How to Test Mobile Application Manually?

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<p>Acceptance Criteria and Acceptance testing are crucial for a comprehensive software development process. Acceptance criteria are the conditions a software product must meet to make it acceptable to end customer. On the other hand, acceptance testing checks whether a software product meets the acceptance criteria.</p>



<p>Both these processes ensure robust and quality software. In this blog, we’d explore Acceptance Criteria vs Acceptance Testing in detail, along with their types, structures, advantages, 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_are_Acceptance_Criteria"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">1</span> What are Acceptance Criteria?</a></li><li><a href="#What_is_an_Acceptance_Test"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">2</span> What is an Acceptance Test?</a></li><li><a href="#Acceptance_Criteria_vs_Acceptance_Testing_Know_the_Differences"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">3</span> Acceptance Criteria vs Acceptance Testing: Know the Differences</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_is_the_difference_between_acceptance_criteria_and_test_scripts"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">5.1</span> What is the difference between acceptance criteria and test scripts?</a></li></ul></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="dcro7"><span id="What_are_Acceptance_Criteria"><strong>What are Acceptance Criteria?</strong></span></h2>



<p>The acceptance criteria are a set of several prerequisites and conditions that must be satisfied for the product to be considered acceptable by clients and end users. They verify the software&#8217;s development and ensure the product operates as intended, without any flaws or bugs.</p>



<p>The acceptance criteria should always be written before development begins. Writing these criteria should clarify &#8220;what&#8221; to expect rather than &#8220;how&#8221; to achieve or implement a specific functionality because the purpose of doing so is to state the aim, not the solution. Here are some things to keep in mind:</p>



<ul><li>The acceptance criteria should be clear and concise.</li><li>The criteria should be achievable and testable.</li><li>The criteria should align with the project&#8217;s objectives.</li></ul>



<h2 id="b4ms6"><span id="What_is_an_Acceptance_Test"><strong>What is an Acceptance Test?</strong></span></h2>



<p>An Acceptance test determines whether the software meets the acceptance criteria for a given requirement. It ensures that a system is working as intended before it is deployed. Acceptance tests are typically carried out by the customer or end-user after <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/unit-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">unit testing</a>, <a href="https://testsigma.com/guides/integration-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">integration testing</a>, and <a href="https://testsigma.com/guides/system-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">system testing</a>.</p>



<p>Acceptance test, in its simplest form, can be thought of as a validation technique that determines every part of the software&#8217;s functional, non-functional and technical requirements and verifies that it accurately satisfies the defined acceptance criteria.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-table aligncenter"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Read all about <a href="https://testsigma.com/guides/acceptance-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Acceptance Testing</a></strong></td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<h2 id="6mujj"><span id="Acceptance_Criteria_vs_Acceptance_Testing_Know_the_Differences"><strong>Acceptance Criteria vs Acceptance Testing: Know the Differences</strong></span></h2>



<p>The primary difference between acceptance criteria and acceptance testing is that the former documents the expected behavior of a feature, whereas the latter defines the expected behavior of entire application.</p>



<p>Here are some basic differences:</p>



<figure class="wp-block-table">
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<table style="border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse">
<tbody>
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<td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse"><strong>Acceptance Criteria </strong></td>
<td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse"><strong>Acceptance Testing </strong></td>
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<td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Acceptance Criteria refer to the conditions software must meet to be accepted by the customer.</td>
<td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Acceptance Testing determines whether the software meets the acceptance criteria.</td>
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<tr style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">
<td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">These are written prior to development stage.</td>
<td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">These are implemented during product development.</td>
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<tr style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">
<td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">They define <em>what needs to be done</em>.</td>
<td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">It represents <em>how it should be done</em>.</td>
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<tr style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">
<td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Either the client or the development team writes the criteria.</td>
<td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">The user or customer carries out the testing.</td>
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<tr style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">
<td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">There is minimum or sometimes no requirement for documentation.</td>
<td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">It demands detailed documentation.</td>
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<h2 id="ce7fp"><span id="Conclusion"><strong>Conclusion</strong></span></h2>



<p>Now that we have understood the differences, types, and structures of acceptance criteria and testing, it is evident that they are crucial for a comprehensive software development process. It’s just not possible to ignore one over the other. By following the best practices, you can deliver a quality product that not only meets your users&#8217; expectations but also remains bug-free.</p>



<h2 id="frequently-asked-questions"><span id="Frequently_Asked_Questions"><strong>Frequently Asked Questions</strong></span></h2>



<h3 id="what-is-the-difference-between-acceptance-criteria-and-test-scripts"><span id="What_is_the_difference_between_acceptance_criteria_and_test_scripts"><strong>What is the difference between acceptance criteria and test scripts?</strong></span></h3>



<p>Acceptance Criteria establish the criteria that a product or feature must fulfill to be deemed complete and satisfactory from a user&#8217;s perspective. They define a product&#8217;s expected behaviors, functionalities, and outcomes but do not delve into the specific steps required to attain these outcomes. On the contrary, Test Scripts offers detailed instructions for testers to follow in a step-by-step manner to determine if the product meets the defined acceptance criteria. These scripts encompass specific actions or sequences to ensure the product functions correctly and satisfies the acceptance criteria. To summarize, acceptance criteria articulate the objectives, whereas test scripts elucidate the process of verifying the fulfillment of those objectives.</p>


Acceptance Criteria Vs Acceptance Tests – Know the Difference With Examples cover

Acceptance Criteria Vs Acceptance Tests – 5 Key Differences

<p>JavaScript is the most popular programming language. In recent days, many UI frameworks have been built with JavaScript-based NodeJS platforms such as React, Angular, Vue, etc. TypeScript also internally utilizes JavaScript, as TypeScript is a typed superset of JavaScript. There was a time NUnit, XUnit, and JUnit testing frameworks were ruling the market. As JavaScript gained popularity, many testing frameworks emerged to support JavaScript/TypeScript-based applications. Let’s analyze the top three JavaScript Testing Frameworks: Jest vs Mocha vs Jasmine.</p>



