Discover Smarter Testing with Property-Based Testing | 7th Houston Meetup
Traditional test automation verifies the scenarios a team has already identified. The harder problem is finding the behaviour nobody thought to test.
As web applications become more complex, scripted tests may cover the expected journeys while missing unusual sequences, timing conditions, and edge-case inputs.
At The Test Tribe Houston Meetup, Nate Custer will introduce property-based testing as another way to explore application behaviour and uncover defects that conventional examples may not reveal.
Event Details
Date: August 27, 2026
Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Houston Time
Venue: Improving
What's on the Agenda?
Not All Who Wander are Lost – Property-Based Testing Web Applications with Bombadil
Speaker: Nate Custer, Principal Technologist
Most automated tests begin with a known scenario and a defined expected result. Property-based testing approaches the problem differently by exploring a broader range of inputs and behaviours against properties the application is expected to maintain.
In this session, Nate will introduce Bombadil, an open-source property-based testing tool for web applications that autonomously explores application behaviour to help uncover hidden defects.
He will cover the fundamentals of property-based testing, how it differs from traditional scripted automation, and why teams may consider including it within a broader testing strategy.
The session will also demonstrate Bombadil exploring a web application through unexpected user actions, unusual timings, and edge-case inputs. Nate will discuss the areas where the tool is currently useful, along with the limitations teams should understand before adopting it.
How This Meetup Solves Your Problem
Scripted automation is effective when the team already knows which scenario to execute and which outcome to expect. It is less effective at discovering combinations and behaviors that were never included in the original test design.
This session will help you understand:
How property-based testing differs from example-based automated tests
How autonomous exploration can reveal unexpected application behavior
How Bombadil explores web applications to identify potential defects
Where property-based testing can fit within an overall quality strategy
What Bombadil can currently support and where its limitations remain
The aim is not to replace existing automation, but to show how another testing approach can help investigate areas that predefined scripts may not cover.
Why You Should Show Up
Some defects remain hidden because nobody included the right sequence, input, or timing condition in the test suite.
This meetup is an opportunity to see a different testing approach in action, ask Nate questions about Bombadil, and consider where property-based testing may be useful within your own automation strategy.
You will also have time to meet QA professionals, SDETs, developers, and automation engineers from Houston’s technology community and compare approaches to finding defects beyond expected user journeys.
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About The Test Tribe
The Test Tribe is the world's largest software testing community, empowering testers globally since 2018. With 700+ events and 150K+ members across 130+ countries, we bring testers together to learn, grow, and connect through meetups, conferences, cohorts, masterclasses, and more.
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