https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/categories/automation-packages/ Recent content in Automation Packages on Step Documentation Hugo -- gohugo.io en Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/ai/step-agent/getting-started/ Tue, 29 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/ai/step-agent/getting-started/ The Step AI Agent ships as a Step Automation Package. You give it the test cases to produce, and collect a finished and validated package when it completes. You choose how you interact with it. Choose your path The three paths below run the same workflow and produce the same automation package. Work from Execution Best for Step Studio Local A visual UI for defining test cases, launching runs and reading reports, with no command line IDE Local Working in your own toolchain, on your existing code base Step Platform Central Running with nothing installed locally, on shared infrastructure, with agentic and automation results visible to the whole team Before you start Check the CLI version. https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/devops/automation-as-code/ Wed, 21 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/devops/automation-as-code/ Step’s unique Software automation as Code approach (short Automation as code) enables developers to define software automation workflows for the whole DevOps lifecycle as code alongside the product code. This concept is the key enabler for shift-left in not just testing but for all disciplines relating to software automation. This ranges from large scale E2E acceptance tests to load and performance tests, synthetic monitoring, RPA, and much more. This pages presents the use-cases enabled by the Automation as Code approach. https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/devops/automation-package-cli/step-cli/local-execution/ Wed, 22 May 2024 14:08:01 +0100 https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/devops/automation-package-cli/step-cli/local-execution/ The Step CLI can run an entire Automation Package on your own machine, without a Step server. It uses a local agent provisioning which provisions the required agents as separate processes. The Keywords therefore run in the same isolation, and against the same agents, locally and centrally. An agent is started the first time a Plan needs it, and is then kept running and shared by all the Plans the command executes, until the command ends. https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/ai/step-agent/tutorials/ Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/ai/step-agent/tutorials/ Two worked end-to-end tutorials take the same scenario — a guest checkout on a storefront — from a plain-language test case to automation running in a pipeline and on a schedule. They differ in where you work and what you own, and each can be followed on its own. Agentic test automation with Step Studio (UI) Choose this if you own the requirement and the journey the business cares about, and you would rather not write code or selectors. https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/devops/step-studio/ Mon, 19 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/devops/step-studio/ Step Studio brings the visual editors of the Step platform to your local machine. It lets you create and maintain Automation Packages, execute Plans locally, and execute or deploy your automation on a remote Step instance. Studio works directly on the Automation Package files in your project, including its YAML descriptor and Plan fragments, alongside the source code and resources used by your Keywords. You can use Studio and your IDE on the same project without maintaining separate copies of the automation. https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/userdocs/keywords/keywords-deployment/ Mon, 19 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/userdocs/keywords/keywords-deployment/ You can add and manage Keywords by manual registration or automatically using Automation Packages. Adding a new Keyword by manual registration In order to use your Keywords with Step, you need to register them. This can be done through the web interface or the Java API. Generic fields From the Keyword collection window, use the + button to open the following New keyword dialog. The dialog is a visial editor that lets you fill in generic and type specific information for your Keyword. https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/devops/automation-packages-overview/ Wed, 22 May 2019 14:08:01 +0100 https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/devops/automation-packages-overview/ The concept of Automation Packages provides a standard for defining software automation workflows for the whole DevOps lifecycle in a unified way. Following the Automation as Code paradigm, it allows developers to define software automation logic as code alongside the actual application’s code, and provide all the means to execute and deploy this logic at the different stages of the DevOps lifecyle. Technically the Automation Package standard consist of: The Automation Package syntax that defines a standard to describe a wide range of automation workflows in a unified way The Automation Package format that defines a standard for packaging entities (like Keywords, Plans, Resources, data, etc) The Automation Package CLI that allows to build, execute and deploy Automation Packages Automation Packages in a nutshell In a nutshell an Automation Package is a self-contained set of Plans and their related entities (Keywords, Parameters, Resources…) that can be executed on a Step controller or deployed to it for later use. https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/ai/step-agent/configuration/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/ai/step-agent/configuration/ Reference for everything a run accepts. For a first run, Getting started covers the two required parameters and a minimal example. Execution parameters Parameter Required Meaning instructions yes The test cases to produce and what each must cover. apDirectory yes Where the finished package is published. If a package is already there, it is extended rather than replaced. stepApiKey for central runs API key for the Step instance the generated package is executed against. https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/devops/automation-package-yaml/ Wed, 22 May 2019 14:08:01 +0100 https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/devops/automation-package-yaml/ Automation Packages are defined in a declarative way using YAML alongside the