<p>Many browser-based automation testing frameworks, such as Cypress, Puppeteer, and Selenium JavaScript bindings, rely on these frameworks internally. Before that, let’s discuss why unit testing is essential for JavaScript applications.</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_JavaScript_Testing_Framework"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">1</span> What is JavaScript Testing Framework?</a></li><li><a href="#Types_of_Testing"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">2</span> Types of Testing</a></li><li><a href="#Why_do_we_need_Unit_Testing_for_JavaScript_applications"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">3</span> Why do we need Unit Testing for JavaScript applications?</a></li><li><a href="#Jest_vs_Mocha_vs_Jasmine_Why_compare_them"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">4</span> Jest vs Mocha vs Jasmine: Why compare them?</a><ul><li><a href="#Jest_Mocha_and_Jasmines_initial_release_dates"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">4.1</span> Jest, Mocha, and Jasmine’s initial release dates</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Jest_JavaScript_Testing_Framework"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">5</span> Jest JavaScript Testing Framework</a><ul><li><a href="#Jest_Data_on_NPM_and_GitHub"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">5.1</span> Jest Data on NPM and GitHub</a></li><li><a href="#Advantages_of_Jest_JavaScript_Testing_Framework"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">5.2</span> Advantages of Jest JavaScript Testing Framework</a></li><li><a href="#Limitations_of_Jest_Framework"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">5.3</span> Limitations of Jest Framework</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Mocha_JavaScript_Testing_Framework"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">6</span> Mocha JavaScript Testing Framework</a><ul><li><a href="#Mocha_Trends_on_NPM_and_GitHub"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">6.1</span> Mocha Trends on NPM and GitHub</a></li><li><a href="#Advantages_of_Mocha_Testing_Framework"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">6.2</span> Advantages of Mocha Testing Framework</a></li><li><a href="#Limitations_of_Mocha_Framework"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">6.3</span> Limitations of Mocha Framework</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Jasmine_JavaScript_Testing_Framework"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">7</span> Jasmine JavaScript Testing Framework</a><ul><li><a href="#Jasmine_Facts_on_NPM_and_GitHub"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">7.1</span> Jasmine Facts on NPM and GitHub </a></li><li><a href="#Advantages_of_Jasmine_JavaScript_Framework"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">7.2</span> Advantages of Jasmine JavaScript Framework</a></li><li><a href="#Limitations_of_Jasmine"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">7.3</span> Limitations of Jasmine</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Jest_vs_Mocha_vs_Jasmine_Which_one_to_choose"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">8</span> Jest vs Mocha vs Jasmine: Which one to choose?</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="a45ef"><span id="What_is_JavaScript_Testing_Framework">What is JavaScript Testing Framework?</span></h2>



<p>The JavaScript testing framework is a testing library, which supports testing front-end applications by providing assertions, code coverage, mocking, etc., and ensures the correctness of the developed feature.</p>



<h2 id="db24o"><span id="Types_of_Testing">Types of Testing</span></h2>



<p>Software application testing can be broadly categorized into two levels:</p>



<ul><li><strong>End-to-End Testing:</strong> This is browser-based testing, in a layman&#8217;s term simulation of user-based scenarios. This requires launching the browser, simulating user actions, and validating them. Tools such as Cypress, WebdriverIO, and Puppeteer are examples. Generally, end-to-end testing tools provide the simulation feature to verify the outcome of the use cases; it depends on test libraries such as Mocha, Jest or Jasmine, etc.</li><li><strong>Unit Testing:</strong> This generally doesn’t require browsers to run the test; individual components will be tested against the requirements. The test libraries, such as Jest, Mocha, and Jasmine, are configured to run the unit tests. Whenever there are new features or bug fixes, the developer should ensure that unit testing is in place.</li></ul>



<p>Jest, Mocha, and Jasmine have gained popularity as they are necessary for unit testing, integration testing, and end-to-end testing. Its scope is not limited to JavaScript; it supports TypeScript as well.</p>



<h2 id="8g97t"><span id="Why_do_we_need_Unit_Testing_for_JavaScript_applications">Why do we need Unit Testing for JavaScript applications?</span></h2>



<p>The modern software development architecture recommends TDD (Test Driven Development) or BDD (Behavior Driven Development) as the mandatory practice while application development, as it has many advantages and helps to deliver a quality product. Below are some common benefits of unit testing:</p>



<ul><li><strong>Early detection of bugs: </strong>Unit testing is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to prevent bugs. Unit testing checks the logic at the component level, ensuring that the component is working as expected.</li><li><strong>Early detection of regressions:</strong> When the developer changes the code to fix the bug or add a new feature, the unit test reports the failure, which helps in the early detection of the bugs.</li><li><strong>Saves cost:</strong> Any bug caught later in development is costlier, as it has to go through multiple processes, and a lot of effort is involved. When there is an effort, there is a cost. Since unit testing helps in the early detection of bugs, it saves many expenses in the long run.</li><li><strong>Defect prevention: </strong>Well-written unit tests can prevent the defect, as the test fails instantly, preventing the unintended modification of code.</li><li><strong>Quality gate:</strong> Unit testing serves as a quality gate, as the percentage of code coverage can be measured and set the quality gate as per the requirement. The code merge fails instantly if the coverage is below the required limit.</li></ul>



<p>Let’s compare the three testing JavaScript frameworks: Jest vs Jasmine vs Mocha.</p>



<h2 id="4v96l"><span id="Jest_vs_Mocha_vs_Jasmine_Why_compare_them">Jest vs Mocha vs Jasmine: Why compare them?</span></h2>



<p>These three frameworks have existed for a long time and are quite popular in the market. Whenever the question arises about the best among these three, the answer is always debatable. However, by analyzing their features, limitations, and trends in the market, we should be able to conclude which is the best framework. All three frameworks were released a decade back.</p>



<h3 id="e0de2"><span id="Jest_Mocha_and_Jasmines_initial_release_dates">Jest, Mocha, and Jasmine’s initial release dates</span></h3>



<ul><li>Jasmine&#8217;s Initial release was on September 14, 2010</li><li>Jest was created in 2011, and it was made open-source in 2014</li><li>Mocha&#8217;s initial release was on 22 November 2011</li></ul>



<p>These three frameworks perform well even after a decade, so it&#8217;s worth exploring and comparing them. This article compares them in an unbiased way.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://images.storychief.com/account_36412/image_128385a6a120ee1d172f9b09c10c50e9_800.png" alt="jest rankings"/><figcaption>Source: Testing experience ranking<gwmw style="display:none;"></figcaption></figure>



<p>The above image shows the satisfaction ranking of testing libraries. Jest is in the Top 3, Mocha is in the Top 8, and Jasmine is in the Top 10. This ranking is a comparison of all JavaScript testing frameworks, both unit and end-to-end testing frameworks. As mentioned earlier, some end-to-end testing framework uses one of these libraries, for example, Cypress internally uses Mocha/Chai libraries. The above ranking can be used as a reference but not for a conclusion unless you evaluate the features against your organization&#8217;s requirements.</p>



<h2 id="cf2j3"><span id="Jest_JavaScript_Testing_Framework">Jest JavaScript Testing Framework</span></h2>



