
<p>The ever-increasing usage of the internet has changed how we humans interact with technology. Everything is just a few touches away, be it booking a cab, making a payment, ordering groceries, medicines, or other services. For developers who create such complex applications, it’s essential that they test these applications thoroughly. Hence, understanding the key differences between&nbsp;mobile application testing&nbsp;vs web application testing becomes quite crucial.</p>



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets"><p class="toc_title">Table Of Contents</p><ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Mobile_Application_Testing_vs_Web_Application_Testing_8211_Overview"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">1</span> Mobile Application Testing vs Web Application Testing &#8211; Overview</a><ul><li><a href="#What_is_Mobile_Application_Testing"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.1</span> What is Mobile Application Testing?</a></li><li><a href="#What_is_Web_Application_Testing"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.2</span> What is Web Application Testing?</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Difference_Between_Mobile_Application_Testing_and_Web_Application_Testing"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">2</span> Difference Between Mobile Application Testing and Web Application Testing</a></li><li><a href="#Mobile_Application_Testing_VS_Web_Application_Testing"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">3</span> Mobile Application Testing VS Web Application Testing</a></li><li><a href="#Conclusion"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">4</span> Conclusion</a></li><li><a href="#Frequently_Asked_Questions"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">5</span> Frequently Asked Questions</a><ul><li><a href="#What_are_the_skills_required_for_mobile_application_and_web_application_testing"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">5.1</span> What are the skills required for mobile application and web application testing?</a></li></ul></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="mobile-application-testing-vs-web-application-testing-overview"><span id="Mobile_Application_Testing_vs_Web_Application_Testing_8211_Overview"><strong>Mobile Application Testing vs Web Application Testing &#8211; Overview</strong></span></h2>



<h3 id="3ki54"><span id="What_is_Mobile_Application_Testing">What is Mobile Application Testing?</span></h3>



<p>Mobile application testing is the process of validating any mobile application before releasing it to the public. We test its usability and functionality as per the requirements specified by the business. Thus, it helps us understand whether the mobile application meets the technical and functional expectations.</p>



<p>The main goal behind developing any mobile application is to increase its reach and make it accessible globally. Hence, we don’t want the application to have bugs and technical faults when launched. Needless to say, no business would want its customer to come up with complaints and switch to a different competitor.</p>



<p>Hence, we need to <a href="https://testsigma.com/mobile-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">test any mobile application</a> on multiple devices, screen resolutions, operation systems such as Android and iOS, network bandwidths, etc. The application should run flawlessly on all the combinations of device configurations.</p>



<p>Check here &#8211; <a href="https://testsigma.com/mobile-testing-tools" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Top Mobile Automation Testing Tools</a></p>



<h3 id="jlc9"><span id="What_is_Web_Application_Testing">What is Web Application Testing?</span></h3>



<p>Web application testing is the process of testing the website for potential bugs or any other unwanted issues before we release it to the end users. Most businesses still prefer web applications that can run on browsers on desktop as well as mobile devices. This allows them to provide seamless user interaction on their most-used devices.</p>



<p>Similar to mobile application testing, there are different aspects of web application testing as well. When we test a web application, we must ensure it meets the functional requirements. More than that, it should be able to meet the performance benchmarks, should not be prone to security leaks, and must be compatible with all possible browser configurations.</p>



<p>A testing plan for a website should at least include a test strategy, objectives, and approach. It should also have a set of well-defined test cases and test suites and an environment where the tests need to be executed. Moreover, the testers should be able to automate the repetitive web application test cases to save time and effort.</p>



<p>Check here &#8211; <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/test-cases-example-for-web-application/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Web Applications Test Cases</a></p>



<h2 id="e60hn"><span id="Difference_Between_Mobile_Application_Testing_and_Web_Application_Testing"><strong>Difference Between Mobile Application Testing and Web Application Testing</strong></span></h2>



<p>The difference between mobile application testing vs web application testing boils down to their purpose, intended users, and complexity.</p>



<p>In web application testing, we test our websites for functionality, usability, and quality across different OS, browsers, and versions. On the other hand, in mobile application testing, we verify whether or not the mobile application works as intended across thousands of mobile device configurations.</p>



<p>Therefore, it is essential that both these types of applications perform up to the benchmark and are bug-free. Ultimately, it all comes down to providing a seamless user experience and retaining the end users. Having discussed this, let’s dive deep into the basic differences between mobile application testing vs web application testing.</p>



