Software testing evolves with the advancement of software. Today, we’ll look at current techniques and how they lead to better software. By the end of this post, you’ll have a solid understanding of several software testing techniques.
What Is Software Testing?
Software testing is an important aspect of the software development lifecycle. It is the process of executing a program or application with the intent of finding errors. This process is carried out by a software tester. There are several testing methods used in this process.
It also ensures that software works appropriately across several devices or with the previously installed software.
The software can be tested in a variety of ways. In principle, developers choose a behavior or functionality that needs to be validated, write a test to confirm the functionality, and then either fix the functionality or carry on if it succeeds.
Software testing has become an essential component of today’s development process. It serves as a continuous type of quality control, ensuring that the program can handle all potential uses and settings.
There are two types of testing:
- Manual testing
- Automation testing
A human tester assumes the end-user position and examines test scenarios one at a time during manual testing. It is the conventional testing method. The problem that arises with manual testing is time consumption. To overcome this issue, developers use automation testing to save time and reduce costs for testing.
Automation testing creates automated tests that match the current program result to the desired outcome using a technology testing platform. Selenium and Cucumber are the most popular frameworks.
You can also learn automation testing to collect and evaluate a wide range of data. It allows you to spot patterns and create data from your results. The information gathered can then be utilized to improve operations and eliminate errors.
The difficulties you want to solve dictate the testing automation tools you choose. It must also work with your existing systems and be simple to use with minimal setup.
Benefits of Software Testing
- Ensures that everything works properly
- Faster time to market
- Support for authenticated devices
- Continual improvement
Software Testing Methods
The purpose of including a variety of testing approaches into your production plan is to ensure that your software can run in various situations and on several platforms. These are usually divided into functional and non-functional testing.
Functional testing entails comparing the application to the company’s requirements. It encompasses all test methods to ensure that each software component operates as intended. It is based on use cases provided by the design team or business analyst. These tests are typically carried out in the following order:
- Unit testing
- Integration testing
- System testing
- Acceptance testing
Non-functional testing examines how a program works rather than whether or not certain program activities are successful. A non-functional test can assess how well a program operates on a larger scale. It can determine how effectively a system functions over time.
All test types focusing on the operational conditions of a software program are included in non-functional testing procedures. Some of the non-functional tests are:
- Performance testing
- Security testing
- Usability testing
- Compatibility testing
1. Unit Testing
The initial testing phase is unit testing, which the programmers frequently carry out. It is the method of verifying that specific software program components are operational and perform as expected at the compile time.
In a test-driven system, developers will often write and execute the tests before passing the program or functionality to the testing team. Manual unit testing is possible, but automating the procedure will shorten production cycles and increase testing coverage.
Troubleshooting will be more straightforward due to unit testing. As flaws will be detected earlier in the test plan and will take less time to repair than if they were found later.
2. Integration Testing
Integration testing is a technique for determining how well several interconnected program components function together. This type of testing is frequently performed after unit testing. First, it validates each module separately then examines how the module works.
User activities, such as logging into a service or accessing files, are frequently used to structure these tests. Integrated tests are usually made up of automated functional and manual tests. Either programmers or individual testers can perform it.
3. System Testing
System testing is used to test a complete product build that includes all modules. System testing examines how the program operates with all components linked. It detects errors in inter-module activities.
For instance, we’d first integrate and test all of our program modules, such as account login and a website search. A distinct test team frequently undertakes system testing to eliminate programmer confirmation bias.
4. Acceptance Testing
Acceptance testing is a type of software testing in which the usability of a system is assessed. The main goal of this test is to determine whether the solution complies with the requirements. It determines whether the software is suitable for deployment. Before making the system accessible for genuine use, acceptance testing is the final part of the software assessment.
Here are some uses of acceptance testing:
- To locate flaws that were overlooked during the functional testing phase.
- The quality of the product’s development.
- A product is what the buyers genuinely require.
- The quality of a product and the customer experience can benefit from feedback.
- Reduce or eliminate difficulties that arise during production.
5. Performance Testing
Performance testing is a sort of software testing that verifies that software programs function as intended under certain conditions. It determines responsiveness, reaction, and durability performance when subjected to a specific workload. Perf testing is another name for performance testing.
6. Security Testing
Security testing identifies security flaws in information systems. It handles confidential material, such as account-based platforms or financial systems. There are many different types of security testing, such as vulnerability scanning and authentication.
7. Usability Testing
Usability testing detects where end-users have problems or using them smoothly. It is usually done with a small group of end-users whom an investigator is monitoring. Testers are asked to complete some tasks. These tasks include “establish an account,” but they are not given instructions on how to do so.
After that, they use the service to perform the tasks and provide detailed comments on the experience. It enables programmers to get feedback without extensive training immediately.
8. Compatibility Testing
Compatibility testing determines how software is working in various computing settings. Using a framework, this is frequently done remotely. The framework uses various virtual networks. It imitates distinct target devices to execute the same input.
The purpose is to ensure that your software’s performance is maintained continuously in every situation.
Conclusion
Software testing is the process of determining whether the final software product meets the requirements and runs after deployment. Software testing has become an essential component of today’s development process. It serves as a continuous type of quality control, ensuring that the program can handle all potential use cases and settings.