<p>Jest is an open-source JavaScript testing framework managed by Facebook, Inc. It supports different types of front-end projects such as Babel, TypeScript, <a href="https://fireart.studio/trusted-node-js-development-company/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Node</a>, React, Angular, Vue, etc. Jest was built for the Facebook chat feature and was created in JavaScript. The framework is enhanced to support many core features and open source. The Meta (formerly Facebook) open-source project was maintaining the Jest framework, but Meta has decided to hand over Jest to the OpenJS foundation.</p>



<h3 id="2bepo"><span id="Jest_Data_on_NPM_and_GitHub">Jest Data on <a href="https://www.npmjs.com/package/jest">NPM </a>and GitHub</span></h3>



<ul><li>Weekly Downloads: 17,153,924</li><li>Used by: 6.4M</li><li>Contributors: 1,387</li><li>Forks: 6K</li><li>Star: 40.1K</li><li>License: MIT</li></ul>



<h3 id="dnlnf"><span id="Advantages_of_Jest_JavaScript_Testing_Framework">Advantages of Jest JavaScript Testing Framework</span></h3>



<ul><li>Zero config setup. Jest is easy to set up. Install the Jest package using npm or Yarn and start writing the test.</li><li>Jest test execution is comparatively faster; parallel testing makes it even faster.</li><li>Jest framework provides an easy mocking feature with rich mock functions; you just need to import and start spying on functions.</li><li>Rich assertions make Jest provide the accurate results.</li><li>Detailed documentation lists every feature with examples, which helps anyone to understand and resolve the problem.</li><li>Snapshot testing or Visual testing is another key feature of the Jest framework. The Snapshot testing helps validate UI bugs, for example, layout, typography, alignment, etc.</li><li>Easy to debug and resolve the failures.</li><li>Some of the critical features of Jest include clear output, powerful developer tools, frequent releases, lightweight, etc.</li></ul>



<p>Learn More: <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/uncaught-typeerror-in-javascript/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Uncaught Type Error in Javascript&nbsp;</a></p>



<h3 id="1pn6v"><span id="Limitations_of_Jest_Framework">Limitations of Jest Framework</span></h3>



<ul><li>People who worked with other testing libraries may find it hard to learn Jest.</li><li>Jest is not supported by all IDE. If you are using the unsupported IDE, you might not get powerful features like IntelliSense, auto import, etc.</li><li>Compared to other similar libraries, Jest lacks the library and tooling support.</li><li>The auto mocking feature makes Jest slower.</li></ul>



<h2 id="3dqch"><span id="Mocha_JavaScript_Testing_Framework">Mocha JavaScript Testing Framework</span></h2>



<p>Mocha is an open-source JavaScript testing framework built by NodeJS. It is part of the OpenJS foundation. Mocha is consistently the first choice of developers for a long time. This framework always concentrates on core features and extensibility. To make the most out of Mocha and ensure effective testing of JavaScript applications, businesses can <a href="https://binary-studio.com/hire-node-js-developers" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hire Node js developers</a> with expertise in Mocha.</p>



<h3 id="6fdf8"><span id="Mocha_Trends_on_NPM_and_GitHub">Mocha Trends on <a href="https://www.npmjs.com/package/jest">NPM </a>and <a href="https://github.com/mochajs/mocha">GitHub</a></span></h3>



<ul><li>Weekly Downloads: 6,659,493</li><li>Used by: 1.7M</li><li>Contributors: 480</li><li>Forks: 3K</li><li>Star: 21.6K</li><li>License: MIT</li></ul>



<h3 id="8kbb"><span id="Advantages_of_Mocha_Testing_Framework">Advantages of Mocha Testing Framework</span></h3>



<p>Mocha is a simple and flexible framework; it doesn&#8217;t come with assertion libraries you can use any assertions libraries. The Chai, Sinon, Express.js, and Should.js libraries are the most popular assertion libraries with Mocha. It can be used for both front-end and back-end testing. As it is flexible, Mocha can be configured to work on any project such as React, Angular, etc.</p>



<ul><li>Mocha supports Test Driven Development (TDD) and Behavior Driving Development (BDD).</li><li>Mocha test runs serially, so results are always accurate.</li><li>Mocha tests can be set up to run test cases directly on the web browser.</li><li>It provides various ways to generate the test report; you can even choose to create custom reports.</li><li>It can be configured for synchronous or asynchronous testing.</li><li>Mocha provides a good number of plugins that helps to extend your framework.</li><li>Mocha highlights the slow running tests after the test run.</li><li>Mocha supports the retry failed tests feature, which helps to configure re-running the failed tests if tests are flaky.</li></ul>



<h3 id="40g24"><span id="Limitations_of_Mocha_Framework">Limitations of Mocha Framework</span></h3>



<ul><li>The developer needs to spend time configuring and setting up the Mocha framework.</li><li>Snapshot testing is not supported out of the box; you need to depend on external libraries.</li><li>Though it has good documentation, the search feature is not user-friendly.</li><li>As you have to integrate different frameworks for assertions, the test scripts can sometimes be confusing.</li><li>Mocha is falling behind in releasing new features and supporting developer tools nowadays.</li></ul>



<h2 id="hslu"><span id="Jasmine_JavaScript_Testing_Framework">Jasmine JavaScript Testing Framework</span></h2>



<p>Initially released in September 2010, Jasmine is an open-source JavaScript framework that runs with NodeJS. It supports BDD development. Everything needed for testing is shipped as a single package in Jasmine. It has inbuilt assertions, so there is no need to configure external assertion libraries. Jasmine is an independent testing library. Jest and Mocha share the syntaxes and similarities with Jasmine. Jasmine existed even before Mocha and Jest, making it one of the oldest JavaScript testing frameworks.</p>



<h3 id="d63ra"><span id="Jasmine_Facts_on_NPM_and_GitHub">Jasmine Facts on <a href="https://www.npmjs.com/package/jasmine-core">NPM</a> and <a href="https://github.com/jasmine/jasmine">GitHub </a></span></h3>



<ul><li>Weekly Downloads: 4,278,068</li><li>Used by: 2.4M</li><li>Contributors: 218</li><li>Forks: 2.3K</li><li>Star: 15.4K</li><li>License: MIT</li></ul>



<h3 id="d8ndn"><span id="Advantages_of_Jasmine_JavaScript_Framework">Advantages of Jasmine JavaScript Framework</span></h3>



<p>Jasmine ships all the features out-of-the-box that are required for unit tests; you do not have to download any external libraries.</p>



<ul><li>Jasmine can be used with any popular development framework.</li><li>Jasmine supports asynchronous testing.</li><li>Jasmine&#8217;s syntaxes are clear, and the tests are more readable.</li><li>Good community support is a big plus for Jasmine, as it has existed as a popular framework for a long time.</li><li>Jasmine provides good tool and extension support, which helps to customize and extend the framework.</li><li>Jasmine provides a variety of assertions; it is more readable and easier to use.</li></ul>



