roadmap.sh: QA

What it is

roadmap.sh is an open source project that publishes visual learning maps for many roles in software. Its QA roadmap lays out the skills a quality assurance engineer typically builds, grouped into areas such as testing fundamentals, manual testing techniques, test management, web and API basics, automation frameworks for the browser and for APIs, mobile testing, performance and load testing, accessibility, security testing, CI and CD, and reporting. Each node opens a short explanation with links to free material.

Is it worth your time?

As a map, yes. It is one of the few places that shows the whole QA field on one page, which helps you understand how manual testing, automation and the non-functional areas fit together and where your own gaps are. It is not a course: the explanations are brief, and the links vary in quality. Use it to plan and to check coverage, and learn each topic from a proper source such as official documentation or a structured course.

How to use it well

• Read it once end to end before you start, to see the shape of the field.
• Choose one automation tool and one language and ignore the rest of that branch for now. The roadmap lists several frameworks side by side, and trying to learn all of them is the most common way beginners stall.
• Mark nodes as done as you go (a free account saves progress) and return to it every month or two to decide what to learn next.
• Treat the later branches, such as performance, security and mobile, as awareness topics until your first role shows you which ones matter.

Free or paid?

The roadmap and its explanations are free. The site also offers optional paid features, which you do not need to use the roadmap.

Who it suits

Students and career changers planning a route into QA, manual testers deciding what to learn to move into automation, and developers curious about the testing discipline. Experienced testers use it to spot areas they have never looked at.

Common questions

Does it tell me which tool to learn? It shows the common options. Pick by looking at real job postings in your market: Playwright, Selenium with Java and API testing with Postman are all widely requested.

How long does it take to complete? There is no fixed length. Most people take many months to cover the core branches properly, and nobody learns every node.

Is it up to date? It is maintained by the community on GitHub and updated periodically; check the official documentation of each tool for current details.