In a 2020 tutorial by Ely Lucas, the basics of testing Ionic React applications using Jest and React Testing Library (RTL) are explored. Jest, a popular testing framework developed by Facebook, and RTL, which allows testing of React components without relying on internal implementation details, are both included in new Ionic React projects, simplifying the setup process. The tutorial guides users through creating a simple to-do app, demonstrating how to write and run tests using Jest and RTL, including testing component rendering, state changes, and user interactions. It also covers the use of Ionic React Test Utils for dealing with web component testing challenges in JSDOM, and provides insights into mocking HTTP requests with Jest. The tutorial emphasizes the benefits of test-driven development, ensuring reliability and confidence in application updates, while offering resources for further learning and a demo repository for expanded functionality.