automation code. The Step Automation Package YAML syntax is specified by the Automation Package JSON schema, for more convenient work you can configure the embedded file editor in your IDE (IntelliJ IDEA or Visual Studio) to associate this schema with the Step YAML automation packages. For Java Automation Packages, it is possible to directly declare certain entities in the code in addition to the YAML descriptor. https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/devops/automation-package-cli/ap-maven-plugin/ Wed, 22 May 2019 14:08:01 +0100 https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/devops/automation-package-cli/ap-maven-plugin/ The Step Maven plugin serves as Command Line Interface (CLI) for all operations related to Automation Packages in Java. It provides an integration with the Step server and an easy way to integrate Step with a CI/CD pipeline. For non-Java projects, it is recommended to use the Step CLI. The Step Maven plugin supports following operations: Upload Automation Packages to Step and execute them in isolation Deploy the content of Automation Packages to Step and enable the contained schedules Deploy an Automation Packages library to Step You can choose to integrate the plugin goals during the package phase or any later phase as you see fit in the Maven Lifecycle. https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/ai/step-agent/ Tue, 29 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/ai/step-agent/ Overview The Step AI Agent is an autonomous AI agent that turns high-level requirements or test specifications into validated and executable Step Automation Packages: standardized, reusable and scalable automation artefacts that can be used and reused across: Functional Testing Load & Performance Testing Synthetic Monitoring Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Give it the systems under test (SUTs) in scope, your requirements, and any existing test cases or code. From there it runs transparently and unattended: the agent analyses what already exists, plans and implements the required automation, executes and validates it, and uses execution feedback to repair (self-healing) and stabilise the result before handover. https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/userdocs/keywords/prebuilt-keyword-libraries/ Wed, 01 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/userdocs/keywords/prebuilt-keyword-libraries/ Step ships a small set of officially-maintained, ready-to-use keyword libraries. This page lists them, and explains where they come from and how to use them. For where these libraries fit among the other Keyword types, see the Keywords overview. Where they are published The official prebuilt libraries are published as Maven artifacts under the group ch.exense.step.library on mvnrepository.com/artifact/ch.exense.step.library. All libraries are released together and share the same version number. Library Use it for Key Keywords Artifact ID system Running OS commands, scripts, or existing external tools/projects from a Plan — the general-purpose escape hatch when no dedicated plugin exists (see Generic command execution). https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/devops/automation-package-libraries/ Mon, 24 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000 https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/devops/automation-package-libraries/ Overview Automation Package Libraries (AP Libraries) extend Step’s Automation Package model by enabling common code, libraries and entities to be packaged, deployed, and referenced independently from individual Automation Packages (APs). They offer a structured mechanism for sharing logic at scale and optimizing performance across large automation ecosystems. AP Libraries are reusable, versioned code artifacts that can provide: Shared logic across multiple Automation Packages Common utilities and helper classes Shared libraries Shared AP entities (Keywords, Plans) Important: https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/devops/automation-package-multi-version/ Fri, 21 Nov 2025 07:08:01 +0100 https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/devops/automation-package-multi-version/ Overview Step allows deploying multiple versions of the same Automation Package on a single Step instance. This is particularly useful when your system under test (SUT) exists in several versions across different environments (e.g., TEST, QA, PROD), each requiring a matching version of the automation code. Multi-version support enables: several versions of the same package to coexist automatic version selection at runtime consistent usage of keywords and plans from the selected version clear and predictable behavior across environments Step determines the correct version using activation expressions associated with each deployment. https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/devops/automation-package-cli/step-cli/ Wed, 22 May 2024 14:08:01 +0100 https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/devops/automation-package-cli/step-cli/ The Step CLI (Command Line Interface) is used for all operations with Step. It provides an integration with the Step server and an easy way to integrate Step with a CI/CD pipeline. Currently it is limited to the operations related to Automation Packages but might be extended in the future. For Java specific projects, the CLI is also available as a Maven plugin. The CLI also includes Step Studio for creating and editing Automation Packages visually on your machine. https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/userdocs/automation-package-ui/ Mon, 24 Nov 2025 08:08:01 +0100 https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/userdocs/automation-package-ui/ While Automation Packages are primarily designed to be created, deployed, and executed through the CLI or Maven plugin as part of a CI/CD workflow, the Step UI also provides convenient tools to deploy and execute Automation Packages and their libraries directly. The UI is additionally the only place where you can view, inspect, and delete deployed Automation Packages and libraries, and where certain package-specific configuration options, such as routing rules or screen templates, are available. https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/devops/automation-package-java/ Wed, 22 May 2019 14:08:01 +0100 https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/devops/automation-package-java/ Automation package entities can be defined in a declarative way with the automation package descriptor (YAML) as well