<h3 id="epkqs"><span id="Limitations_of_Jasmine">Limitations of Jasmine</span></h3>



<ul><li>Jasmine provides everything out of the box, but the user has to spend time configuring them.</li><li>It has good documentation, but not documented in a user-friendly way.</li><li>Asynchronous testing is complex with Jasmine.</li></ul>



<h2 id="f7lfm"><span id="Jest_vs_Mocha_vs_Jasmine_Which_one_to_choose">Jest vs Mocha vs Jasmine: Which one to choose?</span></h2>



<p>It&#8217;s tough to conclude which is better, as every framework has its pros and cons. The testing framework cannot be chosen based on trends, popularity, or usage. Several criteria need to be evaluated while choosing the testing framework, for example, the front-end development library, type of application, skillsets, etc. After assessing the organization and project requirements, the testing framework needs to be integrated.</p>



<p>If you consider the popularity, Jest is mostly popular with ReactJS and NextJS-based applications, and Jasmine is popular with Angular-based applications. The complex projects choose the Mocha testing framework as it provides a lot of flexibility. Having said that, no framework can be considered the best. However, if the framework fulfills your project and organization requirements, that is the best for you.</p>



<p>We know that unit testing is part of the application testing and resides at the lower level before integrating the components. The actual behavior can be tested only after integrating all the components by performing end-to-end testing. Like Unit testing tools, many tools provide end-to-end testing functionality. The common problem with testing tools is that though they use the same programming languages, their usage and configuration are different. So one needs to invest time and effort in learning them.</p>



<p>Interestingly, <a href="https://testsigma.com/why-choose-testsigma-for-continuous-testing">Testsigma </a>provides scriptless testing, so you don&#8217;t have to install any tool to perform end-to-end testing. Once you sign up, you can start writing your tests in plain English. Writing the tests in simple English feature encourages everyone to contribute to testing and eliminates <a href="https://testsigma.com/docs/getting-started/introduction-cloud/">setup </a>time and learning efforts.<gwmw style="display:none;"></p>



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Jest vs Mocha vs Jasmine: Top 3 JavaScript Testing Frameworks in 2022 cover

Jest vs Mocha vs Jasmine: Top 3 JavaScript Testing Frameworks


<p>Testers, in their day-to-day lives, have to do many types of tasks. And to enable them to do those tasks there are many types of testing tools in the market too. These tools usually specialize in helping the testers perform a certain task. Sometimes these tools can be used to completely automate the tasks while at other times these tools can make the tasks easier.</p>



<p>In this article, we will try to broadly categorize these types of testing tools. The categories have been created according to when these tools are used.</p>



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets"><p class="toc_title">Table Of Contents</p><ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Types_of_Testing_Tools"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">1</span> Types of Testing Tools</a><ul><li><a href="#Test_Case_Management_Tools"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.1</span> Test Case Management Tools</a></li><li><a href="#Test_Case_Generation_Tools"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.2</span> Test Case Generation Tools</a></li><li><a href="#Test_Data_Preparation_Tools"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.3</span> Test Data Preparation Tools</a></li><li><a href="#Test_Execution_Tools"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.4</span> Test Execution Tools</a></li><li><a href="#Cross_Browser_Testing_Tools"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.5</span> Cross Browser Testing Tools</a></li><li><a href="#Coverage_Measurement_Tools"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.6</span> Coverage Measurement Tools</a></li><li><a href="#Performance_Testing_Tools"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.7</span> Performance Testing Tools</a></li><li><a href="#Bug_Reporting_Tools"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.8</span> Bug Reporting Tools</a></li><li><a href="#Project_Planning_and_Tracking_Tools"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.9</span> Project Planning and Tracking Tools</a></li><li><a href="#Incident_Management_Tools"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.10</span> Incident Management Tools</a></li><li><a href="#Screen_CaptureRecord_Tools"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.11</span> Screen Capture/Record Tools</a></li><li><a href="#Tools_for_Analysing_Logs"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.12</span> Tools for Analysing Logs</a></li><li><a href="#Other_Tools"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.13</span> Other Tools</a></li></ul></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="types-of-testing-tools"><span id="Types_of_Testing_Tools"><strong>Types of Testing Tools</strong></span></h2>



<h3 id="test-case-management-tools"><span id="Test_Case_Management_Tools"><a href="https://testsigma.com/test-management-tools" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Test Case Management Tools</a></span></h3>



<p>A tester&#8217;s life moves around test cases and bugs. For the management of test cases of different features, the test case management tools are used. Some examples of test case management tools are TestRail, Practitest, TestCollab.</p>



<h3 id="test-case-generation-tools"><span id="Test_Case_Generation_Tools">Test Case Generation Tools</span></h3>



<p>To begin with, test cases are created manually but when there are some patterns that can be repeated for test case creation, test case generation tools are used. Some teams create these tools in-house while there are some available in the market for standard test case generation techniques.</p>



<h3 id="test-data-preparation-tools"><span id="Test_Data_Preparation_Tools">Test Data Preparation Tools</span></h3>



<p>When test cases need to be tested with a good amount of test data,&nbsp; use of test data preparation tools proves beneficial in many ways.<br><br>They could specially be very useful for data generation during performance or reliability testing. These tools can also be used during functional testing and acceptance by testers as well as developers.</p>



<p>Features or characteristics of test data preparation tools are as follows:</p>



<ul><li>Extraction of required data records from databases and/or files;</li><li>For “data cleansing” of production data such that it can be used for testing purposes without any fear of data theft;</li><li>For rearrangement of data and records to facilitate testing;</li><li>Setting up of existing data or generation of&nbsp; new data according to requirements&nbsp;</li><li>To generate similar test data (from a template) in bulk for volume testing</li></ul>



<p>Some majorly used test data preparation tools are:&nbsp;</p>



<ul><li>MOCKAROO: Generate up to 1,000 rows of realistic test data in CSV, JSON, SQL, and Excel formats.</li><li>DATPROF: Data masking, subsetting, provisioning and discovery</li><li>Informatica: Enterprise cloud data management and data integration</li><li>CA Test Data Manager (Datamaker): High-performance data subsetting, data masking, test matching, etc. The tool generates, stores, and reuse the test<strong> </strong>data in the test<strong> </strong>data repository.</li></ul>



<h3 id="test-execution-tools"><span id="Test_Execution_Tools">Test Execution Tools</span></h3>



<p> These are the tools that are used to execute tests. These tools are also called “Test running tools”. Originally, these tools started with recording and playing test steps hence these are also called record-and-play tools.</p>



<p>Though as the requirements changed and tests became more complex, just record and playback was not sufficient. Then there was the need of some scripting support to create the steps such that the steps could be edited as and when needed.</p>



