Here is a comprehensive list of the different types of software testing.

Agile Testing, Functional Testing, Automation Testing, Non-Functional Testing are among the different types of software testing, including their subtypes. More often than not, experienced and even some newbie testers are aware and have an understanding of these.

In our testing journey, each of us probably encountered various software testing types. Although not everybody knows about these, we might have worked on some, and we might have heard some.

It’s imperative to note that the different testing types come with their own set of advantages, disadvantages, and unique features. In this article, we’ll show you the commonly-used software testing types, which you can also leverage to generate better and more accurate results.

Here we go.

1. Alpha Testing

The Software Industry proponents mostly leverage on Alpha Testing, making it the most common type. Through alpha testing, testers can ensure that all defects or possible issues are identified before the software is introduced to the user or into the market. Alpha testing is implemented before the Beta Testing and at the end of the software development phase. As a result of such testing, minor design changes happen. For this type of testing, an in-house virtual user environment can be laid out and is conducted at the developer’s site.

2. Acceptance Testing

Proponents perform acceptance testing to ensure that the system’s end to end flow aligns with the requirements of the company or not. It also provides that it goes hand in hand with the pressing needs of the target end-user. When all the functionalities and features work as expected, the clients can then accept the software. Once the acceptance testing completes, the production of the software follows. This phase is otherwise known as User Acceptance Testing (UAT).

3. Ad-Hoc Testing

Ad-Hoc testing is performed without any documentation or plan in place and with no specific reference to the test case. That’s given with the testing’s Ad-hoc basis, as the name suggests. This type of testing executes any random functionality or any flow of the application by first defecting and breaking the use. Anybody can perform this form of testing, and it’s a popular way of informally finding defects. Take note. Not all processes with existing test cases can identify errors, although these make it much easier to do so. In other words, ad-hoc testing can diagnose issues that other forms of testing usually miss.

4. Accessibility Testing

Accessibility Testing allows people who are either disabled or not to access the application or the software. When we speak of disability, we generally pertain to old, deaf, blind, color blind, and mentally retarded. Proponents can perform various checks such as color and contrast for color blindness and font size for visually challenged persons.

5. Beta Testing

Unlike many other types of testing, Beta testing allows the customer to carry out this formal type of Software Testing. Before the product’s introduction to the actual end-users or before being released to the market, it is performed in the real environment. It is done to ensure that the tool meets the criteria and standards of the business from the point of an end-user and ensures that the product or software contains no significant failures. Only when the customer accepts the software can one say that beta testing is successful.

In many cases, Beta Testing is the final testing executed before an application is released for commercial purposes, and end-users or others usually do it. However, the product released only applies to a limited number of users in a particular area, including the software’s Beta version. That means that the end-user shares the feedback of the business and uses the software. Before marketing the software to the global market, the company then has to implement necessary action.

6. Back-end Testing

Back-end testing stores in the database every data or input that is incorporated on the front-end application. The industry refers to this as the Backend Testing or Database Testing. The data structure, table structure, stored procedures, and schema are among the features involved in Database Testing. Among the different databases related to it are Oracle, MySQL, SQL Server, and many more. By running a set of queries on the database, testers can quickly verify the data. Since they are also connected directly to the database with proper access, there is no GUI included in the Back-end Testing. Data corruption, deadlock, data loss, and other issues can arise for this type of testing. The testers mustn’t go live with the system when they are not addressed in the production environment.

7. Testing for Browser Compatibility

Browser Compatibility Testing ensures that the tool can function with the combination of operating systems and different browsers. Performed by the testing team, this type of testing is a subtype of Compatibility Testing that is performed for web applications. In other words, Browser Compatibility Testing assesses whether web applications can successfully run on all versions for web applications or not.

8. Testing for Backward Compatibility

When you’re looking for a way to validate whether the updated or newly-developed software functions correctly with the older version or the environment or not, it matters to consider this type of testing for validation. This testing assesses the working correlation between an older version of the software and the new software, precisely, on the proper functionality. It also ensures that the features created by the older version of the software work well with data structure, data files, and data tables. The software should work adequately atop the original version of that software if it is updated.

9. Black Box Testing

Black Box Testing does not consider the design of an internal system since tests conducted to align with functionality and requirements.

10. Testing for Boundary Value

How can you validate an application’s behavior at the boundary level? Leverage boundary value testing allows you to identify issues or gaps within boundary values through an actual performance or checking. There are a variety of numbers involved in this type of testing. For each range, there is a lower and an upper boundary performed on these boundary values.

11. Branch Testing

Categorized as a form of White Box Testing, Branch Testing is executed during Unit Testing. As the name suggests, the code in Branch Testing is thoroughly tested at every branch via a complete traverse.

12. Comparison Testing

Comparison Testing compares previous versions or other similar products with the latest strength and weakness of a product.

13. Compatibility Testing

Compatibility Testing runs in various network environments, hardware, and web servers while validating the software’s behavior. It, therefore, ensures that the testing performed by the testing team runs on various browsers, various databases, and multiple configurations.

14. Component Testing

After the completion of unit testing, developers proceed to component testing in most instances. Component Testing aims to determine arising defects after the multiple functionalities are connected. It, therefore, involves different features tested as a single code.

15. End-to-End Testing

In a situation that mimics real-world use, the role of End-to-End Testing comes to the fore. That’s because it considers the testing of a complete application environment, just like in system testing. Among the real-world uses relevant to this type are interactions with other hardware, systems, or applications, network communications, and interaction with a database, if deemed necessary.

16. Equivalence Partitioning

Equivalence Partitioning involves selecting a few numbers or values and a set of the group for testing under the Black Box Testing type as a testing technique. This proposition comes with the awareness that the same output is generated from all values in the said group. With this type of testing, proponents can successfully remove within specific group test cases that yield the same output without any defects. In other words, it does away with clearly redundant test cases.

17. Example Testing

Example testing allows for real-time testing or the inclusion of a real-time scenario with the involvement of scenarios based on the experience of the testers.

18. Exploratory Testing

The testing team informally implements the Exploratory Testing to diagnose issues existing in the application while exploring its details and components. During this type of testing, proponents can often discover defects that can cause failure. That is why experts advise testing teams always to track the flows tested during the Exploratory Testing. That practice also applies to the activities done before commencing the specific flow. The technique for Exploratory Testing can come with no test cases or documentation.

19. Functional Testing

Functional Testing only checks if the output aligns with the business requirement or not; thus, it can safely ignore the internal parts. Since it gears to the functional standards of an application, it is considered a Black-Box type testing.

Those are just some of the software testing types every beginner should know for a better understanding and execution of the testing process. Don’t forget to take these into account even if you are using the best software test management tool. It’s a strategy that will surely work sustainably especially in the long run.