Different Types Of Software Testing: In Details

In this world of technology, software plays an important role in the life of any human being. We cannot live a single day without using the software.

Be it for contacting anyone or be it for entertainment, the software has become an inevitable part of human life.

Sometimes, this software needs to be tested and verified whether it is worth using. That is where software testing becomes useful. Numerous different types of Software Testing are available in the market.

What is Software Testing?

What is Software Testing?
Image source: Qable

Software Testing is the process of examining the behavior of software that is being tested by the process of verification and validation. It is the evaluation of the software according to the requirements which are gathered from different users.

This testing is conducted at the phase level of any software development cycle. Software testing also aims to provide an objective and a view of the software in an independent manner.

The main purpose of Software Testing is to identify any failure in the software so that the problems can be detected and corrections can be made.

It was in the year 1979 when Glenford J. Myers introduced the process of Software Testing by separating the process of debugging from testing.

Any Software Testing consists of two processes – Validation and Verification.

Software Validation

It is the process of testing in which it is seen whether the software is capable enough of fulfilling the requirement of a user and is carried out at the end of SDLC. If it is found that the software is capable of fulfilling the user requirements, then only it is considered to be validated.

Software Verification

This process includes confirming whether the software can fulfill the business requirements and whether its development follows the correct specifications and methodologies. This process mainly focuses on the design and the system specifications. If a software fulfills these conditions, then only it is said to be verified.

The usual technique of testing software includes –

  • Analyzing the requirements of the product for completeness and correctness from various perspectives, such as the industry perspective, business perspective, feasibility of usage, performance, infrastructure considerations, and security.
  • Reviewing the architecture and the overall design of the product.
  • Working with the developers to improve the techniques, design patterns, various techniques of boundary conditions, etc.
  • Executing the program or code, or application to examine the behavior.
  • Making a review of the deployment infrastructure and associated scripts and automation.
  • Taking part in various types of product activity using observability and monitoring techniques.

Importance of Software Testing

There are quite a few factors that act as the importance of Software Testing. Here we have mentioned a few importance of Software Testing.

Cost-effective and Saves Money

Among all other benefits, cost-effectiveness is one of the top reasons companies go for software testing. There are a bunch of projects in software testing. If any bug is found in the early stages or before launching the software, fixing those bugs saves a lot of money.

Customer Satisfaction

Satisfying the customer is one of the primary objectives of an owner of the software. If the software is tested, then it provides the perfect experience for the user. It also helps earn the customer’s trust, as the first impression acts as the last impression.

Determining the Software Performance

If a user finds the software to be not up to the mark in performance, it will bring down the reputation of the software company in this market of tight competition. Thus it is important to test the software before launching it so that the users do not face any performance issues.

Manual vs. Automatic

Manual vs. Automatic
Image source: Sciencetech easy

There has always been controversy regarding the two types of software testing – Manual and Automated. Some say Manual is better, and some say Automated is better.

But the truth is, both are useful in their respective fields. There are quite a few differences between these two types of software testing.

Manual Software Testing

Manual Software Testing mainly includes manually testing software without the help of any automation tool or script.

In this type of testing, the tester generally acts as an end-user and checks the software so that they can identify any unexpected behavior or bug. There are various stages of manual testing, which include unit testing, integration testing, system testing, and user acceptance testing. 

The person who is testing the software uses test plans, test cases, or test scenarios to test software to ensure the completeness of testing.

Manual testing also includes the exploratory testing process, as testers explore the software to identify errors.

Automated Software Testing

Automation Software Testing Types, also known as Test Automation, is when the tester writes scripts and uses different software to test the product and find out any dispute in its behavior.

This testing type mainly involves the automation of a manual process. Automation Testing is very useful to re-run the test scenarios quickly and multiple times, which has been performed manually in manual testing.

Regression and automation testing are also used to test the application and type of software from some points of view, such as load, performance, and stress.

It helps increase test coverage, has improved accuracy, and saves a lot of time and money compared to Manual Software Testing. 

Other Different Types of Software Testing

Different Types of Software Testing
image source: Testsigma

There are quite a few types of software testing that the developers use to ensure that the software is perfect for being used by the users because if the software is launched without testing, it will be a big problem for the users.

In this article, we have mentioned a few types of Software Testing which are used most commonly.

Unit Testing

This type of software testing is carried out on a particular unit or component to find the bugs and correct them. This testing is carried out by the developer at the application development stage.

For example, if there is a simple calculator, the developer can check whether two numbers are being added correctly or not. Under Unit Testing, there are two types of testing – White Box Testing and Gorrila Testing.