<p>Check here &#8211; <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/modern-tools-for-automated-testing-of-your-web-applications/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Website Testing Tools</a></p>



<h2 id="e60hn"><span id="Mobile_Application_Testing_VS_Web_Application_Testing"><strong>Mobile Application Testing VS Web Application Testing</strong></span></h2>



<figure class="wp-block-table">
<table style="border: 1px solid black; border-collapse: collapse;">
<tbody>
<tr style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;"><strong>Mobile Application Testing</strong></td>
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;"><strong>Web Application Testing</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">Developing and testing responsive mobile applications, especially for devices with small resolutions like mobile phones and tablets, is difficult.</td>
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">Developing and testing responsive web applications for larger screen resolutions is relatively easier.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">Due to the complexity of mobile applications and the involvement of many components, it’s challenging to test mobile applications.</td>
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">Testing web applications is relatively easier.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">We need to test the mobile applications on a combination of different device configurations like OS (iOS and Android), resolutions, hardware configurations, OEMs, etc.</td>
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">Web applications must be tested across different browser versions and OS combinations.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">Mobile applications that consume a lot of power and drain battery are not well-received by end users. Hence, the testing teams must test the applications on fully-charged and drained mobile devices.</td>
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">There is no such constraint for testing web applications as it depends solely on the browser.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">The testing team needs to consider the interaction of the devices with user actions such as gestures, voice, noise, etc. This is due to the number of features that smartphones provide the users to interact with different applications.</td>
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">Web browsers do not offer many options to interact and even if they do, users preferably use mouse and keyboard control to access web applications. Hence, the scope of testing is less.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">Nowadays, mobile applications are also accessible via peripheral devices connected to the mobile such as fitness trackers, smart watches, medical devices like pacemakers, etc. Hence, they need to be tested on these devices as well.</td>
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">Web applications are mostly accessed on browsers. Other peripheral devices include webcams, controllers, etc. However, they are not used on a large scale.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">Some popular tools and frameworks for mobile application testing are – Testsigma, Appium, Xamarin, Espresso, XCUITest, Robotium, etc.</td>
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">Commonly used web application testing tools are – Selenium, WebLoad, devtools in browsers, Acunetix, etc.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</figure>



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<h2 id="8i5po"><span id="Conclusion"><strong>Conclusion</strong></span></h2>



<p>To sum up, testing is a crucial part of the <a href="https://www.netscaler.com/articles/what-is-an-application-delivery" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">delivery process of any application</a>, be it a mobile or desktop web application. With the availability of a plethora of devices with multiple configurations, testing the robustness of an application on all these platforms is quite a hectic task. Hence, switching over to an automated testing solution will save you a lot of time, effort, and cost.</p>



<p>To ensure a bug-free product, you must test your application in all possible device configurations that the end users commonly use. New-age automated tools like Testsigma and others provide a complete solution with thousands of real devices hosted on cloud.</p>



<p>Hence, you need to choose wisely before you invest in any automated testing tool so that it has all the features and appropriate support that your application needs.</p>



<h2 id="c1dob"><span id="Frequently_Asked_Questions"><strong>Frequently Asked Questions</strong></span></h2>



<h3 id="60t5p"><span id="What_are_the_skills_required_for_mobile_application_and_web_application_testing">What are the skills required for mobile application and web application testing?</span></h3>



<p>To test any application, the tester must have these basic skills to ensure that the final product meets the business requirements and benchmarks. S/he should have a deep understanding of the features to be developed, should be able to choose the right testing tool, and automate the testing as much as possible. This is possible with the ability to write automation scripts and set up proper test environments.</p>



<customlinks>
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<ts-linktext-value>Mobile Application Testing</ts-linktext-value>
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<ts-linktext-value>Web Application Testing</ts-linktext-value>
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<ts-linktext-value>Desktop Application Testing vs Web Application Testing</ts-linktext-value>
<ts-linkurl-value>https://testsigma.com/blog/desktop-application-testing-vs-web-application-testing/</ts-linkurl-value>
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Mobile Application Testing vs Web Application Testing image

Mobile Application Testing vs Web Application Testing – Key Differences

<p>As rapid technological advancements drive the digital era, providing customers with the latest and most intuitive applications has become a necessity. To ensure high application quality and reliability, businesses need to leverage testing and staging environments. Where a testing environment ensures each application component does its job, the staging environment ensures the components still perform well when deployed in a live environment. Let’s have an overview of the <strong>staging environment vs test environment</strong>, their best practices, and more.</p>



