System Testing – Software Engineering

Last Updated : 26 Sep, 2024

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System testing is a type of software testing that evaluates the
overall functionality and performance of a complete and fully
integrated software solution. It tests if the system meets the
specified requirements and if it is suitable for delivery to the end-
users. This type of testing is performed after the integration testing
and before the acceptance testing.
Table of Content
 What is System Testing?
 System Testing Process
 Types of System Testing
 Tools used for System Testing
 Advantages of System Testing
 Disadvantages of System Testing
What is System Testing ?
System Testing is a type of software testing that is performed on a
completely integrated system to evaluate the compliance of the
system with the corresponding requirements. In system testing,
integration testing passed components are taken as input.
 The goal of integration testing is to detect any irregularity
between the units that are integrated. System testing
detects defects within both the integrated units and the
whole system. The result of system testing is the observed
behavior of a component or a system when it is tested.
 System Testing is carried out on the whole system in the
context of either system requirement specifications or
functional requirement specifications or the context of both.
System testing tests the design and behavior of the system
and also the expectations of the customer.
 It is performed to test the system beyond the bounds
mentioned in the software requirements specification (SRS) .
System Testing is performed by a testing team that is
independent of the development team and helps to test the
quality of the system impartial.
  It has both functional and non-functional testing. System
Testing is a black-box testing . System Testing is
performed after the integration testing and before the
acceptance testing.
System testing is evergreen role in software engineering because
every software is needed to test and very update is needed to test
so the demand of the software tester is always needed. If you wish
to learn software testing from the scratch and want to grab a good
grip on testing tools and concept you can check our new software
testing course
System Testing
System Testing Process
System Testing is performed in the following steps:
 Test Environment Setup: Create testing environment for
the better quality testing.
 Create Test Case: Generate test case for the testing
process.
 Create Test Data: Generate the data that is to be tested.
 Execute Test Case: After the generation of the test case
and the test data, test cases are executed.
 Defect Reporting: Defects in the system are detected.
 Regression Testing: It is carried out to test the side
effects of the testing process.
 Log Defects: Defects are fixed in this step.
 Retest: If the test is not successful then again test is
performed.
 System Testing Process

Types of System Testing

 Performance Testing: Performance Testing is a type of
software testing that is carried out to test the speed,
scalability, stability and reliability of the software product or
application.
 Load Testing: Load Testing is a type of software Testing
which is carried out to determine the behavior of a system
or software product under extreme load.
 Stress Testing: Stress Testing is a type of software testing
performed to check the robustness of the system under the
varying loads.
  Scalability Testing: Scalability Testing is a type of
software testing which is carried out to check the
performance of a software application or system in terms of
its capability to scale up or scale down the number of user
request load.
Tools used for System Testing
1. JMeter
2. Gallen Framework
3. HP Quality Center/ALM
4. IBM Rational Quality Manager
5. Microsoft Test Manager
6. Selenium
7. Appium
8. LoadRunner
9. Gatling
10. JMeter
11. Apache JServ
12. SoapUI
Note: The choice of tool depends on various factors like the
technology used, the size of the project, the budget, and the testing
requirements.

Advantages of System Testing

 The testers do not require more knowledge of programming
to carry out this testing.
 It will test the entire product or software so that we will
easily detect the errors or defects which cannot be identified
during the unit testing and integration testing.
 The testing environment is similar to that of the real time
production or business environment.
 It checks the entire functionality of the system with different
test scripts and also it covers the technical and business
requirements of clients.
 After this testing, the product will almost cover all the
possible bugs or errors and hence the development team
will confidently go ahead with acceptance testing
 Verifies the overall functionality of the system.
 Detects and identifies system-level problems early in the
development cycle.
  Helps to validate the requirements and ensure the system
meets the user needs.
 Improves system reliability and quality.
 Facilitates collaboration and communication between
development and testing teams.
 Enhances the overall performance of the system.
 Increases user confidence and reduces risks.
 Facilitates early detection and resolution of bugs and
defects.
 Supports the identification of system-level dependencies
and inter-module interactions.
 Improves the system’s maintainability and scalability.
Disadvantages of System Testing
 This testing is time consuming process than another testing
techniques since it checks the entire product or software.
 The cost for the testing will be high since it covers the
testing of entire software.
 It needs good debugging tool otherwise the hidden errors
will not be found.
 Can be time-consuming and expensive.
 Requires adequate resources and infrastructure.
 Can be complex and challenging, especially for large and
complex systems.
 Dependent on the quality of requirements and design
documents.
 Limited visibility into the internal workings of the system.
 Can be impacted by external factors like hardware and
network configurations.
 Requires proper planning, coordination, and execution.
 Can be impacted by changes made during development.
 Requires specialized skills and expertise.
 May require multiple test cycles to achieve desired results.

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are a beginner or just looking to build on existing skills, this course
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reliability of software products. Ready to be a Pro in Software
Testing? Enroll now and Take Your Career to a Whole New Level!

