Types and methods of software testing

Software testing is an essential part of the development process. Its purpose is to test the functionality of the application. Do you find it difficult to find your way around the types and methods of software testing? This article will give you an overview of the most important basic concepts!

What is software testing and what are the benefits?

During software development a number of errors can occur. In order to fix bugs that threaten usability, reliability and other customer expectations, developers first need to detect them. This is where software testing comes in, where tests are run under pre-defined conditions, the results are evaluated and reported. Thanks to software testing, bugs are detected and fixed before the program is deployed. The main benefits of software testing include:

• Increasing operational security
• Higher economic returns
• Reducing the risk of system failures
• Compliance with specifications
• Increased user satisfaction
• Identifying errors early in the development project
• Reducing maintenance costs

Methods of software testing

Software testing methods can be categorised according to many criteria. Based on one of the most common classifications, testing methods can be divided into the following two groups.

Manual software testing

Another large group of software testing methods is manual testing. Unlike the previous method, in manual software testing an expert uses "manual" tools to check for discrepancies between the predefined specifications and the software.

It is important to note that manual software testing and test automation are complementary verification methods, often used together. 

Test automation

During test automation , an effective software testing technique, verification tasks are performed by automated tools. Thanks to test automation, thousands of man-hours can be saved.

Black vs. white box testing: what's the difference?

Software testing methods can also be distinguished on the basis of other criteria. The following are the categories of black and white box testing.

White box testing (white box testing)

White box testing examines the structural elements of a program. The person doing the testing has development knowledge and knows the internal structure of the program. White box testing can be particularly important to increase software security.

Black box testing (black box testing)

In black box testing, the expert performs the verification during the real operation and use of the software. He does not know the internal architecture of the software and the aim is to test its functionality, usability and load-bearing capacity. If there is a deviation from the specifications, the tester has detected a bug.

Types of software testing

Types of software testing are often presented in a functional vs. non-functional split. Learn about the most common subcategories!

Functional testing

Unit testing (unit testing)

Unit testing is carried out on the smallest testable component of the application to detect possible errors.

The University of Debrecen defines unit testing in the following way:

"A unit test is typically a development test: the programmer developing the program to be tested creates and runs the unit tests as an integral part of his or her programming work. This is necessary so that he himself can make sure that what he has programmed really works as expected."

Integration testing (integration testing)

Integration testing is about checking the interconnected operation of two or more modules or systems. The aim of the test is to analyse the correct relationship between modules to identify potential faults.

System testing (system testing)

During system testing, the software as a whole is compared against the specifications. System testing is considered successful if the application meets all the criteria.

Acceptance testing

During acceptance testing, the end user checks that the application works as expected for the original business purposes. UAT tests are always carried out at the end of development projects, mimicking live operation, preferably under its operational conditions.

Regression testing (regression testing)

A regression test is a test to see if the software functions that were already working work properly after the development changes. It is a critical part of the software development process and should be performed after any major change or upgrade to ensure the stability and reliability of the system.

Non-functional testing (non-exhaustive list)

Performance testing (performance testing)

During performance testing testing the performance of the application. This includes testing speed, stability, reliability and response time under different load levels. Performance testing can be useful even at the early stages of software development to prevent later failures.

Load testing (load testing)

The purpose of load testing is to test at or above normal resource consumption. It helps to identify bottlenecks that may degrade the expected performance of the software under increased usage.

Usability testing (usability testing)

Usability testing analyses the user experience (UX) of the application under test. It aims to identify the points that may degrade the user experience. This could be a counter-intuitive menu bar, difficult to read instructions or an illogical user path.

Compatibility testing (compatibility testing)

Compatibility testing checks how the program behaves on other operating systems, browsers or devices. Compatibility testing helps to avoid bugs and problems that may occur due to different environments.

Accessibility testing (accessibility testing)

A key objective when developing software is to make it accessible to a wide range of users. The audit will check compliance with accessibility standards. This may include the use of appropriate "alt text" on a website or compatibility with screen readers. 

Security testing (security testing)

The purpose of security testing is to identify vulnerabilities of the program to potential intruders. It helps to achieve adequate cyber security and protect the data stored.

Professional software testing

Since 2016, we have been supporting, testing and coordinating enterprise IT development, as well as developing enterprise-wide testing methodologies and business process automation. In this context, we implement enterprise-wide testing methodologies, develop colleagues and help select and implement the necessary testing and ticketing tools. In addition, we ensure the organisation and delivery of the necessary training and tutorials, and the preparation of documentation, thus ensuring effective change management.