Testing Types [Updated 5/30]

The most important thing to note about this section is that many of the testing types are not mutually exclusive. You can convievably be doing black-box testing at the same time as system testing.



Accessibility Testing
Testing to ensure that a software interface meets accessibility standards for differently abled individuals. For certains system, it is required by law that the system interface must meet certain federal accessibility requirements.

Acceptance Testing (aka = also known as)
(aka End User Testing)
The testing phase typically carried out by the paying client before they accept delivery of the software product.

Automated Testing:
Software testing using automated testing tools. This involves the use of tools to create an automated testing script which can then later be executed in a unattended state.

Ad-hoc testing:
An unstructured form of testing where functionality is tested for based on the the biases of the tester. It is often used to quickly test a specific functionality.

Black Box:
Testing a system by providing input and examining output without knowledge and/or regard of the internal code of the system.

Functional Testing:
This is testing to verify the functionality of an application as dictated in requirements.

Integration Testing:
Testing that occurs during the phase of the application development lifecycle where the different modular elements that make up a software system are being joined (integrated) together.

Load Test:
Testing an application to measure performance under the desired in which the application is expected to operate.

Manual Testing:
Software testing process where a tester verifies functionality of an application/system by physically interacting with the application.

Penetration Tesing:
A form of testing used to test the security of software systems. Penetration testing often involves the use of specialized tools to attack the system in order to find out where security vulnerabilities lie.

Performance Testing:
Testing an application to measure its performance during use. This is similar to load testing (for multi-user applications) and Benchmark Testing (for single user applications).

Regression Testing:
This involves running test scripts created for a previous version of the application against a later version of the application. Running regression tests against an application is done to identify what has changed between two versions of an application.

User Acceptance Test:
This is often carried out by the end use and is carried primarily to ensure that the user accepts the software that has been created as meeting with their approval before checks are signed.

Sanity test
This type of testing is also called sanity testing and is done in order to check if the application is ready for further major testing and is working properly without failing up to least expected level.

Security testing:
Testing the application from a security perspective to ensure that users can do everything, and only everything, that they have been given the access rights to do.

Smoke Testing:
aka Sanity Testing
Testing the application in order to ensure that the current build of the application/system is sufficiently stable for further, more comprehensive, testing to be performed.

Stress Testing:
This involves placing the system at maximum load for an extended period of time to monitor its performance under stress.

System Testing:
Testing that takes place when all the modular units that make up a software system have been fully integrated. Therefore, system testing happens way after integration testing

User Interface Testing
Testing the user interface application to help ensure that it is user friendly and (optionally) meets with standard software accessibility guidelines.

Unit testing:
This form is done by developers as it involves testing the individual component of a software system. This is loosely defined enough to be interpreted as anything from a function to a class

Usability testing:
Testing to see how easy it is to use a web site or web application. The usability of an application is often referred to as the 'user-friendliness' of the application

White Box Testing:
A testing technique in which an explicit knowledge of the internal workings of a system is used in testing the system.