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets"><p class="toc_title">Table Of Contents</p><ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#What_is_a_Test_Environment"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">1</span> What is a Test Environment?</a><ul><li><a href="#Elements_of_Test_Environment"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.1</span> Elements of Test Environment</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Why_Do_You_Need_a_Testing_Environment"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">2</span> Why Do You Need a Testing Environment?</a></li><li><a href="#Best_Practices_for_an_Effective_Test_Environment"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">3</span> Best Practices for an Effective Test Environment</a></li><li><a href="#What_is_a_Staging_Environment"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">4</span> What is a Staging Environment?</a></li><li><a href="#Why_Do_You_Need_a_Staging_Environment"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">5</span> Why Do You Need a Staging Environment?</a></li><li><a href="#Best_Practices_for_a_Reliable_Staging_Environment"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">6</span> Best Practices for a Reliable Staging Environment</a></li><li><a href="#Staging_Environment_vs_Test_Environment_What8217s_the_Difference"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">7</span> Staging Environment vs Test Environment: What&#8217;s the Difference?</a></li><li><a href="#Summary"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">8</span> Summary</a></li><li><a href="#Frequently_Asked_Questions"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">9</span> Frequently Asked Questions</a><ul><li><a href="#What_is_the_difference_between_staging_and_QA"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">9.1</span> What is the difference between staging and QA?</a></li><li><a href="#What_comes_first_UAT_or_staging"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">9.2</span> What comes first, UAT or staging?</a></li><li><a href="#What_are_the_different_types_of_testing_environments"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">9.3</span> What are the different types of testing environments?</a></li><li><a href="#How_many_environments_are_there_in_QA"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">9.4</span> How many environments are there in QA?</a></li></ul></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="uoip"><span id="What_is_a_Test_Environment"><strong>What is a Test Environment?</strong></span></h2>



<p>Every application developed needs to be validated to ensure it performs as per the end user’s expectations. <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/test-environment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Test environments</a> are platforms that help design and run multiple test cases on the application as well as the associated hardware and network configurations. This environment consists of all the required resources needed to execute the tests, such as OS, servers, drivers, and so on.</p>



<p>Basically, a test environment is a setup that brings together hardware, software, data, and a combination of configurations to perform testing. These are configured according to the needs of the software being tested to ensure it performs well in all conditions.</p>



<p>Test environments are not one-size-fits-all in nature. It is the component that dictates the environment setup. The main aim of setting up a test environment is to enable QA teams to validate the application and find underlying bugs that are fixed to prevent any negative user experience.</p>



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<h3 id="5899g"><span id="Elements_of_Test_Environment">Elements of Test Environment</span></h3>



<p>Certain factors are required to perform testing in a test environment. These are mentioned below:</p>



<p><strong>Servers and Databases for Testing</strong></p>



<p>Servers are environments where software is deployed for testing. Databases store massive datasets in the form of test results from the executed tests.</p>



<p><strong>Team of Testers</strong></p>



<p>A setup for a testing environment features different types of people who create test cases to find all possible bugs and defects. These are:</p>



<ul><li>Dev team, which develops the software</li><li>Testers who run various tests to validate the software</li><li>System admin, who provides backend support.</li></ul>



<p><strong>Network for Testing</strong></p>



<p>The network acts as a channel to transfer test data. The <a href="https://testsigma.com/guides/test-process/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">software testing process</a> generates a significant amount of data in the form of inputs, outputs, simulation data, etc. An ideal testing network features a network, LAN setup, or private network.</p>



<p><strong>Tools for Reporting Bugs</strong></p>



<p>Reporting the bugs is as critical as detecting them. The test environment should use reliable and effective defect-logging tools so that the developers can easily understand what needs to be fixed. Some examples of popular bug-reporting tools are Bugzilla and JIRA.</p>



<p><strong><a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/test-environment-management/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Managing Test Environment</a></strong></p>



<p>Management of the test environment is critical to ensure they can be utilized whenever required. This includes <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/test-bed/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">test beds </a>according to the needs of the QA team. Test management also includes setting up a test repository and supporting software and ensuring these are updated through version control. Test environment management also means creating adequate documentation for the setup details, testing history, and outcomes. This helps in making future test cases and may be used as reference points in fixing similar bugs.</p>



<h2 id="86b1a"><span id="Why_Do_You_Need_a_Testing_Environment"><strong>Why Do You Need a Testing Environment?</strong></span></h2>