Architectural Design – Software

Engineering
Last Updated : 04 Oct, 2024
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The software needs an architectural design to represent the design
of the software. IEEE defines architectural design as “the process of
defining a collection of hardware and software components and their
interfaces to establish the framework for the development of a
computer system.” The software that is built for computer-based
systems can exhibit one of these many architectural styles.
System Category Consists of
 A set of components(eg: a database, computational
modules) that will perform a function required by the
system.
 The set of connectors will help in coordination,
communication, and cooperation between the components.
 Conditions that defines how components can be integrated
to form the system.
 Semantic models that help the designer to understand the
overall properties of the system.
The use of architectural styles is to establish a structure for all the
components of the system.
For a deeper understanding of architectural design and how it
applies to real-world systems, the System Design Course provides
comprehensive insights into best practices and design strategies.
Taxonomy of Architectural Styles
1] Data centered architectures:
 A data store will reside at the center of this architecture and
is accessed frequently by the other components that
update, add, delete, or modify the data present within the
store.
 The figure illustrates a typical data-centered style. The client
software accesses a central repository. Variations of this
approach are used to transform the repository into a
blackboard when data related to the client or data of
interest for the client change the notifications to client
software.
 This data-centered architecture will promote integrability.
This means that the existing components can be changed
and new client components can be added to the architecture
without the permission or concern of other clients.
 Data can be passed among clients using the blackboard
mechanism.
Advantages of Data centered architecture:
 Repository of data is independent of clients
 Client work independent of each other
 It may be simple to add additional clients.
 Modification can be very easy

Data centered architecture

2] Data flow architectures:

 This kind of architecture is used when input data is
transformed into output data through a series of
computational manipulative components.
 The figure represents pipe-and-filter architecture since it
uses both pipe and filter and it has a set of components
called filters connected by lines.
 Pipes are used to transmitting data from one component to
the next.
 Each filter will work independently and is designed to take
data input of a certain form and produces data output to the
next filter of a specified form. The filters don’t require any
knowledge of the working of neighboring filters.
 If the data flow degenerates into a single line of transforms,
then it is termed as batch sequential. This structure accepts
the batch of data and then applies a series of sequential
components to transform it.
Advantages of Data Flow architecture:
 It encourages upkeep, repurposing, and modification.
 With this design, concurrent execution is supported.
Disadvantage of Data Flow architecture:
 It frequently degenerates to batch sequential system
 Data flow architecture does not allow applications that
require greater user engagement.
 It is not easy to coordinate two different but related
streams

Data Flow architecture

3] Call and Return architectures

It is used to create a program that is easy to scale and modify. Many
sub-styles exist within this category. Two of them are explained
below.
 Remote procedure call architecture: This components is
used to present in a main program or sub program
architecture distributed among multiple computers on a
network.
 Main program or Subprogram architectures: The main
program structure decomposes into number of subprograms
or function into a control hierarchy. Main program contains
number of subprograms that can invoke other components.
4] Object Oriented architecture
The components of a system encapsulate data and the operations
that must be applied to manipulate the data. The coordination and
communication between the components are established via the
message passing.
Characteristics of Object Oriented architecture:
 Object protect the system’s integrity.
 An object is unaware of the depiction of other items.
Advantage of Object Oriented architecture:
 It enables the designer to separate a challenge into a
collection of autonomous objects.
 Other objects are aware of the implementation details of the
object, allowing changes to be made without having an
impact on other objects.
5] Layered architecture
 A number of different layers are defined with each layer
performing a well-defined set of operations. Each layer will
do some operations that becomes closer to machine
instruction set progressively.
 At the outer layer, components will receive the user
interface operations and at the inner layers, components will
perform the operating system interfacing(communication
and coordination with OS)
 Intermediate layers to utility services and application
software functions.
  One common example of this architectural style is OSI-ISO
(Open Systems Interconnection-International Organisation
for Standardisation) communication system.

Layered architecture

Want to learn Software Testing and Automation to help give a

kickstart to your career? Any student or professional looking to excel
in Quality Assurance should enroll in our course, Complete
Guide to Software Testing and Automation, only on
GeeksforGeeks. Get hands-on learning experience with the latest
testing methodologies, automation tools, and industry best practices
through practical projects and real-life scenarios. Whether you are a
beginner or just looking to build on existing skills, this course will
give you the competence necessary to ensure the quality and
reliability of software products. Ready to be a Pro in Software
Testing? Enroll now and Take Your Career to a Whole New Level!

