What Are The Top Software Testing Types You Need To Know?

When it comes to software products, tests are the method that checks the operation of a software application. 

Also, it ensures that the software application is free of bugs and meets the user’s technical demands. It does not just focus on identifying bugs or mistakes within the software but will also look at ways to improve its quality by ensuring accuracy, usability, and efficiency.

Imagine you’re building a software program that involves writing lots of code and fixing issues. 

These are all part of the software development life cycle that testers and developers follow.

It is their responsibility to check the code to ensure it is under the specifications and functionality of the software.

What happens when an application is plagued by bugs compromising its capabilities and quality? How can this be fixed? This is where software testing comes in, an essential part of the software development life cycle.

In this post, we’ll examine some of the best software testing types you need to be aware of, as well as how they will assist in delivering higher-quality software.

Top Software Testing Types You Need To Know In 2023

Testers are typically needed to test the software at various levels in developing software.

Knowing common testing types, including Functional testing, Agile Testing, Browser testing and more, is important. To accomplish this, different kinds of software testing offer an overall framework whose purpose is to ensure that the software application is not prone to bugs.

Software testing can be broadly classified into two categories: functional tests and non-functional tests.

Let’s take a look at the different types of tests.

1) Functional Testing

This kind of testing examines the requirements for the functionality of an app. It is a combination of different actions and features of the system that are used for testing. This is accomplished by providing input and then comparing the output to the anticipated output. In this case, the test scenarios created are based on the software specifications and the client.

Generally speaking, functional testing allows the following tests:

• Testers must know the capabilities of the application.
• Always make sure you include the correct set of information.
• The application’s requirements must align with the output application’s test data.
• The test scenarios for all tests must be included.
• If the output is provided, it is recommended to be screened and recorded per expected output.

Different kinds of functional testing are:

i) Unit Testing

Testing performed on specific components and units of software could be interpreted in terms of unit testing. In this case, the validity of each unit or part of the program code is checked. It is typically carried out at the beginning of development.

A unit test scenario could be as simple as clicking an icon on a website page and verifying that it performs as expected. It’s considered to be an operation, procedure, or method. 

For instance, in the unit test, we test the login button’s functionality to ensure it can redirect you to the correct link. To do this, the programmer primarily uses automated testing tools to run tests.

Testing for unit testing is comprised of two main types:

• White Box Testing: This is also called transparent testing or glass boxes. In the white-box testing technique, you examine the program’s internal structure or foundational code base. 

It is easy to spot any flaw or flaw in the application’s design. It employs techniques such as test of data flow and path testing, as well as decision coverage and control flow tests.

• Gorilla Testing: In this type of test, the input is repeatedly added to a module to ensure proper functioning and bug-free software. 

It examines every bit of code and tests using random input until it fails. It tests the reliability of the software since it includes every component of the software. Because of its nature, it’s sometimes called torture or fault tolerance testing.

ii) Integration Testing

In this test, several unit tests are used to test the system fully. Also, the applications’ two or more modules are tested and integrated.

The integration test aims to identify problems with your interface and data flows and interactions between the modules. The testers study how the different units work together and produce results for various scenarios.

Through integration testing, errors in performance or requirements, as well as functional level, are uncovered. In unit testing, the individual units are tested to determine the performance they can expect to achieve. However, during integration testing, tests are conducted as they are integrated.

Testing for integration is generally separated into three kinds:

• Big Bang: This is where all the application modules are integrated and merged to form an entire system. Then, testing the bug is carried out.

• Top-Down Method: Initially, the top-level that the module runs is examined, and after that, the submodule is included in testing.

• Bottom-Up Method: This is in opposition to the top-down method. In this type of testing process, an examination of the modules that are lower in level is conducted. Following this, a stepwise method includes and tests higher-level modules.

iii) System Testing

In the process of testing systems, all system components are tested. Testers can verify and confirm whether the system’s requirements have been satisfied. This test is different because it validates the output with specific inputs and user experience. 

Performance and quality specifications are evaluated to ensure compliance with operational and technical specifications.

Testing the system is crucial when it is being used since it allows the creation of a situation similar to an actual time scenario. Thus, testing is performed to examine the software functions’ behavior, the software’s architecture, and the program’s design.

It encompasses a wide range of types of software testing, which validates the entire system. The system tests include:

• End-to-End Testing (E2E): The name implies that the end-to-end test includes verification and validation of the process of software application from start to. 

This type of test is designed to simulate or stimulate the actual user experience to test the system for reliability and data integration. 

This type of testing aims to test the whole application for dependencies, communications, and data integrity interfaces that allow it to function in a production-like experience.

• Black Box Testing: It is a method of testing that tests the software’s internal structure of code that is unknown, and the testing is conducted to test its functionality. Thus, the customer’s requirements are the primary data source during the black-box testing.

The QA team selects a particular function and then provides an input to verify the software’s functionality. 

It determines if the function can provide an expected output or it does not. If the function fails to produce the desired output, the test is marked as failing; if it passes, it is marked as passed.

