Overview of axe Auditor

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Axe Auditor Components

Axe Auditor has three primary components: the server, the control browser, and the test browser.

Picture of the control browser at left, server in center, and test browser at right

Axe Auditor Server (on-premise or cloud-based)

  • Stores Test Cases, Test Runs and Issues generated during testing.
  • Coordinates browser testing activity between Browser Under Test and axe Auditor Browser Console.

Axe Auditor Browser Console (control browser)

  • Provides detailed instructions for how to test applications and sites for each accessibility checkpoint.
  • Designed with testing professionals in mind to accommodate intuitive, efficient and detailed issue logging.

Browser Under Test (test browser)

  • Used to display applications and sites to be tested for accessibility (in Firefox or Safari).
  • Optionally loaded with the axe Auditor Browser Extension to add automated tests and tools.

Before You Begin

Prior to using axe Auditor to begin an assessment or create a test run, it is recommended that you have a general understanding of how to navigate the user interface (starting from the main horizontal menu screens), some key terminology ('page' vs. 'screen', test 'case' vs. 'run', 'automated' vs. 'manual' testing), what the Deque Way Checkpoints are all about, and a high-level view of a typical user session in which common task steps are performed by screen to complete procedures.

Subtopics: Within this Overview topic, the important subtopics that follow are provided to give you enough basic background information to start testing.

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