<p>Selenium was one of the first tools that supported conversion of the recorded tests to required scripting language. This made the test cases easier to maintain according to changing requirements.</p>



<p>Now, there are codeless/scriptless testing tools too that allow maintenance of these tests even without writing code or script. They use different technologies for this. <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/scriptless-automated-testing-is-not-the-same-as-record-and-playback/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read here about all such technologies in detail. </a></p>



<p>One such tool is <a href="https://testsigma.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Testsigma</a> that lets you write test cases in simple English language. The test cases are easy to edit and maintain too as Testsigma uses AI in the backend to add to the efficiency for all maintenance related tasks.</p>



<h3 id="cross-browser-testing-tools"><span id="Cross_Browser_Testing_Tools"><a href="https://testsigma.com/cross-browser-testing-tools" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cross Browser Testing Tools</a></span></h3>



<p>These tools help execution of test cases on different browsers and devices. Some examples are Browserstack, Browserling. When a test execution tool integrates with the cross browser testing tools, the tool becomes more beneficial.</p>



<p>There are tools that do like Testsigma which supports integration with 5 Browserstack and 4 other testing labs for <a href="https://testsigma.com/cross-browser-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cross browser testing</a>.</p>



<h3 id="coverage-measurement-tools"><span id="Coverage_Measurement_Tools">Coverage Measurement Tools</span></h3>



<p>Coverage Measurement Tools are used to measure the thoroughness of testing by measuring the number of items that the testing covered. The item can be a number of lines of code or methods or components or conditions.&nbsp;</p>



<p>One example of these tools are code coverage tools. There are different code coverage tools according to the programming language in which the code is written. These tools are integrated with other software development tools. For example, They can be&nbsp; integrated with building tools like Ant, Maven, and Gradle as well as with <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/ci-cd-tools/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CI/CD tools</a> like Jenkins.</p>



<p>Examples of some open source code-coverage tools are:<br><strong>Cobertura for JAVA</strong></p>



<p><strong>Codecover for Java and COBOL</strong></p>



<p><strong>Coverage.py for Python</strong></p>



<p><strong>EMMA for JAVA</strong></p>



<h3 id="performance-testing-tools"><span id="Performance_Testing_Tools"><a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/performance-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Performance Testing</a> Tools</span></h3>



<p>The purpose of performance testing is to make sure that the application is able to perform according to expected standards even when the load is varied. The performance testing is used to measure the metrics that ensure that the system is stable and performing as expected. These can vary depending on the functionality of the application. But the most commonly measured metrics are: &nbsp;speed, response time, reliability, resource usage, scalability.</p>



<p>Some examples of famous performance testing tools are:</p>



<p><strong>LoadNinja</strong></p>



<p><strong><a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/jmeter-vs-selenium/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Apache JMeter</a></strong></p>



<p><strong>WebLOAD</strong></p>



<p><strong>LoadUI Pro</strong></p>



<p><strong>Gatling</strong></p>



<h3 id="bug-reporting-tools"><span id="Bug_Reporting_Tools">Bug Reporting Tools</span></h3>



<p>When testers execute test cases or do ad-hoc testing, they find bugs and a tool is needed to report these bugs. These tools also easily integrate with the other tools in the software development life cycle.</p>



<p>Examples of some majorly used bug reporting tools are:</p>



<p><strong>Bugzilla</strong></p>



<p><strong>BugHerd</strong></p>



<p><strong>Mantis Bug Tracker</strong></p>



<p><strong>The Bug Genie</strong></p>



<h3 id="project-planning-and-tracking-tools"><span id="Project_Planning_and_Tracking_Tools">Project Planning and Tracking Tools</span></h3>



<p>These are the tools that are used to plan and track the software development activities. Examples of widely used tools are JIRA, Trello, Microsoft Project Planner.</p>



<h3 id="incident-management-tools"><span id="Incident_Management_Tools"><a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/incident-management-systems/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Incident Management Tools</a></span></h3>



<p>Whenever a customer faces an issue and reports it, they are handled by incident management tools. These tools integrate with other software development processes and improve the efficiency and productivity of the team. Some examples of these tools are crisis control, freshservice.</p>



<h3 id="screen-capture-record-tools"><span id="Screen_CaptureRecord_Tools">Screen Capture/Record Tools</span></h3>



<p>When testers report bugs, they need to give all information they have such that the developers and management are able to understand the bug completely. For this, the best way is to send screenshots and <a href="https://www.veed.io/learn/how-to-screen-record-on-windows" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">screen-recordings</a>.</p>



<p>Testers use many tools for this purpose. Some of most used ones are:</p>



<p><strong>Screencastify:</strong> for recording your screen from a Chrome extension.</p>



<p><strong>Apowersoft: </strong>Unlimited for mobile screen capture.</p>



<p><strong>Snipping Tool : </strong>A windows tool for screen capture and recording</p>



<h3 id="tools-for-analysing-logs"><span id="Tools_for_Analysing_Logs">Tools for Analysing Logs</span></h3>



<p>	Every application generates some logs during use. When testing, these logs can prove very useful for testers. They might need to add some logs to the bug reports too. To check and analyse these logs there are multiple tools that testers can use, some of which are:</p>



<p><strong>Graylog</strong></p>



<p><strong>Nagios</strong></p>



<p><strong>Elastic Stack</strong></p>



<p><strong>LOGalyze</strong></p>



<p>In addition to this, testers also use different tools in their day to day life to ease their day to day tasks. For eg. if a tester has to test the HTTP responses, they would use an HTTP proxy tool that will let them check the responses at a granular level. This is when they don’t need to automate the test cases. The examples of such tools are Fiddler and Charles.</p>



<h3 id="other-tools"><span id="Other_Tools">Other Tools</span></h3>



<p>Another tool that has been designed to help think better is mindmaps. It helps testers to represent their notes in a easy to review, graphical format. One can note the test ideas, bugs, testing notes in the form of mind maps.</p>



<p>In the categories of types of testing tools we listed above, there are n number of tools in the market but all can not be used in all circumstances.</p>



<p>Many factors need to be considered before choosing the best types of testing tools for a purpose, most important of which are:</p>



<ul><li>Optimized testing costs</li><li>Increased <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/test-efficiency/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">testing efficiency</a></li><li>Highest standards of Quality</li></ul>



<p>Is there some tool that you would like mentioned in this list? Do let us know in the comments!<br></p>


Different types of tools to help testers day to day life easier

12 Different Types of Testing Tools (Recommended by Tester’s)


<p>There are lots of applications that users use these days, some are accessed via the internet while some of them are installed on the user’s computer. The former being categorized as the web-based applications while the latter falling into the desktop applications category. Lets have a detailed look into Desktop vs Web Application Testing here.</p>



