Is it necessary to perform software testing? Yes, it is. The primary goal is often to detect any bugs and then fix them. There are different reasons why you should test your software. Without that, you are likely to encounter problems in the future.
Hence, it’s essential to perform testing to make sure your product operates smoothly.
Example software testing techniques include formal testing, shift-left testing, code merging, and integration.
Read on to learn more about software testing.
What is Software Testing?
Software testing is the process of detecting an error in developed products. It checks on different aspects of the product, for instance:
- Whether the different aspects of the software match the expected results by the developer.
- It points out any missing gaps.
Software testing combines both manual and automated tools during testing. After testing, the software engineers often forward the results to the development team.
Why is Software Testing Important?
Software testing is excellent in making a good impression on customers. It ensures that they don’t face any hitches because you do your part in making sure you deliver high-quality products.
It also improves security. Unfortunately, hackers are notorious nowadays. They target a lot of products and services, and your software isn’t an exception. For instance, if you design an eCommerce site or a banking app, the security of such software can easily be compromised.
If you don’t fix security-related bugs here, financial loss is likely to occur at one point. Or, worse still, loss of data.
Software testing also helps in detecting which devices or platforms your software is compatible with. For example, what works for a browser like Chrome, may not operate efficiently on Internet Explorer. Thus, you may want to make some amendments.
Classification of Software Testing
Software testing comes in different variations. You may categorize these testing types as manual or automated. Manual testing involves manually testing a software application to check for any bugs.
Automated testing involves checking if a software operates appropriately and meets the intended requirements before releasing it. It can be codeless or code-based. Therefore, you can automate the test of the web application through running scripts. The process will input some data before checking the results on the page.
You can also automate testing on API by writing scripts. The scripts scan different pages before checking the outcomes of the result found.
Automation testing also involves owning a software tool to run your applications directly, without human intervention. It’s great in increasing efficiency, effectiveness, and coverage of software testing.
Don’t worry if you aren’t great at using it. There is always room to learn automation testing and become a pro at it.
Alternatively, you can also categorize them depending on how much information you have on the internal system. Under this criterion, we can classify the tests as black-box, grey-box, or white-box.
The last category of the test is functional and non-functional tests. The testing will fall on either of the two categories depending on whether they meet the application’s business needs.
The Software Testing Steps
Basic Functionality Testing
Functionality involves testing specific functions existing in the codebase. You have to check if each of the buttons works. Do this by entering the simple text into the software, and check for any signs that may make it crash.
If you’ve designed your software to access API, run tests to ensure that the basic API functions. Also, checking the errors outside the expected parameters can be handled well before submitting them for intensive testing.
If you notice a glitch, correct it before passing it to the developers.
Conduct Code Review
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After basic functionality testing, it’s time to conduct a code review. The step is crucial as it ensures sustainability and consistency when it comes to a given project. It helps in identifying any coding errors before your product goes live.
Here are few reasons why you should never miss the coding review step:
- It ensures the design is consistent. Even when a new person is introduced to the project, they can still work on it.
- You minimize any mistakes that may impact the functionality.
- It improves code performance.
Static Code Analysis
Static code analysis is done when examining the code without executing the program. It searches for weaknesses in the source during the process, like potential concurrency issues and security vulnerabilities.
Static analysis also includes performing on bytecode or source. You can use the appropriate tool to enforce coding standards and ensure that they run automatically.
Static analysis is excellent at detecting coding issues like:
- programming errors
- undefined values
- coding standard violations
- syntax violations
Unit Testing
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Unit tests are done to ensure the units (components, class, methods) work as intended across a range of invalid and valid inputs. You have to possess code testing tools, or it will take time to complete the process. You’ll have to review the codes to figure the behavior of the software in runtime environments.
Developers often work with the mock objects to test the units independently. If your unit fails, you should try fixing the issue before allowing anyone to use your code. If you can’t fix the errors, ask for assistance from someone who can help you out.
Single-User Performance
You have to check how the software is responding when one person is using it. Aspects like slow web server pages can cause lots of inconveniences. Always check on what’s wrong on the client’s side before trying to improve it.
Also, conduct experienced-based testing. It’s quite essential if you provide customer support or design maintenance updates for a particular product. It identifies how users react to the specified software.
From the customers’ feedback, you’ll identify issues like defect logs and any problems they have encountered in the past. The process allows you to correct the defaults that may upset your customers.
Single user performance tests are easy to conduct. You can run it physically or remotely. It’s flexible, and you can implement it at any stage of the design process.
It gives you invaluable insights into how users react to your product.
Wrapping Up
To be a good developer, you have to test your product before releasing it to the public. Each software is different, and the testing processes may differ. Some techniques are easy, but others would require lots of time to become functional. Always implement what works for your software.
Lastly, don’t forget to do everything necessary to ensure the functionality of whatever you are creating.