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Types of Software Testing

Last Updated : 26 Sep, 2024
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

Welcome to the software testing world, which ensures software
application’s quality and reliability. Understanding the various types
of software testing is essential for developers and quality assurance
professionals alike.
In this guide, we’ll explore the fundamental categories of software
testing, from unit testing to security testing, helping you navigate
and ensure your software will meet the highest standards of
performance and functionality.
Table of Content
 Principles of Software Testing
 Different Types of Software Testing
 Types of Manual Testing
 Types of Black Box Testing
 Types of Functional Testing
 Types of Integration Testing
 Types of Non-functional Testing
 Other Types of Testing
 Advantages of Software Testing
 Disadvantages of Software Testing
 Questions For Practice
 Frequently Asked Questions on Types of Software Testing
Principles of Software Testing
 All the tests should meet the customer’s requirements.
  To make our software testing should be performed by a third
party.
 Exhaustive testing is not possible. As we need the optimal
amount of testing based on the risk assessment of the
application.
 All the tests to be conducted should be planned before
implementing it
 It follows the Pareto rule(80/20 rule) which states that 80%
of errors come from 20% of program components.
 Start testing with small parts and extend it to large parts.

Types of Software Testing

Different Types of Software Testing

 1. Manual Testing
2. Automation Testing
There are two different types of software testing currently used in
the industry both have their own advantages and disadvantages. If
you looking to learn testing from the starting to advance level then
you can checkout our dedicated software testing course in which we
offer very important concept and knowledge you need to master
testing.
1. Manual Testing
Manual testing is a technique to test the software that is carried
out using the functions and features of an application. In manual
software testing, a tester carries out tests on the software by
following a set of predefined test cases. In this testing, testers make
test cases for the codes, test the software, and give the final report
about that software. Manual testing is time-consuming because it is
done by humans, and there is a chance of human errors.
Advantages of Manual Testing
 Fast and accurate visual feedback: It detects almost
every bug in the software application and is used to test the
dynamically changing GUI designs like layout, text, etc.
 Less expensive: It is less expensive as it does not require
any high-level skill or a specific type of tool.
 No coding is required: No programming knowledge is
required while using the black box testing method. It is easy
to learn for the new testers.
 Efficient for unplanned changes: Manual testing is
suitable in case of unplanned changes to the application, as
it can be adopted easily.
2. Automation Testing
Automated Testing is a technique where the Tester writes scripts
on their own and uses suitable Software or Automation Tool to test
the software. It is an Automation Process of a Manual Process. It
allows for executing repetitive tasks without the intervention of a
Manual Tester.
Advantages of Automation Testing:
 Simplifies Test Case Execution: Automation testing can
be left virtually unattended and thus it allows monitoring of
the results at the end of the process. Thus, simplifying the
overall test execution and increasing the efficiency of the
application.
  Improves Reliability of Tests: Automation testing
ensures that there is equal focus on all the areas of the
testing, thus ensuring the best quality end product.
 Increases amount of test coverage: Using automation
testing, more test cases can be created and executed for
the application under test. Thus, resulting in higher test
coverage and the detection of more bugs. This allows for the
testing of more complex applications and more features can
be tested.
 Minimizing Human Interaction: In automation testing,
everything is automated from test case creation to
execution thus there are no changes for human error due to
neglect. This reduces the necessity for fixing glitches in the
post-release phase.
Types of Manual Testing
1. White Box Testing
2. Black Box Testing
3. Gray Box Testing
1. White Box Testing
White box testing techniques analyze the internal structures the
used data structures, internal design, code structure, and the
working of the software rather than just the functionality as in black
box testing. It is also called glass box testing clear box testing or
structural testing. White Box Testing is also known as transparent
testing or open box testing.
White box testing is a software testing technique that involves
testing the internal structure and workings of a software application.
The tester has access to the source code and uses this knowledge to
design test cases that can verify the correctness of the software at
the code level.
Advantages of White box Testing:
 Thorough Testing : White box testing is thorough as the
entire code and structures are tested.
 Code Optimization: It results in the optimization of code
removing errors and helps in removing extra lines of code.
 Early Detection of Defects: It can start at an earlier stage
as it doesn’t require any interface as in the case of black
box testing.
 Integration with SDLC: White box testing can be easily
started in the Software Development Life Cycle.
  Detection of Complex Defects: Testers can identify
defects that cannot be detected through other testing
techniques.
2. Black Box Testing
Black-box testing is a type of software testing in which the tester is
not concerned with the internal knowledge or implementation
details of the software but rather focuses on validating the
functionality based on the provided specifications or requirements.
Advantages of Black Box Testing:
 The tester does not need to have more functional knowledge
or programming skills to implement the Black Box Testing.
 It is efficient for implementing the tests in the larger system.
 Tests are executed from the user’s or client’s point of view.
 Test cases are easily reproducible.
 It is used to find the ambiguity and contradictions in the
functional specifications.
3. Gray Box Testing
Gray Box Testing is a software testing technique that is a
combination of the Black Box Testing technique and the White Box
Testing technique.
1. In the Black Box Testing technique, the tester is unaware of
