Today, web applications and websites are ubiquitous and almost unavoidable in running and conducting businesses, ranging from simple content-driven sites to complex data-driven web applications. Websites testing is, therefore, an integral part of ensuring that services have websites and web applications that are quality assured and run effectively to ensure ROI (return on investment).
While there are numerous software testing methods, there are two types of software testing, manual testing, and automation testing. The former refers to testing methods that involve manual procedures that do not depend on external software. In contrast, the latter refers to testing methods that include writing scripts and using external software for testing.
They are further sub-divided into two levels, functional and non-functional testing. Functional testing is all about the specifications of the software tested, while non-functional testing is all about testing an application from its non-functional attributes. We will first take a look at the methods that fall under non-functional testing.
Security testing
This test works to identify the gaps and vulnerabilities that might exist in an application. If left unattended, they might be exploited by a hacker to gain entry into the App and cause damage.
Load testing
Web applications and websites are designed to accommodate scalability. This kind of testing tries to stretch the software to its maximum and monitor how it responds by examining the maximum capacity of software and its behavior at peak times.
Performance testing
Several factors can degrade software performance; network delay, database-transaction processing, client-side processing, data rendering, and load balancing between servers. This kind of test identifies any bottlenecks or performance issues.
Stress testing
This test applies stress to software to monitor its behavior under abnormal conditions, e.g., shutting down or restarting network ports unexpectedly, turning off the database, running different processes that consume resources such as CPU, memory, server, etc.
UX/UI testing
In this kind of test, a website or web application’s GUI (graphical user interface) is tested, comparing its functionalities to the user requirements. Ensuring that the end-user/clients of the software effectively interact with it in the desired manner, as stipulated in the objectives’ guidelines.
Portability testing
It ensures that the software is cross-platform and does not have breakages, e.g., a responsive website that works on mobile devices, iPad, tablets and laptops
Next, we will take a deep dive into the functional methods of software testing which include the following:
Unit testing
The developers of the software usually conduct this test. It focuses on dissecting the software into individual parts, ensuring that each piece works as per the desired functionalities and requirements. The developers may use test data that is different from the quality assurance team.
Integration testing
In this kind of test, the combined parts of the software are tried and tested to ensure that they work and function effectively as per the system’s requirements. Its main goal is to ensure that the combined parts of the software function in wholesomeness, meeting the user requirements.
Regression testing
This test is conducted to ensure that whenever changes in software are made, i.e., fixing some bugs or adding a new module, the other areas in the system still work fine and do not lead to any crashes whatsoever.
System testing
This test aims to test the system as a whole, ensuring that once all the components are integrated, the application meets the specified quality standards in wholesomeness.
Alpha testing
It’s the first test conducted by developers of new software before any incremental changes are made. Unit testing, integration testing, and system testing all form a part of alpha testing.
Beta testing
Also known as pre-release testing and often conducted after successful alpha testing. A sample of the intended audience or end-users tests the application by interacting with it to give it a ‘real-world’ test environment.
Acceptance testing
This test is usually conducted by the quality assurance team who ensures that the software meets the specified quality standards and meets user requirements.
Conclusion
There are several software testing methods, as mentioned above. It is crucial to note that each of these techniques is designed for a specific and unique purpose. Additionally, each of them come with their pros and cons. Selecting a particular method depends highly on the client requirement, project, or project schedule.