<p>A well-designed test environment is essential to ensure the investment in creating robust test cases pays off. A test environment enables testers to have comprehensive feedback about the application quality. In other words, a test environment provides teams with the necessary setup to run the test cases.</p>



<p>A test environment further helps in providing a dedicated environment to isolate the code and verify the application&#8217;s behavior. This ensures that no other activities that can influence the output of the tests are running on the server.</p>



<p>Moreover, a test environment can replicate the production environment, which is crucial for being confident about the testing outcomes. The testing engineer needs to ensure that the application behaves the same way in the test environment as in the production environment.</p>



<h2 id="88a5j"><span id="Best_Practices_for_an_Effective_Test_Environment"><strong>Best Practices for an Effective Test Environment</strong></span></h2>



<p>Creating a software testing environment is essential for any organization that wants to ensure the quality of its software applications. This helps testers run various tests to identify and fix defects early in development.</p>



<p>Setting up a proper test environment needs experience, resources, and effort. Here are a few best practices for setting up an effective <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/test-environment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">software testing environment</a>:</p>



<ul><li>Define the testing goals. It should be clear what the testers want to achieve with testing.</li><li>Identify what <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/the-different-software-testing-types-explained/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">types of testing</a> would be required. Some of the critical kinds of testing are Unit testing, Integration testing, Acceptance testing, Regression testing.</li><li>Determine the scope of software testing. It should be clear which parts of the software will be tested.</li><li>Create test cases while keeping in mind the requirements and features.</li><li>The test environment should feature a comprehensive software, hardware, and network configuration setup.</li><li>Ensure the testing environment is secure.</li><li>The environment should be scalable to incorporate the increasing volumes of user traffic and app data.</li><li>Ensure the code changes are validated periodically before the updates are pushed to production.</li><li>Ensure the test environment is updated and includes the latest software and hardware configurations.</li></ul>



<h2 id="e4eh5"><span id="What_is_a_Staging_Environment"><strong>What is a Staging Environment?</strong></span></h2>



<p>Staging environments consist of software, hardware, and configuration similar to the production environments. It is through these similarities testers can mimic the real-world production environment.</p>



<p>Staging environments are replicas of the production environments. It imitates the production environment as closely as possible to ensure application quality. The purpose of setting up a staging environment is to validate the application approaching the production stage to ensure the app will perform well post-deployment.</p>



<p>Simply put, it is a stage where Dev and QA teams can perform various tests on the software and identify its best version. It ensures that the users are always provided with the best software experience.</p>



<h2 id="1d6kj"><span id="Why_Do_You_Need_a_Staging_Environment"><strong>Why Do You Need a Staging Environment?</strong></span></h2>



<p>Working with a staging environment allows testers to verify all assumptions made before development and ensure that application deployments are successful. Also, testing new changes takes care of the risk of bugs hampering the end-user experience because the bugs are resolved before going to the live environment.</p>



<p>It is also recommended to deploy the staging environment as part of a release. This ultimately allows the Dev and QA teams to identify any coding, integration, or data bottlenecks.</p>



<p>There are several benefits of using a staging environment:</p>



<ul><li>A staging environment allows the testers to validate the application in a near-production environment.</li><li>A staging environment offers a medium for performing QA checks to ensure the application is of the best possible quality.</li><li>The developers release the new versions of the application in the staging environment to ensure everything is working as intended.</li><li>This environment may be used to share product and services demos with the customers.</li></ul>



<h2 id="c18qa"><span id="Best_Practices_for_a_Reliable_Staging_Environment"><strong>Best Practices for a Reliable Staging Environment</strong></span></h2>



<p><strong>Have a dedicated database server</strong></p>



<p>The database features the entire content of the application. Hence, it is crucial to prevent the staging database override over the live database. It is recommended to use a dedicated database server for staging. Testers can refresh the staging database from scratch if they make any mistakes.</p>



<p><strong>Ensure comprehensive testing</strong></p>



<p>When updates are made to software, it is critical to ensure that they do not break anything. Testing assures that the updates and modifications made in the staging environment do not break the live product. A comprehensive test strategy plan, which includes both automation and manual testing, should be made before making any updates to the staging environment.</p>



