Q12 of 14 · JIRA
What is Xray for JIRA and how does it integrate test management into the issue tracker?
Short answer
Short answer: Xray is a test-management plugin for JIRA that adds Test, Test Set, Test Plan, and Test Execution issue types. It links test cases to stories for coverage traceability, records execution results, and integrates with Cucumber, JUnit, and CI tools via its REST API.
Detail
Xray issue types:
| Type | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Test | A single test case — manual or automated. Has steps (for manual) or a linked feature file (for Cucumber). |
| Test Set | A reusable group of tests (e.g., smoke tests, regression suite). |
| Test Plan | A collection of Test Executions for a release or milestone. |
| Test Execution | A run of tests in a specific environment at a specific time. Each Test has a result (PASS/FAIL/TODO/EXECUTING). |
| Pre-Condition | A setup step shared across multiple tests. |
Coverage traceability: Tests are linked to Stories (the requirement). JIRA then shows a "Test Coverage" panel on the Story showing how many linked tests pass/fail. This gives instant visibility into whether a Story is fully tested and verified.
Cucumber integration:
# Import Cucumber JSON results into Xray after a CI run
curl -H "Content-Type: application/json" -X POST -d @cucumber-report.json "https://jira.company.com/rest/raven/1.0/import/execution/cucumber"
Manual test execution: QA opens the Test Execution, marks each step pass/fail, adds defects directly from the execution view, and attaches evidence.
Why Xray over a separate test-management tool (TestRail, qTest):
- Test results live alongside the bugs and stories in one tool — no context switching.
- Defects filed during a test execution are automatically linked to the Test and Test Execution.
- JQL can query test results:
issuetype = Test AND testStatus = FAILfinds all failing test cases.