the internal structure of the item being tested and in White
Box Testing the internal structure is known to the tester.
2. The internal structure is partially known in Gray Box Testing.
3. This includes access to internal data structures and
algorithms to design the test cases.
Advantages of Gray Box Testing:
1. Clarity of goals: Users and developers have clear goals
while doing testing.
2. Done from a user perspective: Gray box testing is mostly
done from the user perspective.
3. High programming skills not required: Testers are not
required to have high programming skills for this testing.
4. Non-intrusive: Gray box testing is non-intrusive.
5. Improved product quality: Overall quality of the product
is improved.
Types of Black Box Testing
1. Functional Testing
2. Non-Functional Testing
1. Functional Testing
Functional Testing is a type of Software Testing in which the system
is tested against the functional requirements and specifications.
Functional testing ensures that the requirements or specifications
are properly satisfied by the application. This type of testing is
particularly concerned with the result of processing. It focuses on
the simulation of actual system usage but does not develop any
system structure assumptions. The article focuses on discussing
function testing.
Benefits of Functional Testing
 Bug-free product: Functional testing ensures the delivery
of a bug-free and high-quality product.
 Customer satisfaction: It ensures that all requirements
are met and ensures that the customer is satisfied.
 Testing focused on specifications: Functional testing is
focused on specifications as per customer usage.
 Proper working of application: This ensures that the
application works as expected and ensures proper working
of all the functionality of the application.
 Improves quality of the product: Functional testing
ensures the security and safety of the product and improves
the quality of the product.
2. Non-Functional Testing
Non-functional Testing is a type of Software Testing that is
performed to verify the non-functional requirements of the
application. It verifies whether the behavior of the system is as per
the requirement or not. It tests all the aspects that are not tested in
functional testing. Non-functional testing is a software testing
technique that checks the non-functional attributes of the system.
Non-functional testing is defined as a type of software testing to
check non-functional aspects of a software application. It is designed
to test the readiness of a system as per nonfunctional parameters
which are never addressed by functional testing. Non-functional
testing is as important as functional testing.
Benefits of Non-functional Testing
 Improved performance: Non-functional testing checks the
performance of the system and determines the performance
bottlenecks that can affect the performance.
 Less time-consuming: Non-functional testing is overall
less time-consuming than the other testing process.
 Improves user experience: Non-functional testing like
Usability testing checks how easily usable and user-friendly
 the software is for the users. Thus, focus on improving the
overall user experience for the application.
 More secure product: As non-functional testing
specifically includes security testing that checks the security
bottlenecks of the application and how secure is the
application against attacks from internal and external
sources.
Types of Functional Testing
1. Unit Testing
2. Integration Testing
3. System Testing
1. Unit Testing
Unit testing is a method of testing individual units or components of
a software application. It is typically done by developers and is used
to ensure that the individual units of the software are working as
intended. Unit tests are usually automated and are designed to test
specific parts of the code, such as a particular function or method.
Unit testing is done at the lowest level of the software development
process , where individual units of code are tested in isolation.
Note: Unit Testing basically Included in both White Box Testing and
Black Box Testing.
Advantages of Unit Testing:
Some of the advantages of Unit Testing are listed below.
 It helps to identify bugs early in the development process
before they become more difficult and expensive to fix.
 It helps to ensure that changes to the code do not introduce
new bugs.
 It makes the code more modular and easier to understand
and maintain.
 It helps to improve the overall quality and reliability of the
software.
Note: Some popular frameworks and tools that are used for unit
testing include JUnit , NUnit, and xUnit.
 It’s important to keep in mind that Unit Testing is only one
aspect of software testing and it should be used in
combination with other types of testing such as integration
testing, functional testing, and acceptance testing to ensure
that the software meets the needs of its users.
 It focuses on the smallest unit of software design. In this, we
test an individual unit or group of interrelated units. It is
 often done by the programmer by using sample input and
observing its corresponding outputs.
Example:
1. In a program we are checking if the loop, method, or
function is working fine.
2. Misunderstood or incorrect, arithmetic precedence.
3. Incorrect initialization.
2. Integration Testing
Integration testing is a method of testing how different units or
components of a software application interact with each other. It is
used to identify and resolve any issues that may arise when
different units of the software are combined. Integration testing is
typically done after unit testing and before functional testing and is
used to verify that the different units of the software work together
as intended.
Different Ways of Performing Integration Testing:
Different ways of Integration Testing are discussed below.
 Top-down integration testing: It starts with the highest-level
modules and differentiates them from lower-level modules.
 Bottom-up integration testing: It starts with the lowest-level
modules and integrates them with higher-level modules.
 Big-Bang integration testing: It combines all the modules
and integrates them all at once.
 Incremental integration testing: It integrates the modules in
small groups, testing each group as it is added.
Advantages of Integrating Testing
 It helps to identify and resolve issues that may arise when
different units of the software are combined.
 It helps to ensure that the different units of the software
work together as intended.
 It helps to improve the overall reliability and stability of the
software.