<p>There are a lot of differences in the operating mechanisms of both and some groups even consider either one of them as being better than the other.</p>



<p>Let’s briefly describe the basic definitions of each of them first and then describe in detail the underlying Desktop vs Web Application Testing differences that make them fall apart in certifying the quality of each of them.</p>



<p><strong>Desktop Application</strong> &#8211; Desktop application is a name coined for a general program used to run on a personal computer or laptop. This is a standalone software program which doesn’t depend on any internet connectivity for its working and its performance is not impacted because of any network related latencies. Few examples of desktop applications are MS-Word, Adobe Acrobat Reader, and calculator etc.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" width="733" height="485" src="https://testsigma.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Desktop-App.jpg" alt="Desktop Application" class="wp-image-22358" /></figure>



<p><strong>Web Application</strong> &#8211; Web Application is a general application program that is stored or hosted on a remote server and is accessed over the internet via a browser interface. The Internet is the basis for these types of applications to work. Any network-related latencies result in performance hindrances in these types of applications.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" width="733" height="485" src="https://testsigma.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Web-Application-Testing.jpg" alt="Web Application Testing" class="wp-image-22360" /></figure>



<p id="advantages-of-web-applications-over-desktop-applications"><strong>Advantages of Web Applications Over Desktop Applications</strong></p>



<p id="here-are-a-few-advantages-of-web-applications-over-desktop-applications">Here are a few advantages of <a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-web-application-testing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">web applications</a> over desktop applications –</p>



<p><strong>1. </strong>Web Applications are run via a browser, so the developers need not develop different apps for different platforms.</p>



<p>For example, an application which can run on chrome will run on both Windows and Linux. By just updating the application on the remote server, all the users can have access to the updated application.</p>



<p><strong>2. </strong>Web applications serve better in terms of providing a consistent user interface across different platforms as the UI is more dependent on the browser than the OS.</p>



<p><strong>3. </strong>The data processing and storage in case of web applications happens on the remote server which can be easily accessed by all the remote users instead of heavy file transfers across computers.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" width="848" height="485" src="https://testsigma.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Web-app-vs-Desktop-App.jpg" alt="Web Apps vs Desktop Apps" class="wp-image-22362" /></figure>



<h2 id="what-is-the-difference-between-desktop-application-testing-and-web-testing"><strong>What is the Difference Between Desktop Application Testing and Web Testing?</strong></h2>



<p><p style="padding-bottom: 10px">Having gathered a sound understanding of how Desktop vs Web Application differ in short, let’s see the major difference between web application and desktop application in terms of parameters and how those differences impact the way each of these is tested. </p></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"><strong>Parameters</strong></td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse"><strong>Desktop 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">Environment</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Desktop Applications are platform-dependent and are confined to the machine that they are deployed on.</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Web Application testing is performed with the application deployed on a server which can be accessed by other computers with just a 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">Platform</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Separate desktop applications need to be developed for different platforms.</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Web Applications are platform-independent, hence they can run on multiple platforms without needing a separate development altogether.</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Deployment/Upgrades</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Deployment or any code upgrade needs to be done separately on all the client machines.</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Deployment or any patch upgrade needs to be done on a single set of server machines only.</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Security</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Desktop applications, on the other hand, are better equipped in terms of authorization and administration control and are hence more secure. Security testing can hence be either skipped or can be performed at a very trivial level.&nbsp;</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Web Applications are more prone to security risks which are attributed to its mass accessibility. Security testing plays an important role in case of web application testing due to its large exposure to the multitude of audience.</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Storage of Data</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Desktop applications have all the data stored on the machine on which the application is deployed.</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">In the case of web applications, the data is stored remotely on the server and is accessed by our personal laptops remotely with the help of a web browser &amp; internet connectivity.</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Types of Tests Performed</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">GUI Functionality Load Backend</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">User Interface TestingLoad, Stress, Volume Browser/OS CompatibilitySecurityData Volume testing cross Browser testing static page testingBroken Link Testing</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Architecture</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Desktop applications have a single-tier architecture where the application under test runs on a single computer. There is no client and server in these.</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Web applications are built on a tier architecture which can run on 2 or more than 2 computers. These have clients and servers in their architecture.</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Connectivity</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Desktop applications don’t require internet connectivity as they are hosted on the user machines only. Hence internet connectivity tests need not be in scope for these applications under test.&nbsp;</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Web applications are dependent on the internet connectivity for their functioning Internet connectivity tests need to be performed to check the application performance at various speeds.</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Accessibility</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Desktop applications are confined to physical locations and hence can only be accessed from the machines on which they are inherently deployed. Hence the tests would involve the user testing all the application features on the machine on which it is deployed.</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Web applications don’t have any location constraint to be accessed as they are deployed on servers which can be accessed from anywhere. Testing should involve different users testing the application under test from different computers from remote locations as well.</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Number of Users</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">At any given point in time, there is a single user testing or using the desktop application on a machine</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Multiple users can access web applications across the internet and browsers.</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<p><p style="padding-top: 10px">To summarize, in order to test a desktop application, the focus should be environment-oriented as a desktop application is operated in a specific environment only. Desktop applications should be tested for usability, functionality, backend and load.</p></p>



<p>Here get the list of Best <a href="https://testsigma.com/tools/desktop-automation-tools/">A</a><a href="https://testsigma.com/tools/desktop-automation-tools/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">utomation Tools for Desktop <span style="font-size: revert;color: initial">Applications</span></a></p>



<p>While doing the Web testing, it’s critical to ensure that the web application under test can be easily accessed by the real users and is functioning properly across all browsers and operating systems. Web applications should hence be <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/different-functional-testing-types-explained-in-detail/">tested for functionality</a>, compatibility, security, performance, usability and accessibility.</p>



<p>Know More: <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/web-app-testing-checklist/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Web Application Testing Checklist</a></p>



<p>If you have been doing website testing and are now wondering if you need to implement automation then this is the article that can help you figure it out:<a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/5-signs-you-need-to-implement-test-automation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> 5 signs you need to implement test automation</a></p>



<p><a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-web-application-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Testsigma, a cloud-based test automation tool</a> has revolutionized the way you you can automate your website testing. It enables you to <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/how-to-convert-manual-test-cases-into-automated-test-cases-and-why/">automate your test cases</a> in simple English. Simple English does not just work for simple work flows but also for the complex ones.</p>



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Desktop application testing versus Web application testing

Desktop Application Testing vs Web Application Testing

Quality Assurance VS Quality Control (QA VS QC): What’s the Difference?