<p><strong>Monitor the testing environment</strong></p>



<p>Monitoring bears many benefits in a pre-production environment, the foremost being ensuring that code updates do not hamper the production environment. Testers can know the possibilities of failure when the code is deployed by monitoring the testing environments and cases. It is difficult for testers to follow every possible user path and bug. Here, monitoring enables error tracking and ensures quicker code modifications.</p>



<p><strong>Perform debugging and testing</strong></p>



<p>Effective testing and debugging procedures ensure that high-quality code is produced consistently. These include automated testing, regular logging, and bug tracking.</p>



<p><strong>Clone the exact infrastructure</strong></p>



<p>When creating the staging environment, ensure that the same resources are used. These include:</p>



<ul><li>Cloud provider</li><li>Virtualization tools</li><li>API gateways</li></ul>



<p><strong>Ensure a secure environment</strong></p>



<p>Since a staging environment imitates a production environment, both share the same data. If a staging environment is compromised, it may also put the production environment at risk. To prevent any security incidents, testers should use a different domain for staging with restricted access. Data should be encrypted in transit, and complex credentials should be utilized to access the staging environment.</p>



<p><strong>Create backups</strong></p>



<p>When working with a staging environment, any data loss in the staging environment can lead to data loss in the production environment. Hence, it is critical to have data backups of the staging environment to enable quick data recovery in case something goes wrong. <a href="https://docs.aws.amazon.com/aws-backup/latest/devguide/whatisbackup.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">AWS backup is a recommended way</a> to create effective data backups for staging environments.</p>



<p>Above we have discussed all about Test environment and staging environment, best practices and more , now lets look into staging environment vs test environment differences.</p>



<h2 id="1qsa2"><span id="Staging_Environment_vs_Test_Environment_What8217s_the_Difference"><strong>Staging Environment vs Test Environment: What&#8217;s the Difference?</strong></span></h2>



<p>A staging environment and a testing environment differ in the levels of resemblance these provide to testers. In a staging environment, versions are kept up to date to ensure everything resembles the live version except for the recently pushed updates from the Dev environment. This allows testers to deploy the software updates to a live environment while ensuring that nothing breaks in the process.</p>



<p>This may only sometimes be the case with a testing environment. Rather than testing everything end-to-end, testers often work on assumptions of how the software will work and test the changes made to the source code. The testing environment ensures that the code updates are tested faster and without needing to imitate the entire live environment, as in the case of staging environments. Now lets check out the table given below with staging environment vs test environment differences.</p>



<p></p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Staging Environment&nbsp;</strong></td><td><strong>Test Environment</strong></td></tr><tr><td>A staging environment mimics the production environment to perform final QA checks on application.</td><td>A test environment validates each component of application under test.</td></tr><tr><td>It replicates all requirements and configurations of the production environment.</td><td>It is dynamic and requires specific configurations to test each component.</td></tr><tr><td>It validates the complete application.&nbsp;</td><td>It tests the Individual components or functions.</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



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<h2 id="dscsk"><span id="Summary"><strong>Summary</strong></span></h2>
<p>Both testing and staging environments play a critical role in ensuring the application performs as expected in real-life scenarios. On the one hand, the testing environment ensures each application component performs its job well. On the other hand, the staging environment ensures the application&#8217;s features work well with everything connected around it.</p>
<h2 id="6fsjh"><span id="Frequently_Asked_Questions"><strong>Frequently Asked Questions</strong></span></h2>
<h3 id="7s9is"><span id="What_is_the_difference_between_staging_and_QA">What is the difference between staging and QA?</span></h3>
<p>The significant differences between staging and QA are found in the scale of the test as well as the agenda of finding bugs. The staging environment replicates the requirements and configurations of the production environment, whereas the testing environment validates a particular part of the product.</p>
<h3 id="3s9sj"><span id="What_comes_first_UAT_or_staging">What comes first, UAT or staging?</span></h3>
<p>UAT comes first in a software development life cycle, followed by staging.</p>
<h3 id="dn7nj"><span id="What_are_the_different_types_of_testing_environments">What are the different types of testing environments?</span></h3>
<ul>
<li>The Dev environment &#8211; This is where apps are deployed and unit tested by the Dev team.</li>
<li>Test/<a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/qa-environment/">QA Environment</a> &#8211; In this environment, the versioned QA builds are deployed, followed by testers executing the tests and reporting test results to the Dev team.</li>
<li>Staging Environment &#8211; It validates the application approaching the production stage to ensure the app will perform well post-deployment.</li>
<li>Production Environment &#8211; This is a live environment where real users use the app.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="9gqqh"><span id="How_many_environments_are_there_in_QA">How many environments are there in QA?</span></h3>
<p>There are four QA environments: the Development environment, Test environment, Staging environment, and Production environment.</p>
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Staging Environment vs Test Environment: Differences You Should Know

Manual Testing vs Automation Testing: Which One Should You Choose?