White Box Testing

This is the testing technique where the tester can access the internal structure of the developed application. Using this technique, one can easily find out the loopholes present in the application’s design. Some examples of white box testing are decision coverage and branch coverage.

Gorilla Testing

In this testing technique, the tester and the developer test the application module thoroughly in every aspect. Gorilla Testing is very useful for checking the robustness of your application. The tester basically focuses on a single module of a website. This tester can focus on any module thoroughly with positive and negative test scenarios.

Integration Testing

In this type of Software Testing, two or more different modules of any application are grouped logically and tested as a whole. This type of testing intends to find any defect in the interface, communication, and data flow.

For example, suppose a user purchases a flight ticket through any airline website. In that case, the user must be able to see the flight details and payment information in the same place, which has been integrated for the user’s convenience.

Gray Box Testing

According to the name, this technique combines Black Box Testing and White Box Testing. In this technique, the person who is testing the software has partial knowledge of the code or the application’s internal structure, along with some partial knowledge of the exterior design.

System Testing

In this type of software testing, the software is tested in such a way as to make sure it works properly on various operating systems. This testing has been covered under the black box technique. This testing type mainly focuses on the required input without focusing on the internal working of the software.

For example, if the software runs properly on a particular platform, this testing ensures that the software runs properly on other platforms.

Black Box Testing

This software testing technique is mainly performed without knowing the application’s internal structure, design, or code. The main focus of the person who is testing should be the input and the output of the test objects. This does not require much of a detailed study of the software.

End-to-End Testing

This testing type in software falls under System Testing. It involves the complete testing of an application in a particular situation that resembles the real world, such as interacting with a database, using network communication, or interacting with other hardware or applications if appropriate.

For example, if a tester is testing a website for pet insurance, the End to End testing comprises testing the buying of insurance policy, LPM, Tag, and many more.

Smoke Testing

Smoke Testing is generally carried out to ensure that the software being tested is eligible for further testing. The name Smoke Testing has been given because the testing of the initial pass did not catch any fire or smoke when it was being carried out.

For example, suppose a user is buying an insurance policy at a pet insurance website. In that case, Smoke Testing ensures all the functionalities are working properly before the website does any in-depth testing.

Performance Testing

This testing type in software has been designed to test the performance of software when it is being used. It is done within the context of a particular integrated system. This test also checks the speed and effectiveness of the program and is done with two types – Load and Stress.

Load Testing

It is generally the testing of the application’s stability and its response time in the presence of load, which is equal to or less than the number of users for whom it has been designed. It helps to verify that the response time stays constant all the time for every user who is on this application.

Suppose an application handles 100 users’ response time of three seconds. So, load testing will verify whether the application is responding within the time or not.

Stress Testing

It is an extended version of load testing where the software or application is put through a load that is more than the number of users who will use the application or software. It ensures that the software works well if there is an overload of users and does not crash until there is a huge overload.

Suppose an application handles more than 1000 users’ responses in a time of four seconds. Stree testing helps to verify the stability of response time under the immense stress of 1100, 1200, and 1300 users.

Acceptance Testing

Acceptance Testing is generally done by a selected group of customers where. They check whether the product performs for which it has been designed. These types of software testing are object-oriented testing used to discuss and execute the test plans in the projects.

For example, we have seen that some software is released as a trial version to a specific group of users so that they can try them and give their reviews and share their experience with the developers, which helps them to make it better.

Alpha Testing

This testing is mainly performed by a group of developers or a team of testers in the organization.It helps to find as many defects as possible before the software is released for common people. This ensures that the software is good enough for the customers as a trial version.

Beta Testing

This testing technique mainly includes some selected customers who carry out the testing process. Just like the developers test the software, here, the users are given a chance to carry out the same in a real-time environment before it can be released for each and every user around the globe.

It is a successful technique method that ensures no major failures and satisfies the users. Beta testing is the final method before releasing any product.

Operational Acceptance Testing

This acceptance testing is performed by the operations or system administration staff in the production environment. The sole purpose of this type of testing is to make sure that the system keeps working when administered by the administrators for the users in a real-life environment.

This testing focuses on user management, testing backup and restore maintenance of the software and many more.

FAQs

What is SDLC Life Cycle?

It is a process used by the software industry. It helps to design, develop and test high-quality software.

What is Selenium Tool?

It is a type of open-source tool which automates web browsers.

Conclusion

The software testing types mentioned above are just a part of Software Testing. There are more than a hundred different types of testing, but they are not used in all types of projects. The software testing procedure is quite important as it helps the software to be perfect before it is released.

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