What is Software Testing? Definition, Basics & Types 

Every successful software project includes testing. The types of software testing vary depending on several variables, such as the project requirements, the budget, the timeframe, the level of skill, and applicability. The many types of software testing play a crucial part in helping the tester choose the best type of testing for the apps. So, in this blog, we’ll talk about software testing and its related topics. 

1. What is Software Testing? 

Software testing is a technique for determining whether the actual software product complies with expectations and is error-free. It entails the human or automatic execution of software/system components in order to evaluate one or more interesting properties. Software testing’s goal is to find flaws, gaps, or unmet requirements compared to the requirements as written.

2. What is the need of testing 

Software bugs may be expensive or even harmful, thus testing is crucial. History is replete with instances where software defects led to financial and human loss. 

• More than 300,000 traders in the financial markets were impacted after a software error caused the London Bloomberg terminal to crash in April 2015. It made the government delay a 3-billion-pound debt auction. 
• Starbucks’ POS system malfunctioned, forcing the company to close nearly 60% of its locations in the United States and Canada. The shop once provided free coffee because they couldn’t complete the purchase. 
• A software bug in the airbag sensory detectors led to the recall of more than 1 million Nissan vehicles. Due to this software flaw, two accidents have been documented. 

3. Types of Software Testing 

3.1 Manual Testing 

Manual testing is the process of verifying an application’s functionality in accordance with client needs without using any automation techniques. 

Manual testing is further classified as: 

3.1.1 Black-box Testing 

You have the least amount of knowledge about the product’s code when conducting this kind of testing. The product’s code, logic, and structure are all unknown to you. As an end user, you would use the product. Functional testing uses black box testing since you would have the same amount of information as your consumer. 

The primary categories of black box software testing approaches are as follows: 

•  Integration testing 

This brings together two or more application modules to make sure they work together. Defects in interface, communication, and data flow between modules are also revealed by this kind of testing. 

• Unit Testing 

Unit testing is the process of evaluating the smallest piece of software, or unit. Additionally covered are the interconnected software components. 

• Functional testing 

Checking functions against functional requirements falls under this. Black box testing is a popular method for carrying out functional tests. 

• Security testing 

This guarantees that the program is free of known bugs, security gaps, and possible vulnerabilities that could harm the user system and data. Penetration testing is typically used to do security testing. 

• Performance testing 

 Analyzing the software’s responsiveness to various workloads. For instance, load testing is performed to assess performance under actual load situations. 

• Regression testing 

This determines if adding additional features results in a decrease in an application’s functionality. 

• Stress testing 

This gauges a program’s robustness by seeing how much stress it can withstand before failing. This kind of test is nonfunctional. 

• User Acceptance testing 

This ensures that the project is completed by evaluating the entire system to the required specifications. 

3.1.2 White box Testing 

White box testing, sometimes called structural testing, clear box testing, open box testing, and transparent box testing, is another name for this type of testing. It examines a software’s internal code and infrastructure with an emphasis on comparing predetermined inputs to anticipated and intended outputs. It is based on an application’s internal operations and centers on internal structure testing. The creation of test cases for this kind of testing necessitates programming knowledge. Focusing on the inputs and outputs through the software and enhancing its security are the main objectives of white box testing. 

3.1.3 Grey Box Testing 

Grey box testing, also known as grey box testing, is a software testing approach used to evaluate a software product or application while only knowing a portion of the application’s underlying structure. Grey box testing is used to look for and pinpoint flaws caused by poor program usage or code structure. 

3.2 Automation Testing 

The process of testing software using an automation tool to find bugs is known as automation testing. In this process, testers execute test scripts and generate test results on a regular basis utilizing automation technologies. Selenium and QTP/UFT are two popular automation testing solutions for functional testing.

4. Software Testing Life Cycle

Software Testing Life Cycle, or STLC, is another name for the several processes that make up the software testing process. It ensures that the software being built satisfies all stakeholder needs. 

 The following are the many stages of the software testing life cycle. 

4.1 Requirement Analysis 

The first stage of the software testing life cycle is requirement analysis (STLC). The quality assurance team is aware of the requirements, such as what will be tested, throughout this phase. The quality assurance team interacts with the stakeholders to better understand the requirements in depth if anything is missing or not clear. 

4.2 Test Planning 

A Senior QA manager decides the test plan strategy, together with the project’s effort and cost estimates, during the test planning phase of the STLC. Additionally, the testing schedule, test environment, resource requirements, and test limits are established. In the same step, the Test Plan is created and polished. 

4.3 Test Case Development 

After the test planning step is over, the test case development phase begins. The testing team records specific test cases during this phase. The testing team also prepares the necessary test data. The quality assurance team reviews the test cases after they have been prepared. 

4.4 Test Environment Setup 

The software and hardware requirements under which a work product is evaluated are determined by the test environment setup. It can be done concurrently with the Test Case Development Phase and is one of the crucial components of testing. If the development team provides the test environment, the test team may not participate in this activity. The test group must do a readiness assessment (smoke testing) of the provided environment. 

4.5 Test Cycle Closure 

The test cycle closure phase includes a variety of tasks such test completion reporting, gathering test completion matrices, and reviewing test results. The testing team gathers to plan future strategies based on the lessons learned from the current test cycle by meeting, debating, and reviewing testing artefacts. The objective is to streamline the procedure for upcoming test cycles.

5. To Sum it Up

A crucial component of software engineering is software testing. It is impossible to achieve the desired results without software testing. All the requirements for the required software can be met with the aid of software. 

Join Del Academy to resolve your queries.