<p>An application can broadly be divided into two categories: frontend and backend. Before releasing a product in the market, it&#8217;s essential to test whether both the frontend and backend of the application are working correctly. Frontend testing is the testing of the user interface visible to the user by which users interact with the application. In contrast, backend testing is about testing the actual database and server logic under the hood, which is not visible to the application users.</p>



<p>In this article, you will learn about fronted and backend testing and the difference between both tests. You will also learn about the various tools and techniques used in frontend and backend testing.</p>



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets"><p class="toc_title">Table Of Contents</p><ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Frontend_Testing_vs_Backend_Testing_8211_Overview"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">1</span> Frontend Testing vs Backend Testing &#8211; Overview</a><ul><li><a href="#What_is_Frontend_Testing"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.1</span> What is Frontend Testing?</a></li><li><a href="#What_is_Back-End_Testing"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.2</span> What is Back-End Testing?</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Frontend_Testing_vs_Backend_Testing_8211_Differences"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">2</span> Frontend Testing vs Backend Testing &#8211; Differences</a></li><li><a href="#Summary"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">3</span> Summary</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="frontend-testing-vs-backend-testing-overview"><span id="Frontend_Testing_vs_Backend_Testing_8211_Overview"><strong>Frontend Testing vs Backend Testing &#8211; Overview</strong></span></h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://images.storychief.com/account_36412/frontend-vs-backend-overview_b36361426658e71ee1ef4a1c862511c1_800.jpeg" alt="Frontend and backend overview"/></figure>



<h3 id="bb0sh"><span id="What_is_Frontend_Testing"><strong><a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/front-end-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">What is Frontend Testing?</a></strong></span></h3>



<p>The frontend of an application is the visual appearance and user interface that users see and use to interact with the application&#8217;s features and functionality. In the testing life cycle, frontend testing is the process of testing the frontend side of the application to ensure there are no any glitch, functionality breaks, or significant problems present in the application.</p>



<p>A well-driven frontend testing makes your product bug free and ensures the user will get a great user experience.<gwmw style="display: none; background-color: transparent;"></p>



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<h3 id="8l004"><span id="What_is_Back-End_Testing"><strong><a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/backend-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">What is Back-End Testing?</a></strong></span></h3>



<p>Backend testing is white box testing. It ensures an application&#8217;s database and server-side functionality are working as intended. For example, testing whether a user can log in after signing in will come under the backend testing.</p>



<p>Check here &#8211; <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/front-end-automation-testing-tools/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Front End Testing Tools</a></p>



<h2 id="96tb6"><span id="Frontend_Testing_vs_Backend_Testing_8211_Differences"><strong>Frontend Testing vs Backend Testing &#8211; Differences</strong></span></h2>



<p>The primary difference between Frontend Testing vs Backend Testing is that frontend testing checks the user interface of application whereas backend testing checks the database and server side of application.</p>



<p>Here’s a table depicting key differences between frontend testing and backend testing:</p>



<figure class="wp-block-table">
<table style="border: 1px solid black; border-collapse: collapse;">
<tbody>
<tr style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Frontend testing</strong></span></td>
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Backend testing</strong></span></td>
</tr>
<tr style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Frontend testing is about testing the user interface of an application that the user sees and interacts with.</span></td>
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Backend testing is about testing the database and server side of an application and ensuring that it’s working properly.</span></td>
</tr>
<tr style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Frontend testing is black box testing, meaning the tester will not be able to see the code logic behind the user interface and functionality.</span></td>
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Backend testing is white-box testing, meaning the tester will interact with the code logic behind any functionality.</span></td>
</tr>
<tr style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Frontend testing doesn’t require any knowledge of programming language.</span></td>
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Backend testing required knowledge of the database and the language used in the backend.</span></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table></figure>



<h2 id="9ns2c"><span id="Summary"><strong>Summary</strong></span></h2>



<p>To ensure an application’s overall functionality of an application, it’s important to test both the backend and frontend sides of an application. Frontend testing ensures that an application’s overall functionality works as intended in all operating systems and browser combinations. Whereas backed testing ensures the database side of the application is working properly.</p>



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