What is Software Testing & Different Type of Software Testing?

We live in an era where technology has become a part and parcel of our lives. We are so dependent on technology that if one of its components is not working fine, we start having troubles. A software is a program or an operating information that is used by a computer. When a software is created it is not simply released. There is a series of steps that it follows before it is released for the purpose it has been developed for. There are various types of testing in software engineering and multiple types of Software Testing.

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In this article, we will tell you about

• What is software testing?
• What are the benefits of software testing?
• What are the types of software testing?

What is software testing?

The process of validating and verifying software is called software testing. The purpose of it is to ensure that the software meets the required business as well as technical requirements that led to its design and development. It is also to see that the software works as anticipated. The tester sees that the software can be applied with the same characteristic.

It is a huge process which is carried out to see if the estimated result for which the software was developed meets the actual results that it is yielding or there needs to be a modification. The additional benefit of software testing is that it helps in identifying errors, gaps or missing requirements in opposing to the actual requirements. It can be either done by yourself manually or by using programmed tools developed for the same.

Software testing is an essential part of software development because without this process your software is no good to be released for the purpose it was developed for.

Below you can have a look at the various software testing roles:

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What are the benefits of software testing?

You must be wondering as to why you need software testing when you are already done developing software and it has been done keeping in mind the instructions. Well, we have an answer to that.

• Reliability– It ensures that your software is reliable and is doing what it has been developed for.
• Root cause analysis– If your software fails to meet the designated results it helps you to locate that bug which is causing the malfunction.
• Integrate and function with other existing legacy systems– Any software can not essentially work alone. Every now and then it has to integrate and function with other existing legacy systems, as and when required to be. For such cases, software testing gives a much-wanted reassurance that it will work appropriately and its enactment won’t get affected due to the amalgamation
• It helps the end user– Keeping the end user in mind tests are carried outand any discrepancy is taken care of, which helps you to get a happy and satisfied end user.
• It helps in identifying and fixing bugs– You can identify the problems beforehand and the risk of failure is considerably reduced.

What are the types of software testing?

Primarily testing is divided into two categories

Black Box Software Testing

Black box testing is a software testing technique that disregards the internal mechanism of your system and simply focuses on the output which is generated against any input and execution which is given. It is also known as functional testing.

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White Box Software Testing

White box testing is a software testing technique that takes into consideration the internal functioning of a system. It is also known as structural testing and glass box testing.

Black box testing is often used for validation and white box testing is often used for verification.

Read More: Software Testing Tools for Manual and Automation

There are A Few More Types of Software Testing:

1). Unit Testing

Unit testing of software is the testing of an individual unit or a group of related units of that software. It is a type of white box testing. It is frequently done by the systems analyst to test that the unit he/she has executed is producing a predictable output against the given input.

2). Integration Testing

Integration testing is a type of testing in which an assemblage of components is combined to produce an output. Also, the interaction between a software and the hardware is also tested in integration testing.

3). Functional Testing

Functional testing is a type of testing that ensures that the definite functionality which is required in the system necessities works. It is a type of black box testing.

4). System Testing

System testing is the type of testing, which is conducted to ensure that by putting the software in altered environments (e.g., Operating Systems) it still works efficiently. It is a type of black box testing.

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5). Stress Testing

Stress testing is the type of testing done to assess how a particular system behaves under negative conditions. Testing is conducted at points way beyond limits of the specifications given. It is a type of black box testing.

6). Performance Testing

Performance testing is the type of testing, which is done to evaluate the speed and efficiency of the system and to make sure it is producing results within a definite time as in performance requirements. It is a type of black box testing.

7). Usability Testing

Usability testing is performed from the viewpoint of the client or end user, to assess how the GUI is user-friendly? How effortlessly can the client learn from it? After learning how to use, how expertly can the client accomplish using it? How agreeable is it to use its specific design? It is a type of black box testing.

8). Acceptance Testing

Acceptance testing is the type of testing often conducted by the customer to safeguard that the delivered product meets the requests and works as the customer had expected. It is a type of black box testing.

9). Regression Testing

Regression testing is the type of testing done after alteration of a system, component, or a group of similarly related units to guarantee that the alteration is working appropriately and is not detrimental or imposing further modules to produce bewildering results. It is a type of black box testing.

10). Beta Testing

Beta testing is the type of testing, which is mostly done by end users, a team outside of development, or publicly releasing the full pre-version of the product which is called as the beta version.  The aim of beta testing is to cover up the unexpected errors. It is a type of black box testing.

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Conclusion

The above-mentioned testing types are only a part of the vast list of testing that exists in the software engineering. They are the few basic ones that are widely and majorly used. You should now have a fair idea as to what testing is and why is it necessary to conduct it. Read the benefits, read the types of testing and decide which one suits your program the best.