Code Coverage vs Test Coverage: Differences You Need to Know

The core objective of both code coverage and test coverage remains the measurement metrics leveraged to simplify the assessment of the quality of application code. These are significant for developers to rectify any errors if discovered and enhance the overall quality of an application.

Code Coverage vs Test Coverage – Overview

What is Code Coverage?

Code Coverage is the percentage of the source code executed by a test suite. It points out what has been tested and what has not been tested, thereby revealing untested paths. Tools such as JaCoCo or Istanbul usually visualize such data by pointing out areas where more tests are needed. High code coverage may imply high quality but does not guarantee it; it is a good metric for the effectiveness of testing.

What is Test Coverage?

Test Coverage is the extent to which the testing process covers the software requirements or specifications. It ensures testing all aspects, both functional and non-functional, based on defined criteria. Sometimes, test coverage may be measured using requirement traceability matrices or similar tools.

This will help ensure that all features have been validated and verified against requirements, thus enhancing confidence in the product, though it does not coincide with the thoroughness of testing.

Check here – How do You Ensure Test Coverage

Code Coverage vs Test Coverage – A Comparison

Let us look into this table to know more:

Aspect	Code Coverage	Test Coverage
Definition	Measures the percentage of code executed during testing.	The extent to which testing covers requirements/specifications.
Advantages	Identifies untested code, helps improve code quality, provides insights into testing effectiveness, helps in refactoring, and can lead to fewer bugs in production.	Ensures all features are validated, highlights gaps in testing, enhances confidence in product quality, facilitates requirement tracking, and encourages comprehensive test design.
How to Measure?	Tools like JaCoCo, Istanbul, or Clover are used to track executed lines/branches.	Through requirement traceability matrices or testing frameworks that align tests with requirements.
Mechanisms	Instrumentation of code, Static analysis.	Mapping requirements to test cases and test case reviews.
Tools	JaCoCo, Istanbul, Clover.	TestRail, HP ALM, Jira (with plugins).

Check here – Test Coverage Techniques

Code Coverage vs Test Coverage: Which One Should You Choose?

It’s now time to address the elephant in the room – code coverage vs test coverage: which one to choose and why. As both of these are completely different measurement approaches, it won’t be justified to choose between the two. Code coverage is a quantitative measure and is more related to the white-box testing technique. While on the other hand, test coverage is a qualitative measure and a black-box testing approach. 

So there’s no exact answer to this question “code coverage vs test coverage: which one to choose “, as it would entirely depend on your business requirements and the intricacy of the software application. In a majority of the cases, however, both test coverage and code coverage are used.

Summary

People have always mistaken both test coverage and code coverage to be the same term. But they don’t have anything in common!

For all the testers, having an in-depth analysis of code coverage and test coverage is vital. Not only do these techniques offer efficient testing, but also help developers save hundreds of hours and executives save resources.

Additionally, 100% code coverage should not be sought at any stage of SDLC because it will end up wasting more time and resources as developers would miss out on vital testing modules when short at the time.

None of the code coverage or test coverage is a perfect choice, but you should try both of them for a considerable amount of time. The combo would most likely yield the ideal results.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between code coverage and feature coverage?

Code coverage measures the percentage of code executed during tests, while feature coverage assesses whether all specified features or functionalities are tested. 

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