<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets"><p class="toc_title">Table Of Contents</p><ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Introduction"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">1</span> Introduction</a></li><li><a href="#Types_of_Software_Bugs"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">2</span> Types of Software Bugs</a><ul><li><a href="#1_Implementation_Bugs"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">2.1</span> 1. Implementation Bugs:</a></li><li><a href="#2_Specification_Bugs"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">2.2</span> 2. Specification Bugs:</a></li><li><a href="#3_Absent_Specification_Bugs"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">2.3</span> 3. Absent Specification Bugs: </a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#What_Causes_Bugs_in_Software"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">3</span> What Causes Bugs in Software?</a><ul><li><a href="#1_RegressionInjection"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">3.1</span> 1. Regression/Injection: </a></li><li><a href="#2_Inadequate_Testing"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">3.2</span> 2. Inadequate Testing:</a></li><li><a href="#3_Communication_Gap"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">3.3</span>  3. Communication Gap:</a></li><li><a href="#4_Improper_Planning"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">3.4</span> 4. Improper Planning:</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#How_can_Software_Bugs_be_Prevented"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">4</span> How can Software Bugs be Prevented?</a><ul><li><a href="#1_Test-Driven_Development_TDD"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">4.1</span> 1. Test-Driven Development (TDD):</a></li><li><a href="#2_Continuous_Integration_Continuous_Testing_CICT"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">4.2</span> 2. Continuous Integration Continuous Testing (CICT):</a></li><li><a href="#3_Behaviour_Driven_DevelopmentBDD"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">4.3</span> 3. Behaviour Driven Development(BDD):</a></li><li><a href="#4_Specification_Review_and_Management"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">4.4</span> 4. Specification Review and Management:</a></li><li><a href="#5_Clear_Communication"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">4.5</span> 5. Clear Communication:</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Why_are_not_all_Software_Bugs_Preventable"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">5</span> Why are not all Software Bugs Preventable?</a><ul><li><a href="#1_Effort_Tradeoff"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">5.1</span> 1. Effort Tradeoff: </a></li><li><a href="#2_User_Immunity_to_Bugs"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">5.2</span> 2. User Immunity to Bugs: </a></li><li><a href="#3_Team_Structure_and_Dynamics"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">5.3</span> 3. Team Structure and Dynamics: </a></li><li><a href="#4_Software_Patch_Releases"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">5.4</span> 4. Software Patch Releases: </a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Conclusion"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">6</span> Conclusion</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="introduction"><span id="Introduction"><strong>Introduction</strong></span></h2>



<p><p style="padding-top: 20px">Creating a bug-free software is hard, to the extent that it seems like a myth. Bugs in software represent the discrepancy between the expected and actual behaviour of the software. Although it&#8217;s unrealistic to make software bug-free, efforts can surely be made to minimize the number of bugs in software through various prevention and detection techniques.&nbsp;</p></p>



<p>Prevention techniques are the ones that can be used to prevent bugs from occurring in the software. Detection techniques are the ones that can be used to detect the bugs that exist in the software. As bug detection can happen only after the bugs begin to appear in the software, detection is a costlier technique than prevention to minimize the bugs in software.</p>



<p>Let us discuss the major types of software bugs, factors causing them, and how to prevent them.</p>



<h2 id="types-of-software-bugs"><span id="Types_of_Software_Bugs"><strong>Types of Software Bugs</strong></span></h2>



<p>Software bugs can be broadly classified into 3 major categories:</p>



<h3><span id="1_Implementation_Bugs">1. Implementation Bugs:</span></h3> Bugs introduced during the implementation of software can be classified as implementation bugs. These bugs don’t exist in the requirements and design phases of the software but get introduced when the corresponding specifications are implemented in the code. Therefore, these can also be termed as coding bugs.</p>



<p>For example, consider the login page for an application. According to the specification, a valid username may contain alphabets and numerals. During implementation, the developer allows the use of symbols in the username along with alphabets and numerals.&nbsp;</p>



<p>These are the most common types of bugs prevailing in software and can be prevented to a large extent.<br></p>



<h3><span id="2_Specification_Bugs">2. Specification Bugs:</span></h3>Bugs introduced at the time of creating specifications for software can be classified as specification bugs. These are the bugs that get introduced when technical specifications for requirements and design are created.&nbsp;</p>



<p>For example, according to the specification, if a user enters an incorrect password, the error message “Incorrect Password!” should be shown to the user. As per the standard security guidelines, the error message in this scenario should be “Incorrect Username or Password!”.</p>



<p> If a naive developer, who doesn’t know about standard security guidelines and practices followed in software products, is tasked with implementing the specification and he/she unknowingly goes ahead and implements the behaviour as mentioned in the specification, then the bug occurring here is a specification bug.</p>



<p>Such bugs, if not caught early, can impact the product development cycle.<br></p>



<h3><span id="3_Absent_Specification_Bugs">3. Absent Specification Bugs: </span></h3>Bugs that get introduced in the software because workflows and use-cases related to them were not considered during the creation of specifications can be termed absent specification bugs. These are the bugs that arise because nobody thought they could happen or would be needed when the specifications were created. </li></ol>



<p>For example, the specification for a website doesn’t talk about supporting HTTPS. Therefore, it is assumed that HTTPS support is not needed for the website.</p>



<p>Security vulnerabilities in products are a classic example of such bugs. The security aspect is generally not considered during the initial phases of product specifications and may get missed in later phases until someone starts seeing the associated risks and raises alarm.&nbsp;<br></p>



<h2 id="what-causes-bugs-in-software"><span id="What_Causes_Bugs_in_Software"><strong>What Causes Bugs in Software?</strong></span></h2>



<p>Following are some of the common factors which cause software bugs:&nbsp;</p>



<h3><span id="1_RegressionInjection">1. Regression/Injection: </span></h3>A regression/injection is known to have happened when a new code change impacts the existing code in an undesirable manner, like a side-effect. This means that until the new code change was made, the software was working as expected but after the new code change, a bug has been introduced in the software.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Regressions/Injections are common when:</p>



<p style="padding-top: 20px"><strong>i.</strong> Teams are working with large and complex codebases of legacy products.</p><p><strong>ii.</strong> Teams are working in a disjoint manner such that they are not aware of how the modules they are working on may impact each other</p><p><strong>iii.</strong> Product design is not clean enough to avoid side-effects in the code.</p>



<p style="padding-top: 20px">Whatever be the reason, regressions/injections pose serious challenges to the quality of a product and surely need to be prevented.</p>



<h3><span id="2_Inadequate_Testing">2. Inadequate Testing:</span></h3> If the software has not been thoroughly tested during its development cycle, there is an increased likelihood of bugs being left undiscovered in the product. These bugs would eventually be discovered by the end-users, raising concerns about the quality of the product.