 It’s important to keep in mind that Integration testing is
essential for complex systems where different components
are integrated.
 As with unit testing, integration testing is only one aspect of
software testing and it should be used in combination with
other types of testing such as unit testing, functional testing,
and acceptance testing to ensure that the software meets
the needs of its users.
The objective is to take unit-tested components and build a
program structure that has been dictated by design. Integration
testing is testing in which a group of components is combined to
produce output.
Integration testing is of four types: (i) Top-down (ii) Bottom-
up (iii) Sandwich (iv) Big-Bang
Example:
1. Black Box testing: It is used for validation. In this, we
ignore internal working mechanisms and focus on “what is
the output?”
2. White box testing: It is used for verification. In this, we
focus on internal mechanisms i.e. how the output is
achieved.
3. System Testing
System testing is a type of software testing that evaluates the
overall functionality and performance of a complete and fully
integrated software solution. It tests if the system meets the
specified requirements and if it is suitable for delivery to the end-
users. This type of testing is performed after the integration testing
and before the acceptance testing.
System Testing is a type of software testing that is performed on
a completely integrated system to evaluate the compliance of the
system with the corresponding requirements. In system testing,
integration testing passed components are taken as input. The goal
of integration testing is to detect any irregularity between the units
that are integrated.
Advantages of System Testing:
 The testers do not require more knowledge of programming
to carry out this testing.
 It will test the entire product or software so that we will
easily detect the errors or defects that cannot be identified
during the unit testing and integration testing.
 The testing environment is similar to that of the real-time
production or business environment.
 It checks the entire functionality of the system with different
test scripts and also it covers the technical and business
requirements of clients.
 After this testing, the product will almost cover all the
possible bugs or errors and hence the development team
will confidently go ahead with acceptance testing.
Types of Integration Testing
1. Incremental Testing
2. Non-Incremental Testing
1. Incremental Testing
Like development, testing is also a phase of SDLC (Software
Development Life Cycle) . Different tests are performed at different
stages of the development cycle. Incremental testing is one of the
testing approaches that is commonly used in the software field
during the testing phase of integration testing which is performed
after unit testing . Several stubs and drivers are used to test the
modules one after one which helps in discovering errors and defects
in the specific modules.
Advantages of Incremental Testing
 Each module has its specific significance. Each one gets a
role to play during the testing as they are incremented
individually.
 Defects are detected in smaller modules rather than
denoting errors and then editing and re-correcting large
files.
 It’s more flexible and cost-efficient as per requirements and
scopes.
 The customer gets the chance to respond to each building.
There are 2 Types of Incremental Testing
1. Top-down Integration Testing
2. Bottom-up Integration Testing
1. Top-down Integration Testing
Top-down testing is a type of incremental integration
testing approach in which testing is done by integrating or joining
two or more modules by moving down from top to bottom through
the control flow of the architecture structure. In these, high-level
modules are tested first, and then low-level modules are tested.
Then, finally, integration is done to ensure that the system is
working properly. Stubs and drivers are used to carry out this
project. This technique is used to increase or stimulate the behavior
of Modules that are not integrated into a lower level.
Advantages Top Down Integration Testing
1. There is no need to write drivers.
2. Interface errors are identified at an early stage and fault
localization is also easier.
 3. Low-level utilities that are not important are not tested well
and high-level testers are tested well in an appropriate
manner.
4. Representation of test cases is easier and simpler once
Input-Output functions are added.
2. Bottom-up Integration Testing
Bottom-up Testing is a type of incremental integration
testing approach in which testing is done by integrating or joining
two or more modules by moving upward from bottom to top through
the control flow of the architecture structure. In these, low-level
modules are tested first, and then high-level modules are tested.
This type of testing or approach is also known as inductive
reasoning and is used as a synthesis synonym in many cases.
Bottom-up testing is user-friendly testing and results in an increase
in overall software development. This testing results in high success
rates with long-lasting results.
Advantages of Bottom-up Integration Testing
 It is easy and simple to create and develop test conditions.
 It is also easy to observe test results.
 It is not necessary to know about the details of the structural
design.
 Low-level utilities are also tested well and are also
compatible with the object-oriented structure.
Types of Non-functional Testing
1. Performance Testing
2. Usability Testing
3. Compatibility Testing
1. Performance Testing
Performance Testing is a type of software testing that ensures
software applications perform properly under their expected
workload. It is a testing technique carried out to determine system
performance in terms of sensitivity, reactivity, and stability under a
particular workload.
Performance testing is a type of software testing that focuses on
evaluating the performance and scalability of a system or
application. The goal of performance testing is to identify
bottlenecks, measure system performance under various loads and
conditions, and ensure that the system can handle the expected
number of users or transactions.
Advantages of Performance Testing
  Performance testing ensures the speed, load capability,
accuracy, and other performances of the system.
 It identifies, monitors, and resolves the issues if anything
occurs.
 It ensures the great optimization of the software and also
allows many users to use it at the same time.
 It ensures the client as well as the end-customer’s
satisfaction. Performance testing has several advantages
