username added to groups: ${group_array[*]}"

    # Generate random password
    password=$(</dev/urandom tr -dc A-Za-z0-9 | head -c 12)
    echo "$username:$password" | chpasswd

    # Store password securely
    echo "$username,$password" >> "/var/secure/user_passwords.txt"
    log_action "Password for user $username set and stored securely."

    # Set permissions and ownership
    chmod 700 "/home/$username"
    chown "$username:$username" "/home/$username"
}

This function:

4. Execution and Input Validation
The script validates input and processes each line from the specified user list file:

# Check for input file argument
if [ $# -ne 1 ]; then
    echo "Usage: $0 <user_list_file>"
    exit 1
fi

filename="$1"

# Verify input file existence
if [ ! -f "$filename" ]; then
    echo "Users list file $filename not found."
    exit 1
fi

# Read user list file and create users
while IFS=';' read -r username groups; do
    username=$(echo "$username" | xargs)
    groups=$(echo "$groups" | xargs | tr -d ' ')
    groups=$(echo "$groups" | tr ',' ' ')
    create_user "$username" "$groups"
done < "$filename"

echo "User creation process completed."

References:

Learn more about HNG Internship: HNG Internship Program
Explore further opportunities with HNG: HNG Hire