The job of a tester is one of the five most popular jobs in the IT field, according to statistics for 2020. The market is growing very fast, and IT companies are constantly creating new teams of testers. And here’s some more impressive statistics – testing takes 50% of the time and more than 50% of the total cost of any software project. And that’s a decent budget. This means that the establishment of testing processes will save not only time, but also money.
Today, testing is taught in some universities. But since this is still a young industry, future professionals prefer to get acquainted with software testing tools in online courses. Online courses and self-education are the shortest way to learn, test, and start a new life in the profession. Our guide provides a quick guide to the main software testing tools.
Testing is the most important method of quality control. By software quality, we mean the conformity of software to stated and expected requirements. The main purpose of software testing is to test for consistency between the actual and expected performance of a program. Manual and automated testing are the two most well-known types of software testing. Both types simulate possible scenarios for user actions and check whether the requirements are met. But what is the difference between them?
Types of testing
Both manual and automated testing are part of the quality control in the software development process. Manual testing involves the execution of a documented procedure. The order of tests is established and a list of parameters is given. Since the procedure is performed by a human, it can contain default values and links to information stored in another document.
Automated software testing reduces the cost of testing. Automated testing and troubleshooting also takes less time, and automation tools reduce risk. However, all of the above does not mean that automated testing is a universal solution. If scripts are not included in regression or continuous integration, manual testing is preferred. Automated testing won’t work if the scripts are temporary or if script automation is too complex.
The choice of tool and method of testing depends on your goals and on the desired level of testing.
What other types of tests are there?
Several approaches can be used to classify test types. There are methods of static and dynamic testing, within which different methods are used.
Static testing does not execute code. Static testing methods can be either manual or automated. They are used early in the software life cycle and are an important part of the quality assurance process. In some cases, you can even do without the use of a computer, for example, when checking requirements.
Dynamic testing is a method aimed at testing the functionality of a program. It requires code execution. This type of testing involves the actual operation of the program and the determination of its functionality to verify that the requirements are justified. The dynamic type of testing aims to test software in real time by providing input and examining the resulting behavior of the application.
Test Methods
White box testing and black box testing are key testing methods. The difference between them is determined by the presence or absence of access to the source code of the software by the tester. In some cases it is, in others testing is done through the user interface or software interface provided by the module. White box testing is typical of unit testing, where only certain parts of the system are tested. This ensures the operability and stability of the system components. When testing a “black box”, the tester has access to the software only through interfaces that are available to the customer and the user.
In black box testing, the tester only knows what the application is supposed to do. At the same time, he cannot look inside and see how the initial values are transformed into the final ones. Black box testing is based solely on the system’s external interfaces. This method does not require knowledge of the internal structure or the entire system.
This type of testing involves the procedure of writing or selecting test cases based on the analysis of a functional or non-functional specification of a component or system without knowledge of its internal structure.
Black box testing is performed using specifications or other documents that describe system requirements.
In white box testing, the tester has access to the source code of the application and can examine it and get certain hints. In this case, he sees how the initial values are transformed into final ones. White box testing assumes that the tester knows the internal structure or design of the system. The tester selects input values based on knowledge of the code that will process them. Knowledge of the capabilities of the program under test is mandatory for white-box testing. This is a test based on the analysis of the internal structure.
Both white box testing and black box testing assume that code is being executed. The only difference is in the information provided to the tester. In both cases, we are dealing with dynamic testing. Static testing does not execute code. The analysis of the program is based on the source code calculated manually or analyzed by special tools.
Test levels
In terms of testing levels, there are unit testing, integration testing, system testing, and acceptance testing. Unit testing allows you to check the correctness of individual modules of the source code of the program. It involves writing tests for every non-trivial function or method. This allows the tester to quickly check whether the next change in the code has led to a regression, that is, whether it has caused errors in the already tested parts of the program. Moreover, it makes it easier to identify and eliminate such errors. Unit testing is the testing of individual modules and components of the program. Usually it is done by the programmers themselves, it is a kind of self-test. Defects found in this way are corrected immediately.
Integration testing is designed to test the connection between components, as well as interaction with various parts of the system. There are different levels of integration testing – integration component testing and system integration testing. Bottom-up integration concerns all low-level modules, procedures and functions that are put together and then tested. This approach is considered convenient if all or almost all modules of the developed level are ready. Top-down integration involves testing high-level modules. Low-level modules are added one by one.
System testing is carried out on a complete integrated system. Its main purpose is to check if the system meets the requirements. It refers to black box testing and therefore does not require knowledge of the internal structure. System testing is divided into alpha testing and beta testing.
Acceptance testing is a testing process aimed at determining whether a system meets the acceptance criteria. The decision regarding acceptance is made by the customer or other authorized person. Acceptance testing takes place at the product release stage, since its purpose is to determine the readiness of the product. To do this, you need to go through a series of test scenarios and cases based on the software requirements specification. Such testing is the final stage before launch.
So where do you start learning software testing? The best way to become a tester is to take an online course that will help you understand how software is built, what challenges programmers face, and what bug fixing looks like. Our courses provide quality training from the best instructors, so join us. We will help you learn the basics of software testing and start a career in IT.