that make it an important aspect of software testing:
 Identifying bottlenecks : Performance testing helps
identify bottlenecks in the system such as slow database
queries, insufficient memory, or network congestion. This
helps developers optimize the system and ensure that it can
handle the expected number of users or transactions.
2. Usability Testing
You design a product (say a refrigerator) and when it becomes
completely ready, you need a potential customer to test it to check
it working. To understand whether the machine is ready to come on
the market, potential customers test the machines. Likewise, the
best example of usability testing is when the software also
undergoes various testing processes which is performed by potential
users before launching into the market. It is a part of the software
development lifecycle (SDLC).
Advantages and Disadvantages of Usability Testing
Usability testing is preferred to evaluate a product or service by
testing it with the proper users. In Usability testing, the
development and design teams will use to identify issues before
coding and the result will be earlier issues will be solved. During a
Usability test, you can,
 Learn if participants will be able to complete the specific
task completely.
 identify how long it will take to complete the specific task.
 Gives excellent features and functionalities to the product
 Improves user satisfaction and fulfills requirements based
on user feedback
 The product becomes more efficient and effective
3. Compatibility Testing
Compatibility testing is software testing that comes under the non
functional testing category, and it is performed on an application to
check its compatibility (running capability) on different
platforms/environments. This testing is done only when the
application becomes stable. This means simply this compatibility
test aims to check the developed software application functionality
on various software, hardware platforms, networks browser etc. This
compatibility testing is very important in product production and
implementation point of view as it is performed to avoid future
issues regarding compatibility.
Advantages of Compatibility Testing
 It ensures complete customer satisfaction.
 It provides service across multiple platforms.
 Identifying bugs during the development process.
There are 4 Types of Performance Testing
1. Load Testing
2. Stress Testing
3. Scalability Testing
4. Stability Testing
1. Load Testing
Load testing determines the behavior of the application when
multiple users use it at the same time. It is the response of the
system measured under varying load conditions.
1. The load testing is carried out for normal and extreme load
conditions.
2. Load testing is a type of performance testing that simulates
a real-world load on a system or application to see how it
performs under stress.
3. The goal of load testing is to identify bottlenecks and
determine the maximum number of users or transactions
the system can handle.
4. It is an important aspect of software testing as it helps
ensure that the system can handle the expected usage
levels and identify any potential issues before the system is
deployed to production.
Advantages of Load Testing:
Load testing has several advantages that make it an important
aspect of software testing:
1. Identifying bottlenecks: Load testing helps identify
bottlenecks in the system such as slow database queries,
insufficient memory, or network congestion. This helps
developers optimize the system and ensure that it can
handle the expected number of users or transactions.
2. Improved scalability: By identifying the system’s
maximum capacity, load testing helps ensure that the
 system can handle an increasing number of users or
transactions over time. This is particularly important for
web-based systems and applications that are expected to
handle a high volume of traffic.
3. Improved reliability: Load testing helps identify any
potential issues that may occur under heavy load conditions,
such as increased error rates or slow response times. This
helps ensure that the system is reliable and stable when it is
deployed to production.
2. Stress Testing
In Stress Testing , we give unfavorable conditions to the system and
check how it perform in those conditions.
Example:
1. Test cases that require maximum memory or other
resources are executed.
2. Test cases that may cause thrashing in a virtual operating
system.
3. Test cases that may cause excessive disk requirement
Performance Testing.
It is designed to test the run-time performance of software within
the context of an integrated system. It is used to test the speed and
effectiveness of the program. It is also called load testing. In it, we
check, what is the performance of the system in the given load.
Example:
Checking several processor cycles.
3. Scalability Testing
Scalability Testing is a type of non-functional testing in which the
performance of a software application, system, network, or process
is tested in terms of its capability to scale up or scale down the
number of user request load or other such performance attributes. It
can be carried out at a hardware, software or database level.
Scalability Testing is defined as the ability of a network, system,
application, product or a process to perform the function correctly
when changes are made in the size or volume of the system to meet
a growing need. It ensures that a software product can manage the
scheduled increase in user traffic, data volume, transaction counts
frequency, and many other things. It tests the system, processes, or
database’s ability to meet a growing need.
Advantages of Scalability Testing
 It provides more accessibility to the product.
  It detects issues with web page loading and other
performance issues.
 It finds and fixes the issues earlier in the product which
saves a lot of time.
 It ensures the end-user experience under the specific load. It
provides customer satisfaction.
 It helps in effective tool utilization tracking.
4. Stability Testing
Stability Testing is a type of Software Testing to checks the
quality and behavior of the software under different environmental
parameters. It is defined as the ability of the product to continue to
function over time without failure.
It is a Non-functional Testing technique that focuses on stressing the
software component to the maximum. Stability testing is done to
check the efficiency of a developed product beyond normal
operational capacity which is known as break point. It has higher
significance in error handling, software reliability, robustness, and