• Smoke Testing: Smoke Testing is also called building verification testing. It is designed to verify that the fundamental and complicated operation of the system works according to plan. 

This, in turn, aids in determining if the development of a program that developers of the software provide is related to stability. It helps clarify the program’s primary function; however, it does not look into the more intricate details of the program.

• Sanity Testing: It’s part of regression testing, where testers conduct sanity testing to determine if the code modifications made within the software are effective or working as intended. 

The system performs sanity testing to verify that the new changes or functions added or fixing bugs don’t lead to failure. Thus, the tester will conduct checks to ensure the system is solid and stable in development.

2) Non-Functional Testing

Non-functional testing focuses on the non-functional elements of software, such as reliability, usability, performance, portability, and efficiency security, among others. It takes into consideration the behavior of the system as well as the user experience.

The tests are mainly quantifiable and reduce production risk and monetary value. Non-functional testing has different ways to conduct testing. Some of them include:

i) Performance Testing

It helps to meet the goals of performance of the software program, for example, the speed of response and throughput. 

Through performance testing, the elements that affect software performance, like latency on the network, database process, transaction rendering, and load balancing between servers, are revealed during testing. It is usually conducted with instruments like LoadRunner, JMeter, and Loader.

• Load Testing: It ensures the stability of the software through the application of the load, which could be greater or lesser than the desired number of users.

• Stress Testing: It ensures the application’s stability and response time by providing an amount higher than the desired number of users who use it.

• Scalability Testing: It tests the program’s scaling capability by applying loads that exceed the specified amount and determining the points at which the application could fail to function properly. This test is conducted to verify the software’s capability to be scaled down and up to ensure that the changes made align with the ones done.

• Flood Testing: A large volume or collection of data is uploaded into the database to verify the stability and response speed of the tests. That is, the QA team employs flood testing to determine the capability of the database to handle the data.

• Endurance Test: It is executed to test whether an application software or system can handle the continual load for the long term. This, in turn, assures that the software is functioning effectively over a longer period.

ii) Usability Testing

In simple words, testers test the application’s functionality through user-friendliness. It’s also classified as black box testing, and tests on applications allow for easy use of the interaction by users. Testing is conducted by focusing on three areas, including usability, convenience, and learning capacity.

Tests for Usability are conducted to test the reliability and ease of use. An illustration best explains it. The usability test of a gaming application tests whether it is operated with both hands and its color and the scroll vertically and more.

The type of usability testing includes the following:

• Cross-Browser Testing: This involves testing the app in various operating systems, browsers, and mobile devices. Cross-testing of browsers makes sure that the application is compatible since it is expected to be compatible with all browsers, mobile devices, and operating systems.

• Test for Accessibility: This type of testing aids in defining the accessibility of software for users with disabilities. For instance, in accessibility tests, different checks are performed, such as the size of fonts and colors for visually impaired users and color blindness.

• Exploratory Testing: This type of informal test is used to find the application and fix the issue. Based on the knowledge of business domains, exploratory testing confirms the app.

iii) Security Testing

Software testing is the process of testing security, which reveals the software’s vulnerabilities, risks, and threats. It is designed to protect against malicious attacks and find loopholes in system security. 

It involves two crucial aspects of testing-authentication and authorization. Security testing is essential since it helps make the application safe and able to keep confidential data in the event of need.

It also examines the behavior of the software concerning hackers’ attacks and how it should be maintained to ensure data security when you notice attacks.

How To Perform Software Testing on the Cloud?

Cloud testing is efficient in web and mobile app testing without worrying about the local testing infrastructure. 

Testing in the cloud lets you utilize different devices, browsers, and operating systems and remove the limitations on coverage for operating systems, devices, and browsers.

You can carry out manual and automated mobile and web testing of applications using Test orchestration and execution platform like LambdaTest. It allows for real-time tests, real device testing, and Mobile app testing across various browsers and devices, versions of browsers, and operating systems.

How To Perform Automation Testing Using LambdaTest?

LambdaTest provides access to more than 3000 desktop and mobile applications to perform automated tests using Selenium, Cypress, Playwright, Appium, and Puppeteer frameworks. 

Here are the steps for automating testing:

Step 1: First, register for free and log in to your LambdaTest account.

Step 2: You must choose the Automation tab on the left panel.

Step 3: Try the Demo Project or Configure Test Suite to get started.

Step 4: Select Configure Test Suite and choose your preferred automation testing framework to run the test.

Step 5: Configure your tests and start testing.

Wrapping Up

The extensive discussion of software testing will help you better understand its principles. It is an integral element of the development process for software. It guarantees the performance, quality, and security of software.

The organization can be said through a continuous process of analyzing and improving testing quality, and the company offers its most current practice in software testing under the most recent industry guidelines and the best methods.

Ultimately, combining automated and manual testing methods and techniques, such as frequent and timely testing and team collaboration, can allow for identifying and quickly correcting bugs.