7 Software Testing Types You Need to Know
Before you release an application, it undergoes a series of thorough tests to ensure the system is working as expected and eliminate errors. Every test is designed to evaluate a certain function of an application and determine if it's ready to be presented to the world.
We have discussed the most crucial steps of software testing to help you get started.
Unit Testing
Unit testing is the initial testing level that evaluates an application's source. This test assesses individual functions and methods of the components, modules, or classes used in your software. It's a cost-effective test that only takes a little while to complete.
Integration Testing
These tests evaluate whether your application's services or modules work well together. For example, the integration test will check your software's interaction with the database, ensuring microservices work as expected. Integration testing is more expensive than unit testing, and you can only perform it when several parts of the application are operational.
Functional Testing
Functional testing only verifies the software output to see if it fulfills the business requirements. It doesn't check the intermediate states of the system. Most people confuse functional testing with integration testing, but the former needs a specific value from the database as specified in product requirements, and the latter doesn't.
End-to-End Testing
These tests evaluate and verify the usability of an application by replicating a user's behavior. For example, it will check if the software allows log-ins, performs online payments, verifies emails, etc.
End-to-end testing is a crucial part of software testing but is quite expensive and high maintenance when automated. So it's best to run such tests only when needed and rely on lower-level tests to identify changes quickly.
Acceptance Testing
Acceptance testing verifies if a system is fulfilling the business requirements. It's a more formal version of functional and end-to-end tests and requires the complete application to be optional during testing. It replicates more complex user behaviors to see if the software is working how it should. Acceptance test can also measure a system's performance and rejects changes if they don't meet certain goals.
Performance Testing
The next level of testing checks how well a system performs under the workload. It reveals the software's reliability, responsiveness, speed, and scalability. For example, performance testing will determine an application's responsiveness when receiving a high number of requests.
It helps you understand if the system meets performance requirements, remains stable during peak traffic, locates bottlenecks, etc.
Smoke Testing
Smoke testing is also used to evaluate the software's functionality. It's a quick and effective testing method that tells whether a system is working as expected. Most people opt for smoke testing after the completion of the software to see if it's okay to move forward with more complex and expensive testing. Alternatively, they use it to make sure their application is working in a new environment.
At Xpeer, we have leading software development and testing companies who perform thorough testing to ensure the success and usability of your system. You can also find leading web developers and app developers who will assist you during your software release. Learn more about our platform here.