as directly in the code for Java Automation Packages. This page focuses on the declaration of Automation Package entities in the code which is supported for Keywords and Plans. Declaration of Keywords In addition to the declaration of Keywords in the automation package descriptor (YAML), Automation packages also fully support the Keyword API to declare Keywords directly in Java. https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/devops/devops-getting-started/ Tue, 06 Feb 2024 00:08:01 +0100 https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/devops/devops-getting-started/ The easiest way to get started with Automation Packages is to use one of our tutorial projects. Load and performance tests For automated and continuous performances tests, the tutorials include a complete project definition with a few simple keywords and plans defining a short load test scenario. It should be straightforward to execute these projects and start from there by modifying them according to your needs. Browser-based load testing with Playwright Protocol-based load testing with okhttp Continuous load testing with Grafana K6 Synthetic Monitoring Similarly to the load and performance test scenario, the tutorial for synthetic monitoring contains simple keywords, execution plan and schedule to set up the synthetic monitoring. https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/userdocs/plans/java_plans/ Thu, 28 Feb 2019 14:08:01 +0100 https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/userdocs/plans/java_plans/ Programmatic plans are the object-oriented representation of a plan. It can be particularly useful for developpers to design, execute and maintain Plans directly in Java. See programmatic examples as part of the stepClient API here. https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/plugins/maven-plugins/ Wed, 29 Mar 2023 08:00:00 +0000 https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/plugins/maven-plugins/ The documentation of the Maven plugins was moved to the DevOps section and is available here. https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/plugins/artifact-repository-connector/ Wed, 14 Oct 2020 08:00:00 +0000 https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/plugins/artifact-repository-connector/ Description The artifact repository connector for Automation Packages provides a seamless integration with classical artifact repositories like Nexus. It enables the retrieval and execution of Automation Packages that are deployed on artifact repositories. The main use-case of this plugin is the integration with CI/CD pipelines. A common workflow relying on this feature looks as follows: Development of Step Automation Packages along with the source code of the application to be tested Build of the Automation Packages as part of the CI pipeline and deployment of the Automation Packages to an artifact repository Trigger of the central execution of the Automation Packages on a Step Controller by the CI pipeline via artifact repository plugin Usage The artifact repository connector works like any other repository plugin like ALM, Jira, etc. https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/setup/configuration/maven-artifact-repository/ Sun, 23 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000 https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/setup/configuration/maven-artifact-repository/ Artifact repositories configuration When deploying or executing Automation Packages and their libraries using maven coordinates, the artifacts are retrieved from the configured artifact repositories. The configuration is based on the standard maven settings.xml format and stored as a Step setting. Retrieve current maven settings You can get the current content of the maven settings.xml with following REST call: GET <controller-url>/rest/settings/maven_settings_default Modify maven settings You can invoke following service passing the content of your maven settings. https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/ai/ Wed, 03 Jun 2026 11:00:00 +0200 https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/ai/ The core principle of Step is to bring teams and technologies onto a single, scalable platform and unify software automation disciplines: Functional testing Load and performance testing Synthetic monitoring Robotic process automation (RPA) The Step AI ecosystem brings greater autonomy across the testing and automation lifecycle through a set of AI-powered technologies, workflows and capabilities designed to reduce effort while improving the quality of automation outcomes. It can be adopted at different levels of autonomy, from exposing individual Step capabilities to your AI assistant with the Step MCP to delegating complete automation workflows to the Step AI Agent. https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/devops/automation-package-cli/ Wed, 21 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/devops/automation-package-cli/ Automation Packages come with a full-featured CLI that allows to build, execute and deploy Automation Packages. The CLI is available as native application for Windows and Linux, and as Maven plugin which is recommended for integration with Java projects. https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/whatsnew/news/new-devops-tutorials/ Tue, 30 Jan 2024 06:00:00 +0100 https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/whatsnew/news/new-devops-tutorials/ Step 24 introduces a completely redesigned version of the Automation Package. Based on the Automation as Code paradigm, the new Automation Package extends Step with DevOps-native functionality, allowing to maintain application and automation code in tandem, and bringing powerful automation capabilities to DevOps pipelines, as well as simplifying Step’s own usage and maintenance. We’ve just published a set of tutorials to illustrates this, check them out! DevOps getting started https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/devops/ Thu, 28 Feb 2019 14:08:01 +0100 https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/devops/ This section is dedicated to use of Step in the DevOps context. It targets developers who want to define their software automation artifacts for the whole DevOps lifecycle as code alongside their product code. To create and edit Automation Packages visually on your own machine, start with Step Studio. https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/devdocs/ Wed, 13 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0000 https://step.dev/knowledgebase/31/devdocs/