Types of Software Tests | Comprehensive Explanation and Concepts

A. Functional Tests

Functional testing is the type of testing that tests the functionality of a software product and is one of the most important types of them. Functional testing can be used to find bugs in your code, but not just any bug will be caught by this method—only those related to functionality. There are four types of functional testing:

1. Unit Testing

Unit testing is the process of testing each unit of code in isolation. It's also known as property-based testing, and it's used to ensure that your application works correctly. Unit tests are easy to write because they focus on smaller chunks of code that you can easily understand and modify if necessary. You don't need to be an expert developer or have extensive knowledge about the subject matter; after all, if you're writing unit tests for your project, then there's no reason why they should be too difficult. Unit Testing is performed by developers and involves running individual units (modules) in isolation from other modules so that defects can be identified more easily. It can be further subdivided into:

1a. Gorilla Testing is a technique used in software testing. It is also known as White Box testing and Black Box testing. In this technique, the tester does not know what he/she is looking for and is only given the source code, which has been written by someone else. The tester uses his/her knowledge of programming languages to explore different ways of solving problems by writing test cases that cover all possible situations that could arise during the execution of an application's code or scripts. The main objective here is not just finding bugs but also understanding how a program works under different conditions to arrive at a logical conclusion based on these observations without being able to see inside the program itself.

1b. A White Box Test is a way of performing a software evaluation. It involves using a set of known inputs and expected outputs to evaluate the system under test (SUT). This can be done by an expert or regular user with no experience in the area, but it's important to note that this isn't always possible.

2. Integration Testing

Integration testing is a crucial part of software development that involves verifying the integration and cooperation of software components. It occurs after each feature has been completed and checks that the system functions correctly when used in conjunction with other components or systems. Integration Testing can be performed through manual verification or automated testing of random combinations of components. The subtype of Integration Testing, gray box testing, can improve the accuracy and precision of predictions by testing the model before or during the building process.

3. System Testing

System testing is the last step before launch, and it's a combination of unit, integration, and system testing. System Testing involves running the complete application under various scenarios to ensure it meets all its requirements before releasing it into production environments where users will be able to interact with those systems.

3a. Monkey Testing is a type of testing where a tester is allowed to make any changes to the system under test, and then observe the results. This technique can be used to find bugs in software that are not related to its functionality.

3b. Sanity Testing is a form of automated testing that checks the application for correctness. It can be used as an alternative to manual testing, and it's often used in conjunction with other types of automation such as functional testing and security penetration tests.

3c. Happy Path Testing in a friendly way means that you are testing in a friendly manner. The testing environment should be as pleasant and hospitable as possible so that people feel comfortable and can concentrate on the task at hand without being distracted by other aspects of their surroundings.

3d. Black Box testing is a type of software testing that can be used to test the internal workings of a system. It's usually used when you cannot inspect or modify the system being tested, and you don't know exactly how it works. Verification testing is a type of black-box testing. Verifiability is the extent to which a test can be repeated and the results of the test verified as correct. A good way to think about verifiability is that if you’re going into an unfamiliar restaurant with someone who doesn’t speak English very well, and they ask for something specific like “a hamburger please!” then having them repeat those words back gives you confidence that what they said was actually what they wanted—not just gibberish or some other confused expression from their mind.

4. Acceptance Testing

Acceptance tests can catch errors in ways that code reviews cannot because they're run by the user. They're run in a simulated environment and then reviewed by the user after they've used the software. This means that if an error is found during acceptance testing, you will know about it before any other developers do—and that knowledge could mean saving hours of work for your team.

4a. Alpha Test is a test that is performed by developers before the product is released to the public. Alpha testing is used to test the software and the underlying technology of the product.

4b. Beta Test involves running a test on your app with real people (who are not paid employees or contractors) in an environment that simulates the real world. This means that instead of seeking out only privileged people who’ve already been through the process before—and thus may not be able to provide useful insights—you want as many kinds of people as possible to take part in your beta test.

4c. Operational Acceptance Testing (OAT)

Operational acceptance testing (OAT) is a testing technique that is used to test software during active development. It's also known as "deployment-level" or "real-world" testing, and it can be used to test both APIs and code. OAT differs from unit tests in that it focuses on the environment in which the application will run after deployment rather than just its behavior under controlled conditions. In other words: OAT tests what happens when you use your software.

B. Non-Functional Tests:

These tests can be subdivided into four types:

1. Performance Testing

Performance testing is the process of determining how well a website performs under real-world conditions. Performance testing involves running your website through a set of tests that simulate different scenarios, such as high traffic or low bandwidth. It also includes measuring how long it takes for the page to load and how quickly pages are rendered on screen. Performance tests can be used to analyze any number of factors:

How fast does your site load?

How many visitors will see content in different languages?

Which plugins or add-ons are slowing down page load times?

2. Usability Testing

Usability testing is a method of evaluating the ease of use and user experience of a website by having non-technical individuals interact with it and provide feedback. The goal is to identify any potential issues or areas for improvement from the perspective of the end user.

3. Compatibility Testing

Compatibility testing is the process of verifying that your software works with other applications and hardware. By running compatibility tests, you can find out if your application will work with certain versions of operating systems, browsers, and other devices. With these tests, you can avoid errors in your code by knowing whether it will work properly with existing software. It is difficult to test every possible combination of components and platforms because there are so many combinations possible at any given time (and new ones always pop up).

4. Security Testing

Application security testing is a very important part of software development. It’s the process of testing the security of an application, and it can be done manually or automatically.

The most common way to do this is with penetration tests, which are simulated attacks against your codebase to expose any flaws that could be exploited by attackers. Penetration tests also help you determine if your system has been compromised through physical access (such as social engineering), or if other types of vulnerabilities need fixing before attackers can get in.

Wrapping Up:

To wrap up the topic, it can be concluded that the software testing world is full of different types of testing involved in different scenarios, and each test has its importance to the results.