<p><p style="padding-top: 20px">This lapse in testing could be due to various reasons such as:</p></p>



<p style="padding-top: 20px"><strong>i. </strong>Lack of appropriate testing procedures for the product.</p><p><strong>ii. </strong>Shortage of experienced testers in the team.</p><p><strong>iii. </strong>Lack of time and resources needed for testing.</p>



<p><p style="padding-top: 20px">These bugs can surely be prevented from reaching the end-users by addressing the factors leading to inadequate testing.</p></p>



<h3><span id="3_Communication_Gap"> 3. Communication Gap:</span></h3> Specifications depict the thoughts and vision of the people creating them. Any gaps in communication among people creating the specifications would eventually find their way in the specifications created by them.</p>



<p>These gaps in specifications can give way to miscommunication, assumptions, and conflicts leading to bugs. If some scenarios were not considered during creating a specification, expected behaviours for these scenarios would also be missing in the specification. </p>



<p>This lack of information in the specification creates the opportunity for the development team to make assumptions regarding the expected behaviour for these scenarios. </p>



<p>As assumptions are the first step on the path that leads to the difference between the expected and actual behaviour of a product, new bugs can get introduced in the product.</p>



<p>Sometimes, it may happen that different specifications or different sections in the same specification have conflicting expectations for the same use-case or scenario. </p>



<p>Since development teams working on implementing these specifications may only refer to the sections relevant to them, such conflicts may be hard to catch early paving the way for bugs.&nbsp;</p>



<h3><span id="4_Improper_Planning">4. Improper Planning:</span></h3>Not considering scenarios that can impact the product later reflect poor planning. Such lapse in planning could also be due to a lack of relevant expertise in the team.</p>



<p>For example, if there is no security expertise in the team, it’s easy to miss on the planning of security-related efforts.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Improper planning may result in a lack of crucial components/modules in a&nbsp; product which may put the whole product at risk later.</p>



<h2 id="how-can-software-bugs-be-prevented"><span id="How_can_Software_Bugs_be_Prevented"><strong>How can Software Bugs be Prevented?</strong></span></h2>



<p>Following are a few techniques that can help in preventing software bugs:</p>



<h3><span id="1_Test-Driven_Development_TDD">1. Test-Driven Development (TDD):</span></h3> TDD encourages creating failing tests for the feature/product before developing the feature/product. As the development for the feature/product reaches completion, the test cases begin to pass, validating the expected behaviour for the feature/product.



<p>If tests are created before the feature/product, the likelihood of a feature/product reaching its end-users untested is greatly reduced. TDD can serve as a powerful technique to prevent bugs arising due to inadequate testing.</p>



<h3 id="2-continuous-integration-continuous-testing-cict"><span id="2_Continuous_Integration_Continuous_Testing_CICT">2. Continuous Integration Continuous Testing (CICT):</span></h3>



<p>CICT emphasizes that every code change integrated into the central code repository should be automatically tested with predefined test cases. Thus, continuous testing is possible only when <a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="automated testing (opens in a new tab)">automated testing</a> is implemented and integrated with CI/CD system. </p>



<p>To achieve CICT for a product, it is crucial that the test automation system is integrated with the build system of the product.</p>



<p>Having a CICT pipeline for the product makes sure that any regressions/injections in the product are caught as soon as they are introduced. This saves a lot of time and effort that is otherwise spent in tracking down the changes that caused the regression/injection.&nbsp;</p>



<h3><span id="3_Behaviour_Driven_DevelopmentBDD">3. Behaviour Driven Development(BDD):</span></h3>BDD encourages the use of a Domain Specific Language (DSL) for communication between and within teams. Using DSL helps in reducing miscommunication among stakeholders.



<p>When BDD is used, tests can be created in a simple text language like English which makes it easy for everyone in the team to participate in creating and reviewing tests without getting into the nitty-gritty of code syntax. </p>



<p>This flexibility and transparency in creating and reviewing test cases can help a lot in reducing bugs occurring due to communication gaps between and within teams.</p>



<p>Testsigma is a unified test automation tool that has taken test automation to a new level by allowing automation in simple English. To know more about <a href="https://testsigma.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">Testsigma click here</a>.</p>



<h3><span id="4_Specification_Review_and_Management">4. Specification Review and Management:</span></h3> As the scope for the product evolves, so do specifications related to it. The dedicated effort may be required to review and track the updates happening in specifications. Early catching of any updates in the specifications which may lead to a potential conflict, can help in preventing bugs later in the implementation of the product.</p>



<h3><span id="5_Clear_Communication">5. Clear Communication:</span></h3> Open and clear communication among teams and team members can help a lot in highlighting absent/conflicting scenarios in specifications. If every team member is encouraged to communicate about use-cases or scenarios that they think are missing/conflicting in the specification then, such issues can be identified much quickly and early.



<p>Encouraging teams to seek inputs from relevant stakeholders and brainstorm for the possible expected behaviours in cases of missing/conflicting specifications can help in reducing bugs arising out of assumptions made for implementation.</p>



<h2 id="why-are-not-all-software-bugs-preventable"><span id="Why_are_not_all_Software_Bugs_Preventable"><strong>Why are not all Software Bugs Preventable?</strong></span></h2>



<p>Despite various prevention techniques available, bugs still find their way in products. There can be multiple factors for this, such as:</p>



<h3><span id="1_Effort_Tradeoff">1. Effort Tradeoff: </span></h3>At times, you might need to choose between preventing bugs and evolving the product for new user groups, technologies and business domains.</p>
<p>With limited resources at hand, prioritizing bug prevention over new product features and updates may not always be a good business decision.</p>



<h3><span id="2_User_Immunity_to_Bugs">2. User Immunity to Bugs: </span></h3>Unless the bugs in the product make it really hard to use from a performance and stability perspective, users understand that bugs do exist in software and a bug-free software is not a realistic expectation.</p>



<h3><span id="3_Team_Structure_and_Dynamics">3. Team Structure and Dynamics: </span></h3> Some of the bug prevention techniques might not work for you depending on your team structure and dynamics.</p>



<h3><span id="4_Software_Patch_Releases">4. Software Patch Releases: </span></h3> If a critical bug in the product has made its way to the end-user, you know it’s not the end of the world and there is an option to provide a patch release or an early next release.<p>



<h2 id="conclusion"><span id="Conclusion"><strong>Conclusion</strong></span></h2>



<p>It is always good to prevent bugs whenever possible. It saves a lot of time and effort later. But as discussed above, despite best efforts, some bugs might still find their way in the product. And it&#8217;s alright as long as these bugs don’t threaten user loyalty of the product.&nbsp;</p>



<p>A software with lots of features but poor stability and performance is as useless as a stable and highly performant software that doesn’t have enough features to achieve user workflows. To choose between preventing bugs and adding more features to the product, you need to find the right balance between the two.&nbsp;<br></p>


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