scalability of a product under heavy load rather than checking the
system behavior under normal circumstances.
Stability testing assesses stability problems. This testing is mainly
intended to check whether the application will crash at any point in
time or not.
Advantages of Stability Testing
1. It gives the limit of the data that a system can handle
practically.
2. It provides confidence on the performance of the system.
3. It determines the stability and robustness of the system
under load.
4. Stability testing leads to a better end-user experience.
Other Types of Testing
1. Smoke Testing
2. Sanity Testing
3. Regression Testing
4. Acceptance Testing
5. User Acceptance Testing
6. Exploratory Testing
7. Adhoc Testing
8. Security Testing
9. Globalization Testing
10. Regression Testing
 11. Smoke Testing
12. Alpha Testing
13. Beta Testing
14. Object-Oriented Testing
1. Smoke Testing
Smoke Testing is done to make sure that the software under testing
is ready or stable for further testing
It is called a smoke test as the testing of an initial pass is done to
check if it did not catch fire or smoke in the initial switch-on.
Example:
If the project has 2 modules so before going to the module make
sure that module 1 works properly.
Advantages of Smoke Testing
1. Smoke testing is easy to perform.
2. It helps in identifying defects in the early stages.
3. It improves the quality of the system.
4. Smoke testing reduces the risk of failure.
5. Smoke testing makes progress easier to access.
2. Sanity Testing
It is a subset of regression testing . Sanity testing is performed to
ensure that the code changes that are made are working properly.
Sanity testing is a stoppage to check whether testing for the build
can proceed or not. The focus of the team during the sanity testing
process is to validate the functionality of the application and not
detailed testing. Sanity testing is generally performed on a build
where the production deployment is required immediately like a
critical bug fix.
Advantages of Sanity Testing
 Sanity testing helps to quickly identify defects in the core
functionality.
 It can be carried out in less time as no documentation is
required for sanity testing.
 If the defects are found during sanity testing, the project is
rejected which is helpful in saving time for execution of
regression tests.
 This testing technique is not so expensive when compared
to another type of testing.
 It helps to identify the dependent missing objects.
3. Regression Testing
The process of testing the modified parts of the code and the parts
that might get affected due to the modifications ensures that no
new errors have been introduced in the software after the
modifications have been made. Regression means the return of
something and in the software field, it refers to the return of a bug.
Advantages of Regression Testing
 It ensures that no new bugs have been introduced after
adding new functionalities to the system.
 As most of the test cases used in Regression Testing are
selected from the existing test suite, and we already know
their expected outputs. Hence, it can be easily automated
by the automated tools.
 It helps to maintain the quality of the source code.
4. Acceptance Testing
Acceptance testing is done by the customers to check whether the
delivered products perform the desired tasks or not, as stated in the
requirements. We use Object-Oriented Testing for discussing test
plans and for executing the projects.
Advantages of Acceptance Testing
1. This testing helps the project team to know the further
requirements of the users directly as it involves the users for
testing.
2. Automated test execution.
3. It brings confidence and satisfaction to the clients as they
are directly involved in the testing process.
4. It is easier for the user to describe their requirement.
5. It covers only the Black-Box testing process and hence the
entire functionality of the product will be tested.
5. User Acceptance Testing
User Acceptance Testing is a testing methodology where
clients/end users participate in product testing to validate the
product against their requirements. It is done at the client’s site on
the developer’s site. For industries such as medicine or aerospace,
contractual and regulatory compliance testing, and operational
acceptance tests are also performed as part of user acceptance
tests. UAT is context-dependent and UAT plans are prepared based
on requirements and are not required to perform all kinds of user
acceptance tests and are even coordinated and contributed by the
testing team.
6. Exploratory Testing
Exploratory Testing is a type of software testing in which the
tester is free to select any possible methodology to test the
software. It is an unscripted approach to software testing. In
exploratory testing, software developers use their learning,
knowledge, skills, and abilities to test the software developed by
themselves. Exploratory testing checks the functionality and
operations of the software as well as identifies the functional and
technical faults in it. Exploratory testing aims to optimize and
improve the software in every possible way.
Advantages of Exploratory Testing
 Less preparation required: It takes no preparation as it is
an unscripted testing technique.
 Finds critical defects: Exploratory testing involves an
investigation process that helps to find critical defects very
quickly.
 Improves productivity: In exploratory testing, testers use
their knowledge, skills, and experience to test the software.
It helps to expand the imagination of the testers by
executing more test cases, thus enhancing the overall
quality of the software.
7. Adhoc Testing
Adhoc testing is a type of software testing that is performed
informally and randomly after the formal testing is completed to find
any loophole in the system. For this reason, it is also known as
Random or Monkey testing. Adhoc testing is not performed in a
structured way so it is not based on any methodological approach.
That’s why Adhoc testing is a type of Unstructured Software Testing.
Advantages of Adhoc testing
 The errors that can not be identified with written test cases
can be identified by Adhoc testing.
 It can be performed within a very limited time.
 Helps to create unique test cases.
 This test helps to build a strong product that is less prone to
future problems.
 This testing can be performed at any time during Softthe
ware Development Life Cycle Process (SDLC)
8. Security Testing
Security Testing is a type of Software Testing that uncovers
vulnerabilities in the system and determines that the data and
