Test Suite vs Test Case: What is the Difference?
A test suite is a bunch of test cases grouped for a specific purpose. It can cover multiple functionalities or features within an application. On the other hand, a test case focuses on one particular aspect or scenario. It’s like a single unit of testing within the larger test suite. So, if you want to know more about these two important concepts, keep reading!
Table Of Contents
What is a Test Case?
A test case is a set of instructions determining whether a software or system behaves as expected. A test case generally outlines the various inputs and outputs for a particular scenario and provides step-by-step instructions on executing that scenario. It can also include information about the expected result after executing those steps.
Test cases are essential because they help identify bugs and issues early, saving time and money in the long run. Ensuring high-quality software products that meet customer requirements would be much harder without them.
Importance of Test Case
Test cases are essential as they help ensure the software application’s quality. Below are some points highlighting their differences:
- They help identify defects and bugs in the software application.
- Test cases assist in verifying whether the software application meets its functional and non-functional requirements.
- They help in validating the accuracy and completeness of the software application.
- Test cases help establish quality standards for the software application.
- They assist in tracking the progress of software testing activities.
- Test cases act as a guide for developers to fix defects and errors.
- They help reduce software development costs by detecting defects early in the development lifecycle.
Therefore, creating complete Test cases is essential to ensure the software application performs as expected and delivers an excellent user experience without errors or defects.
Test cases Example
Let’s discuss a sample Test case to test whether an existing user can log in to the website successfully.
Test Objective: Confirm you can log into the website using the correct information.
Pre-requisites: A valid username and password.
Steps:
- Launch the application under test.
- Enter the valid username and password.
- Click the ‘Login’ button.
- Ensure that the user logs in successfully.
Expected Result: The user should be successfully logged in to the website. So now we can see how to create a Test case using Testsigma. The image below shows you how to begin creating a Test case in Testsigma. It has all the advanced options for creating a Test case.
The image below shows the example of many Test cases created in Testsigma.
Refer to Create Test Case to learn how to create a Test Case.
What is a Test Suite?
A test suite is a set of tests designed to check the functionality and performance of the software. It collects individual test cases based on their specific purpose or characteristics.
Importance of Test Suite
As a test suite is a collection of test cases grouped according to a specific set of criteria, we must learn the major importance of these test suits. By organizing test cases into test suites, testers can identify and prioritize the most critical tests, ensuring that the most important aspects of the software are tested first. This helps reduce the risk of missed errors or defects during testing.
Test Suites- An Example
For example, a Test suite for a product means creating a Test suite with multiple Test cases. This image shows the example of creating a Test Suite with necessary Test cases in Testsigma.
The image below displays many Test suits created in Testsigma.
Refer here to know more about Test suites with Testsigma: https://testsigma.com/docs/test-management/test-suites/overview/
Test suite vs Test case -Key differences
Test suite and Test case are both essential in software testing. The differences between the test suite and the test case can be summarized as follows:
| Parameter | Test Suite | Test Case |
Definition | A collection of test cases that are designed to test a specific feature or functionality of the software | A set of inputs, preconditions, and expected outcomes that are designed to test a particular aspect of the software |
| Function | Tests multiple scenarios and functionalities | Tests a single scenario or functionality |
| Dependency | It can be dependent on other Test Suites | Test cases, ideally, run independently of each other |
| Priority | Can be prioritized based on the functionality they cover | Can be prioritized based on the severity of the issues they uncover |
| Purpose | Validate broad functional requirements | Validate specific detailed scenarios |
What if we want to automate our Test cases and Test suites?
Automating test cases and suites can save time and money while improving testing coverage and consistency. Generally, you can automate test cases and suites for Functional Testing and Non-functional testing.
There are tools like Testsigma, Selenium, Appium available for functional testing, and there are tools like Jmeter, loadrunner, webLOAD for non-functional testing (performance testing, load testing etc)
Testsigma is a no-code test automation tool that helps you automate your functional test cases and suites. The test steps are as easy to write and edit, as writing english sentences. Testsigma also lets you automate your functional tests for web, mobile, APIs and Desktop from these same place, 5x faster. Testsigma is also available as an open source and free version.
Summary
This blog taught us about test cases, test suites, and their differences. A test case is a set of instructions that outlines how to execute a specific test on a particular aspect of the software, while a test suite is simply a collection of multiple related tests. In other words, any software testing endeavor’s pieces can be classified as test cases. Still, when packaged together into an organized group, they form the larger umbrella known as a Test suite.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do we use a Test suite?
A test suite is used to organize and execute a set of tests that ensure software quality. The primary purpose of a test suite is to detect any defects or issues within an application before it is released to the end users.