resources of the system are protected from possible intruders. It
ensures that the software system and application are free from any
threats or risks that can cause a loss. Security testing of any system
is focused on finding all possible loopholes and weaknesses of the
system that might result in the loss of information or repute of the
organization.
Advantages of Security Testing
1. Identifying vulnerabilities: Security testing helps identify
vulnerabilities in the system that could be exploited by
attackers, such as weak passwords, unpatched software,
and misconfigured systems.
2. Improving system security: Security testing helps improve
the overall security of the system by identifying and fixing
vulnerabilities and potential threats.
3. Ensuring compliance: Security testing helps ensure that the
system meets relevant security standards and regulations,
such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, and SOC2.
9. Globalization Testing
Globalization Testing is a type of software testing that is performed
to ensure the system or software application can function
independently of the geographical and cultural environment. It
ensures that the application can be used all over the world and
accepts all language texts. Nowadays with the increase in various
technologies, every software product is designed in such a way that
it is a globalized software product.
Benefits of Globalization Testing
 Helps to create scalable products: It makes the software
product more flexible and scalable.
 Save time: It saves overall time and effort for software
testing.
 Reduce time for localization testing: Globalization
testing helps to reduce the time and cost of localization
testing.
10. Regression Testing
Regression testing is a method of testing that is used to ensure that
changes made to the software do not introduce new bugs or cause
existing functionality to break. It is typically done after changes
have been made to the code, such as bug fixes or new features, and
is used to verify that the software still works as intended.
Regression testing can be performed in different ways, such
as:
 Retesting : This involves testing the entire application or
specific functionality that was affected by the changes.
  Re – execution : This involves running a previously
executed test suite to ensure that the changes did not break
any existing functionality.
 Comparison : This involves comparing the current version
of the software with a previous version to ensure that the
changes did not break any existing functionality.
Advantages of Regression Testing
 It helps to ensure that changes made to the software do not
introduce new bugs or cause existing functionality to break.
 It helps to ensure that the software continues to work as
intended after changes have been made.
 It helps to improve the overall reliability and stability of the
software.
 It’s important to keep in mind that regression testing is an
ongoing process that should be done throughout
the software development
 lifecycle to ensure that the software continues to work as
intended. It should be automated as much as possible to
save time and resources. Additionally, it’s important to have
a well-defined regression test suite that covers
Every time a new module is added leads to changes in the program.
This type of testing makes sure that the whole component works
properly even after adding components to the complete program.
Example:
In school records, suppose we have module staff, students, and
finance combining these modules and checking if the integration of
these modules works fine in regression testing.
11. Smoke Testing
Smoke Testing is done to make sure that the software under testing
is ready or stable for further testing
It is called a smoke test as the testing of an initial pass is done to
check if it did not catch fire or smoke in the initial switch-on.
Example:
If the project has 2 modules so before going to the module make
sure that module 1 works properly.
12. Alpha Testing
Alpha testing is a type of validation testing. It is a type of
acceptance testing that is done before the product is released to
customers. It is typically done by QA people.
Example:
When software testing is performed internally within the
organisation.
13. Beta Testing
The beta test is conducted at one or more customer sites by the
end-user of the software. This version is released for a limited
number of users for testing in a real-time environment.
Example:
When software testing is performed for the limited number of
people.
14. Object-Oriented Testing
Object-Oriented Testing testing is a combination of various testing
techniques that help to verify and validate object-oriented software.
This testing is done in the following manner:
 Testing of Requirements,
 Design and Analysis of Testing,
 Testing of Code,
 Integration testing,
 System testing,
 User Testing.
Advantages of Software Testing
1. Improved software quality and reliability.
2. Early identification and fixing of defects.
3. Improved customer satisfaction.
4. Increased stakeholder confidence.
5. Reduced maintenance costs.
6. Customer Satisfaction
7. Cost Effective
8. Quality Product
9. Low Failure
10. Bug-Free Application
11. Security
12. Speed Up the Development Process
13. Early Defect Detection
14. Reliable Product
Disadvantages of Software Testing
 Time-Consuming and adds to the project cost.
 This can slow down the development process.
 Not all defects can be found.
  Can be difficult to fully test complex systems.
 Potential for human error during the testing process.
Questions For Practice
1. With respect to Software Testing, consider a flow graph
G with one connected component. Let E be the number of
edges, N be the number of nodes, and P be the number of
predicate nodes of G. Consider the following four
expressions: [GATE IT -2006]
 I. E-N+P
 II. E-N+2
 III. P+2
 IV. P+1
The Cyclomatic Complexity of G is Given by
 (A) I or III
 (B) II or III
 (C) II or IV
 (D) I or IV
Solution: Correct Answer is (C).
Frequently Asked Questions on Types of
Software Testing
1. What is a Test Case?
Test Cases can be simply determined as conditions that a tester will
check whether the code runs perfectly or not.
2. What is the use of automation testing?
Automation Testing is used to reduce the testing efforts, also testing
faster delivering capability.
3. What is the difference between manual and automated
testing?
Manual testing involves a human tester interacting with the
software to find bugs. Automated testing uses scripts or tools to
automate repetitive test cases.

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